Renumber from Talk Talk

[Anne48]

Message to @neil

Hi Neil, after seeing that you have helped other people with the same problem, I was hoping you could help me too.

I recently switched to BT from TalkTalk and was hoping I could keep my number that I have had for over 30 years. I brought the number with me from another area of the city when I moved house 3 years ago. Seen as I was able to bring the number to this house, I thought I’d be able to just transfer it to BT now but they are telling me this is impossible due to it being on a different exchange.

Please help.

Thanks I’m advance,

Anne

[Keith_Beddoe]

Welcome to this user forum. @Anne48

BT are correct, each BT Retail  exchange has its own  number range which is build into the hardware configuration and cannot be changed, so if you have moved to another area, your number would be on a different exchange, and cannot be routed to your new address.

There is nothing that can be done to overcome this, but you may be able to ask BT to put a changed number announcement on your old number, to tell people your new number.

[Andy_N]

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:

Welcome to this user forum. @Anne48

BT are correct, each BT Retail  exchange has its own  number range which is build into the hardware configuration and cannot be changed, so if you have moved to another area, your number would be on a different exchange, and cannot be routed to your new address.

There is nothing that can be done to overcome this, but you may be able to ask BT to put a changed number announcement on your old number, to tell people your new number.

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It would need to be TT to put a CNA on the old number. That would usually incur a cost depending on how low it's required, and it depends on whether TT have that sort of service.

[licquorice]

Am I missing something here, the OP hasn't moved just changed provider. The move was 3 years ago with number retention at new address.

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@Andy_N wrote:

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:

Welcome to this user forum. @Anne48

BT are correct, each BT Retail  exchange has its own  number range which is build into the hardware configuration and cannot be changed, so if you have moved to another area, your number would be on a different exchange, and cannot be routed to your new address.

There is nothing that can be done to overcome this, but you may be able to ask BT to put a changed number announcement on your old number, to tell people your new number.

---

It would need to be TT to put a CNA on the old number. That would usually incur a cost depending on how low it's required, and it depends on whether TT have that sort of service.

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Would that be the case, as the number would now have reverted to BT Retail, as the number range holder?

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@licquorice wrote:

Am I missing something here, the OP hasn't moved just changed provider. The move was 3 years ago with number retention at new address.

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Its easy to port a number to TT, as they can emulate any number within their own network, as its all done in software, no matter where you move to, within reason.

The problem is porting back to BT, with its old exchange architecture where each remote concentrator is physically mapped.

@Anne48 says "I brought the number with me from another area of the city when I moved house 3 years ago. "

That would mean the number was ported from that local BT exchange to TT, three years ago.

Now at a different address, on a different BT exchange, the number cannot be ported back, as it exists on a different (the original) exchange remote concentrator.

[Andy_N]

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:

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@Andy_Nwrote:

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:

Welcome to this user forum. @Anne48

BT are correct, each BT Retail  exchange has its own  number range which is build into the hardware configuration and cannot be changed, so if you have moved to another area, your number would be on a different exchange, and cannot be routed to your new address.

There is nothing that can be done to overcome this, but you may be able to ask BT to put a changed number announcement on your old number, to tell people your new number.

---

It would need to be TT to put a CNA on the old number. That would usually incur a cost depending on how low it's required, and it depends on whether TT have that sort of service.

---

Would that be the case, as the number would now have reverted to BT Retail, as the number range holder?

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Hmmm ... not sure now. I suppose the original porting would be removed through the exchange system(s) and hence back to the original exchange - so BT. Hence you'd be right. I suppose it would need to be unported from TT to BT etc, so I wonder who would need to instigate that to get it correct!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Andy_N

Unfortunately its too late for that now, as the number would not longer exist with TT, and would have already reverted to BT, and been quarantined, for eventual re-use, many years from now.

The same thing would have happened if @Anne48 had tried to port the number from TT, to another provider. As TT did not actually own the number, it would have reverted back to BT, and a new number would have to be issued.

Until we have a totally VOIP phone network, number portabillity will always have its limitations.

I can remember many years ago, while working for BT, there was lots of talk about a fully working IP based phone network within a few years, but its still not happened. The exchanges or still in the 1970-80 era.

[licquorice]

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@Keith_Beddoe wrote:

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@licquorice wrote:

Am I missing something here, the OP hasn't moved just changed provider. The move was 3 years ago with number retention at new address.

---

Its easy to port a number to TT, as they can emulate any number within their own network, as its all done in software, no matter where you move to, within reason.

The problem is porting back to BT, with its old exchange architecture where each remote concentrator is physically mapped.

@Anne48 says "I brought the number with me from another area of the city when I moved house 3 years ago. "

That would mean the number was ported from that local BT exchange to TT, three years ago.

Now at a different address, on a different BT exchange, the number cannot be ported back, as it exists on a different (the original) exchange remote concentrator.

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That's what I was missing

[Andy_N]

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@Keith_Beddoewrote:



I can remember many years ago, while working for BT, there was lots of talk about a fully working IP based phone network within a few years, but its still not happened. The exchanges or still in the 1970-80 era.

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Ahh I see about the revert. Thanks.

I read an article in The Register that says BT aim to go IP by 2025. Indeed a quick google on

bt ip 2025

shows a few sites including openreach saying it will happen.

Good luck with that!