Short answer
You sign a Letter of Authority (LOA), FirstNet submits it to your current provider and moves the numbers over in an agreed cutover window.
In detail: Number porting process in South Africa, step by step
Number porting moves a telephone number from one licensee to another under ICASA's number portability regulations, so your callers keep dialling the number they know. Geographic, non-geographic and portable toll-free numbers can all be ported to FirstNet.
The steps:
- Review: FirstNet's Voice Solutions Engineering team reviews your PBX, network, channel sizing, numbering and porting plan before the order is accepted.
- Paperwork: you sign an LOA in the form FirstNet provides, with account holder details that exactly match your current provider's records: entity name, registration number, account number and billing address.
- Submission: FirstNet submits the LOA to the losing provider and handles its queries.
- Cutover: FirstNet agrees a cutover window and a rollback option with you, then tests calls once the numbers move.
- Aftercare: calls are monitored for the first 24 hours after cutover.
A typical port takes 5 to 15 business days from submission of the LOA. Large blocks, multi-site or multi-carrier ports usually take 3 to 6 weeks. The commonest delays are mismatched account holder details, numbers still tied to copper, ADSL or bundled services, and an LOA signed late. FirstNet does not control the losing provider's response time, so it does not promise dates that depend on another operator.
Your contract and any charges with the current provider remain your responsibility, so check its notice period before you port. Only your authorised contacts can instruct FirstNet on porting. A FirstNet voice engineer can review your number ranges and plan the port.