When the idea of updating the traditional landline phone system to VoIP is proposed to a business, one of the major concerns they raise is whether the original phone number will still be usable after the upgrade. This concern is totally valid because potentially changing your phone number to a new one comes with the hassle of updating it across all your business profiles and customers. No business would want to lose its customer base and reputation built over time. Fortunately, you can keep using your old landline number by transferring it to the new VoIP system. The process is called porting, and it is not as complicated as it might sound. In this blog, we’ll discuss the step-by-step process through which you can transfer your landline number to VoIP, the time and cost involved, along with the answers to your common questions. By the end of this blog, you will have all the information you need to switch your landline number to VoIP successfully.
What is VoIP
Before moving further, let’s take a quick look at the definition of VoIP. The terminology ‘VoIP’ stands for voice over internet protocol, which allows you to make and receive calls on any device with an internet connection.
VoIP technology works differently from a landline phone system as it doesn’t require a physical route of cables from one end to the other. The calls are transmitted over the internet in 3 steps:
- When the call is made from one end of the connection, the analogue signals of the voice are converted into digital signals.
- Then, these digital signals are sent to the VoIP provider via the internet, where they get converted into IP packets. This conversion is done by codecs, which include compression and decompression algorithms.
- The final conversion from analogue to digital signals takes place at the receiver’s end, and a clear voice can be heard.
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How to Transfer Your Landline Number to VoIP: Step-by-step process
1. Check if your number is transferable
Contact both your current landline provider and your future VoIP provider directly to confirm whether your number is transferable.
2. Collect the necessary information
Make sure you have all the important details about your landline phone system, like your account number, PIN, holder name, proof of connection like a phone bill, and the address associated with your connection. You’ll need this information when selecting a VoIP provider, so it’s best to have it beforehand.
3. Select a VoIP provider and start the process
Choose a reliable and experienced service provider whose pricing meets your budget requirements. After you’ve chosen a VoIP provider, submit a porting request through their portal to start the process. You will need to provide the information mentioned before in the required application.
4. Time required for the porting process
Porting your number can take anywhere from 8 days to a few weeks, depending on the providers involved. During this time, you can keep using your regular landline system.
5. Set up your VoIP service
While waiting for the porting process to complete, you can set up your VoIP account and devices in the meantime. You’ll find the instructions to configure your system from your VoIP provider, which makes it easy to install.
6. Test Your New VoIP System
Once the porting process is complete, test your VoIP system to make sure that your number is fully functional. Make a few test calls and verify that all features are working properly.
7. Cancel with your landline provider
After porting is fully complete and tested to be functional without any issues, you can go ahead and cancel your subscription with your landline provider.
Key factors to consider
Apart from the porting process, we have also discussed some important factors that you need to consider when switching from a landline phone system to a VoIP..
Internet connection
There are only two requirements to set up a basic VoIP system:
- A VoIP software subscription.
- An internet connection.
Your existing internet connection should be strong enough to support the operation of a VoIP system. Otherwise, you might need to update it as well.
Time consideration
The process of porting can take anywhere from 8 days – 4 weeks. This duration depends on a number of factors like the number of lines of your VoIP connection, the geographical area of connection, and the type of VoIP and landline providers you are working with. That’s why it is important to take a mental note of the time it’ll take for the whole process to complete. If you want to speed it up, contact your VoIP provider to see if they can accommodate your request.
Cost factor
The following factors influence the cost of transferring your landline phone number to VoIP:
- Your area of connection.
- Vary with each provider.
- Whether you are using cloud or hosted VoIP.
Some VoIP providers include number porting for free as part of their service package, while others charge a one-time fee or a recurring monthly fee to keep your ported number. On average, the one-time fee ranges from £10 to £30, while the monthly fee (if applicable) falls between £5 and £10. To get the best deal, compare quotes from multiple providers and choose the one that fits your budget.
What Happens To Your Landline Once You Have Ported?
