Porting FAQ: Moving Numbers In and Out

Answers to the questions we hear most about transferring phone numbers to Cloudspire and away from it.

Porting is the process of moving a phone number from one carrier to another. You keep the number; only the carrier behind it changes. A transfer to Cloudspire is a port-in. A transfer away from Cloudspire to another provider is a port-out. The two work very differently, because the carrier receiving the number always runs the transfer.

The short version. A port-in starts on the Porting tab of the customer portal, and Cloudspire runs it for you. A port-out is started and run by your new carrier: you need nothing from Cloudspire to do it, and it does not cancel your Cloudspire service. Cancelling is a separate request you make from the Plan tab or a support ticket.

Moving numbers away from Cloudspire (port-out)

Who controls a port-out?

The carrier you are moving to. Under the number portability rules, the receiving carrier submits the transfer request, receives the confirmed transfer date, and completes the move. Cloudspire is the losing carrier in a port-out. We do not schedule it, speed it up, or hold it, and we cannot change the date your new carrier is given. Every question about the timeline of a port-out is one for your new carrier.

Do I need a customer service record (CSR), an account number, a PIN, or a letter from Cloudspire?

No. Cloudspire does not issue customer-facing account numbers, PINs, or passcodes, and does not produce a customer service record or a letter of authorization for a port-out. Your account is identified by your company name and your email address, so there is nothing to look up in the portal and nothing to request from our team. Your new carrier prepares the letter of authorization for you to sign, and the transfer is validated against the numbers themselves.

What does my new carrier need from me?

The phone numbers you are moving.
Your company name, exactly as it appears on your Cloudspire account.
Your business address.
If their form insists on an account number, enter the main phone number you are moving. Cloudspire does not check it.
If their form asks for a PIN or passcode, leave it blank. Cloudspire does not assign one.

Your new carrier will also ask you to sign their letter of authorization. That is their document, not ours.

Do I need to open a ticket with Cloudspire before porting out?

No. Your new carrier handles the port-out request from start to finish, and you do not need to tell us first. The one thing a port-out does not do is cancel your service, so if you are leaving Cloudspire entirely, read Does porting my numbers out cancel my Cloudspire service? below.

Will Cloudspire delay or refuse the transfer if I owe a balance?

No. Federal number portability rules say that once you have requested service from a new carrier, your old carrier may not delay or refuse to port your number because of an outstanding balance or an early termination fee, and Cloudspire follows that rule. Any balance on your account, the notice period, and any remaining term under your agreement are still owed. They are billed separately and have no effect on the transfer.

How long does a port-out take, and who tells me the date?

Your new carrier does. They receive the confirmed transfer date from the porting process and it is theirs to communicate. Cloudspire cannot see their timeline, cannot move the date, and does not know the date before they do. If a port-out seems slow, the answer is with the carrier that submitted it.

Will Cloudspire tell me when a port-out request arrives?

When a port-out request against your numbers arrives, a Port-out alert ticket opens on your account and appears under Support Tickets in the customer portal, and our team reviews it. It does not appear on the Porting tab, which shows only transfers into Cloudspire, and we do not email you about it; your new carrier keeps you informed. If you see a Port-out alert for a transfer you did not authorize, reply on that ticket or contact support immediately: an unauthorized port-out is challenged with the carriers, and the earlier that starts, the more can be done about it.

Does porting my numbers out cancel my Cloudspire service?

No. A port-out moves your numbers. It does not end your plan, and billing continues until you cancel.

To cancel, submit a cancellation request yourself. Either open the Plan tab in the customer portal, click Change plan on the plan you are ending, and choose Cancel this plan, or open a support ticket from the Support Tickets tab (the New Ticket button) asking to cancel. Submitting the request from the portal counts as your written notice.

Cancellation is governed by your agreement with Cloudspire. Cancellation requires 60 days' notice, and if you signed a Statement of Work with a service term, the remaining months of that term are owed when you cancel early. If you have no signed agreement of your own, the Master Service Agreement applies. Our Customer Service team finalizes every cancellation with you, and your service keeps running until they do. The full process is on the Cancelling a Plan page.

What happens to a number after it leaves?

When the port-out completes, the number is deactivated on your account. Its routing is removed and its 911 registration is withdrawn, because we cannot answer for a number on 911 once another carrier holds it. Anything that pointed at the number moves to another of your numbers first: your outbound caller ID, a queue's callback number, or the number an AI campaign dials from. If it was your last number, your outbound caller ID is left unset and any AI campaign is paused rather than deleted, and a banner in the portal tells you what to set before outbound calls and 911 service resume.

