This topic

Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

gethinjones — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 12:13:42 GMT

I'm looking to move my number as it's linked to my business that has moved me out of the spare room in my house and into a commercial property.

So want to port the number but I'm just not sure how that will effect my fibre.

I know I will need a new landline number but will it effect my fibre connection while I wait for a new number?

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 12:20:53 GMT

@gethinjones

This is the Residential Customer forum.

Please ask on the BT Business forum.

https://business.forums.bt.com/

Thanks

Generally, if you cease your number, then you lose your broadband.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

gethinjones — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 14:40:41 GMT

OK. Thanks. Good to know but I am residential not business. No one seems to have a definite answer. Is there a team that deals with renumbering or virtual lines? I've been sent to a bunch of different teams like technical and cancelations but virtual porting seems to fall between the divide.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

iniltous — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 14:57:58 GMT

What you seem to require isn’t ‘number porting’, that’s where , remaining at the same address , someone moves their phone number to a new provider…your requirement is more a house move , but maintaining service at the old address….a basic requirement is that the new address and your current ( residential ) address would need to be physically connected to the same exchange , if the addresses are sufficiently far apart ( distance wise ) then you could not take the number across exchange boundaries .

The other complications are that usually by taking a number somewhere else , it automatically ceases any other services on the line at the original address, so broadband may well be ceased at the residential address, plus if the new location is a business address, you may have the complication of residential to business transfer .

If you wanted to do this , and assuming both addresses are connected to the same exchange, you would probably have to renumber the residential line , that makes the number spare , then ensure that the now spare number is allocated to your business address…there would probably be some time while the number would simply be spare, and you would have ( IMHO ) have to get this done in a managed way , by speaking to someone who understands what you want and can manipulate the orders through the system.

TBH, if all you want is to be able to answer phone calls that would go to the residential address from the business address, you could just get a line installed at the business ( with any number ) and when leaving the residential address put the existing line onto divert to the number at the business , callers will be non the wiser , they call you, and get you , the only draw back is you pay for the diverted part of the call, this would work even if the addresses were off different exchanges

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 15:00:35 GMT

@gethinjones

If you are running a business on a residential line, then that is not permitted under the BT Residential T&Cs, especially now you are moving the business to a commercial address.

BT Business do have a Cloud Voice service, which may be more suitable if you want a virtual number that can be used on your broadband.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

gethinjones — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:56:26 GMT

I'm not moving address but changing to virtual number.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

gethinjones — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:58:12 GMT

Could I switch the number to their cloud service? Or do I need a new one.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

gethinjones — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 16:58:42 GMT

Could I switch the number to their cloud service? Or do I need a new one.

Re: Porting number to virtual line Effect Fibre?

Keith_Beddoe — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 17:27:33 GMT

@gethinjones wrote:
Could I switch the number to their cloud service? Or do I need a new one.

Unless you have a BT Business broadband account, it would not be possible anyway. The other problem is if your phone number is residential, it may not be possible to move it anyway.

Moving from residential to business, while still in a contract, is likely to be costly. See if anyone else has any suggestions, as trying to port your number out, is going to cause you to lose your broadband.