One of the questions we’re asked often is, ‘I have a traditional landline telephone; what happens to it when I port my number and get VoIP?’
After your number has successfully ported to your VoIP provider, you no longer have a copper landline. The physical line is still there, but your phone service is gone. Think about it as turning off a light; the wiring is still there, but nothing moves through it.
Here are some key elements you should consider:
Timing Consideration
Don’t ever go cancelling your current landline service prior to completion of the porting process. If you cancel your current landline service before the porting process is complete, you will lose your phone number. Your old provider needs to keep the line open during the process to make sure that the number ports across successfully.
Cancel your landline service only after you know that everything is working fine with your new VoIP provider and you’ve tested the system by making some calls.
Does Upgrading To VoIP Impact My Future Broadband Upgrades?
If you’re hanging on for full fibre (FTTP) to reach your area, then perhaps you are concerned that cancelling your active landline might take you off ‘installation lists’.
Trust us, that’s not the case. With the release of FTTP, addresses are sized on address only, not whether you currently have a working phone line. You will still be able to sign up for FTTP broadband from any ISP once it becomes available, whether you have an active copper line or not.
Advantages of switching to a VoIP system
By switching your number from a landline to a VoIP, you will get access to various long-term benefits that will prove useful for your business operation in the long term.
Cost efficient
A VoIP phone system is cheaper than a landline in many ways.
- Doesn’t require a physical wired setup: A VoIP system only requires a good internet connection for its operation. It doesn’t require a hectic physical infrastructure, unlike a traditional landline system, for which you have to pay for a proper copper wire system.
- Lower per-user cost: A landline phone system costs around £14/user on average in the UK. However, a VoIP plan starts from as low as £7/user. This means almost a 50% cut in the overall cost.
- No requirement to buy new hardware: You can easily use VoIP on any device (laptop, tablet, smartphone, or a softphone). With a VoIP adaptor, you can even use your old landline desk phones for your VoIP system, so you might never need to purchase any additional hardware.
Portability
VoIP devices are highly portable; as long as you have an internet connection, you can take your VoIP device anywhere to make and receive calls. This is a perfect solution for remote teams to stay connected. VoIP also allows you to give shared numbers to multiple employees.
Ease of adding or removing phone lines
A VoIP system conveniently allows you to add or remove phone lines without making any major changes. On the other hand, if you wish to add or remove users in a landline system, you will have to install a new line for each user physically.
Advanced features
VoIP offers more than just calling, its special features make it a reliable option for businesses. One of them is called call transferring, which helps VoIP calls to be redirected to the relevant line among teams.
Apart from transferring calls, VoIP also allows video conferencing, screen sharing, call analytics, and integration with business systems. All these features greatly enhance teamwork, work efficiency, and communication in workplaces.
Common Porting Mistakes To Avoid
It is possible to avoid a lot of trouble and frustration by learning from the mistakes others have made before you.
Here we have listed down some of the most common mistakes people make when they port their number from a landline to VoIP and how you can avoid them:
Mistake 1: Cancelling Your Old Service Too Soon
This is by far one of the most common mistakes that has cost users the most money. Some customers, eager to turn off the payment for their old landline, cancel the service as soon as they sign up with a VoIP provider. The result? They lose their number permanently if the porting is not completed before cancellation.
How To Avoid It:
Don’t cancel your existing landline service until your new VoIP provider tells you that the port is completed 100%.
Ensure you have made a test and received calls with your new VoIP service, using the ported number, before cancelling your existing service. Yes, you have to pay for both services if they overlap, but that small price is worth ensuring you keep your number.
Mistake 2: Giving Inaccurate Account Information
Providing inaccurate account information can lead to port requests getting declined, and that can add even more weeks to the timeline.
Common accuracy problems include:
- Misspelling the account holder’s name.
- Listing the billing address as an old address.
- Entering an incorrect account number.
