Number porting from Talk Talk - two weeks! Why?

[RachelB10]

I've had full fibre & Digital Voice installed with BT, which went live on 17/10/25.  BT couldn't port my landline number from my previous provider in time for the go live date, so I currently have a temporary landline number.

(The number that's being ported has only ever been Talk Talk, AFAIK, as I've had it since I moved in to my flat)

I rang BT on 18/10/25 to find out how long it would be until my number ports over from TT. I was told 3-5 working days. 

I spoke to TalkTalk today , and they said BT is not taking the service over until 3/11/25 ! I immediately rang BT and this was confirmed & I was basically just told (not very apologetically!) that I'd been given wrong information last week.

Why does it take so long to port the number over? 😫

[imjolly]

is it possible that TT are not releasing number until 3/11?  did you ask TT?

[RachelB10]

spoke to TalkTalk today , and they said BT is not taking the service over until 3/11/25

That is verbatim, word-for-word exactly what I was told when I spoke to someone from TalkTalk today.

[licquorice]

Being pedantic, it doesn't mean that TT have released the number. 

[iniltous]

You do realise it takes two to tango , what TT are saying has a couple of interpretations, BT are not taking the number over until 3/11 because that’s when we said they could have it , or BT are not talking it over until 3/11 because that’s the date they requested, unfortunately in cases like this , TT will claim it’s not them causing the delay , and BT will say the same , the fact is you will never know which it is , so it’s pointless stressing over it .
Why does it take so long ?  , usually it doesn’t , it’s done the same day the new provider supplies service , the fact you were told from the outset that you couldn’t have the number for the go live date suggests yours was not a standard move from TT to BT , things that can mess this up can be (for example ) taking FTTP from the new provider while on FTTC with the old provider , and the customer messes up by contacting the old provider themselves to tell them to cease the old service rather than letting the new provider via OTS , One Touch Switching, to do all the contacting of the old provider, this forces a different lengthier path for the number port ,