Can I move some of my numbers and keep my service?

Yes. Port out the numbers you no longer need and keep the rest. Your plan and your remaining numbers are unaffected. If you want a smaller plan afterwards, adjust the quantities on the Services tab.

I am in a term agreement. Can I still port out?

Yes. A term never blocks a transfer. The remaining months of the term are still owed under your agreement, the same as any early cancellation.

Bringing numbers to Cloudspire (port-in)

Where do I start?

In the customer portal, on the Porting tab: click Port a number to us and fill in the form. You can also add the numbers you want to transfer during online checkout when you first sign up. The Porting tab requires Porting access; your account's primary contact has it automatically, and other contacts can be given it by Cloudspire support.

What should I have ready?

Your most recent bill from your current carrier. Almost every delayed transfer was rejected because something on the request did not match the current carrier's records, so copy these exactly as the bill shows them:

The account name, word for word.
The service address the numbers are registered to, which is not always your mailing address.
The billing telephone number: the main number your current carrier lists for the account, usually one of the numbers you are moving. It must be a number with that carrier, and every number on one request must be with the same carrier.
The account number, and the PIN or passcode if your carrier uses one. Some carriers require you to call them to have a transfer PIN generated.
Whether you are moving every number on the account or only some of them. Moving only some is a partial transfer and takes longer.

Numbers that are frozen by your current carrier, or that already have a pending order on them, cannot be transferred until your current provider clears that.

How long does a port-in take?

Most transfers finish in one to two weeks. A straightforward move from another internet-based provider typically takes 2 to 5 business days; a carrier that reviews transfers by hand, or a reseller in the middle, 7 to 14 business days; large blocks, several billing accounts, partial transfers, or a carrier still working on paper, 2 to 6 weeks. The losing carrier sets the activation date once it accepts the request, and that date appears on your order.

Does it cost anything?

No. Porting a number in is included at no charge. Once the number arrives, it counts toward your plan's phone number allowance and is billed like any other number on your account.

Can I port a number in on a trial?

No. Number porting is a paid capability. Convert to a paid plan first, then start the transfer.

Can I port a toll-free number?

Yes. Toll-free transfers need a signed letter of authorization: we email you a signing request, and the same authorization can be signed right from the Porting tab. Toll-free numbers activate between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM Eastern, so a requested time outside that window is not accepted for a toll-free port.

Will my phones go down during the transfer?

No. Your current service keeps working until the confirmed activation date, and there is no planned outage. Set up the routing for each number before that date, because a number that arrives with nowhere to ring simply does not connect. Many customers order one new Cloudspire number to test everything while the transfer runs.

My transfer says Needs Attention. What now?

The carrier rejected something, almost always a small mismatch with your current provider's records. Open the transfer on the Porting tab, correct the flagged details, and resubmit. The clock restarts from resubmission, so a request left sitting is the most expensive kind of delay. If the carrier refused the request outright, it stays listed as a draft, our team is notified automatically, and we follow up with you.

Can I change the activation date or stop the transfer?

Yes, once the carrier has confirmed a date. Open the transfer on the Porting tab to move the date (up to 30 days out) or to stop the transfer. Carriers allow three date changes on a confirmed transfer, and a further one risks them cancelling the transfer outright. Inside two days of activation a change is best effort, and inside the last day it has to go through our team. Stopping a transfer sends a cancellation request to the carrier; it is not stopped until they confirm, and close to the activation date they can refuse, in which case your numbers still move. Watch the status until it says cancelled.

Can I text from a ported number?

Once the number is live it behaves like any other number on your account. Sending from a regular 10-digit number needs an approved 10DLC registration, which you start on the SMS Campaigns tab, and toll-free numbers cannot send texts. Calling and receiving are never affected by the registration.

Can I keep a number with another carrier and still use it here?

Yes, in a limited way. A number that stays with another carrier can be registered on Cloudspire for 911 service or used as your outbound caller ID, but its calls and texts still terminate with the other carrier, so it cannot receive text messages here. See Phone Numbers.

Phone Numbers: buying, claiming, and removing numbers, and caller ID controls.
Cancelling a Plan: how a cancellation is requested and what happens to your numbers and account.
Services: adjust the number of phone numbers your plan covers.