- Using nickname rather than the real name
How To Avoid It:
Please consult your most recent phone bill and accurately transfer the information as recorded. Triple-check all of these details before you submit your porting request. If you haven’t received any of the information, call your existing provider to check your account details.
Mistake 3: Trying To Port An Inactive Or Suspended Account
To successfully port your landline to VoIP, you should make sure it is active. If your line is currently suspended (for any reason), then the port request will fail.
How To Prevent It:
Prior to starting the porting process:
- Settle the remaining balance of all your dues.
- Confirm there are no disputes or holds on the account for payment.
- Verify there is a working dial tone on your line and it can receive/make calls.
- Settle contract issues with your current provider.
Mistake 4: Inaccurate Documentation
Documentation requirements vary between VoIP providers. If you’re missing any documents or if the forms are not filled in correctly, it will delay your number porting.
How To Avoid It:
- Before you begin, ask your VoIP provider for a full list of required documents.
- Complete all authorisation forms, leaving no sections blank.
- Attach legible documents that support your claim (photocopies of your latest bill or ID).
- Keep copies of what you submit for yourself.
- Follow up to make sure your provider has received all of your paperwork.
Mistake 5: Not Testing The Quality Of Your Internet Connection
VoIP services will be impossible to use without an internet connection. In some cases, people port their number and find out that their internet isn’t strong enough for quality voice calls.
How To Prevent It:
Test your internet connection before porting:
- Do a speed test to verify that you have a minimum of 1 Mbps of upload and download speed for each concurrent call.
- Check the call quality of VoIP with your provider’s test service or a temporary number.
- Make sure that your latency is not too high and also eliminate any jitter problems.
- If using a mobile broadband connection, you will need to have a stable signal with data caps in consideration.
VoIP Vs Traditional Landline: A Detailed Comparison
Here’s a detailed comparison of how traditional landlines and VoIP differ, so you know what to expect if you switch.
| Features | Traditional Landline | VoIP System |
|---|---|---|
|
Call Quality |
Consistently clear with minimal interference and is not reliant on the internet |
Good with high-quality internet; depends on bandwidth, latency or congestion on the network |
|
Reliability |
Functions during power outages (phone line supplies power); does not rely on internet |
Needs mains power & internet to function and will fail during power or internet loss unless backed up |
|
Monthly Cost |
£14 to £25/month (for business lines the cost is higher) |
£7 to £15/month (usually includes features that are extra on landlines) |
|
Call Charges |
It charges per minute for UK calls and it is quite pricey for international calls |
UK calls are included in the package and international rates are generally much cheaper |
|
Installation |
It requires professional engineer and physical copper line, which can take weeks |
It is simple to install and can be ready within a few days |
|
Mobile Integration |
No integration |
VoIP can be integrated with mobile, laptop and desk phones |
|
Business Continuity |
The whole system down if line fails till an engineer comes to fix it |
Calls can be automatically redirected to mobile phones or other locations at any time |
|
Flexibility |
Fixed location; cannot be moved easily |
It offers great flexibility |
|
Advanced Features |
Basic features only: voicemail and call waiting |
Offers advanced features such as voicemail-to-email, call recording, auto attendant, call analytics and video conferencing |
|
Scalability |
Adding lines is hard and expensive |
Add new users with just one or two clicks; it grows as fast as modern technology |
|
Call Management |
Limited: requires expensive hardware upgrades |
Feature-rich web dashboard for routing, analysing and managing calls |
If you want to learn more, read our guide: VoIP vs Landline Phones: Which is Best For Your Business?
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FAQs
Yes, your landline service will remain active until the porting process is finalised.
Costs vary depending on the VoIP provider. Some providers offer free number porting as part of their plans, while others may charge a one-time fee (£10 to £30) or a monthly fee (£5 to £10).
Yes, you can use your existing landline phone with VoIP by using an Analog Telephone Adapter (ATA). This device connects your traditional phone to the internet.
