Voip MS Porting issue 1

[HopeUCX]

Hello,
Wondering if any of you have a suggestion for an issue of down time when porting a number. We recently ported a number through VOIP MS - we had everything configured in the UCX
and on VOIP MS for the FOC date - However, there was still 45 minutes of down time for the customer in the porting process. They want to port more of their numbers but
can not afford the down time. VOIP MS said there is nothing they can do. We were thinking we could forward the line to another number until the porting is complete....but since
the number will be in process of porting we don't think that forward will hold. If anyone has any ideas that have worked, we would appreciate it. Also, if any other VOIP carriers work
differently. I am only familiar with VOIP MS.

Hope

 

[theislandtech]

I just ported a number to Voip.ms last week. Never got a FOC date but the number ported anyway. Customer was out of service for 12 hrs.
When porting to other providers, I set up call forwarding to a temp. number on the pbx, build the inbound route for the ported DID. Usually works ok

 

[HopeUCX]

What other providers have you ported to? I wonder how common it is to be out of service for that long. That is just not
going to work. When you forward the number to another number on the UCX -are you still out of service for a while?

 

[theislandtech]

that was the first port to voip.ms. They gave no explanation as why there was no FOC date. Fifteen minutes after I notified them the customer was out of service, the number was in their portal. 2 minutes later got a FOC date. 1 minute later port complete.
I've ported to Telasip and FaxSipIt. Only noticed brief outage using call forward, there has to be some time to transition from one provider to another provider.

 

[HopeUCX]

That's interesting. VOIP MS told me that the losing carrier must be turning the number off on the FOC date. That we can request for them not to cancel the number until the port is complete. but I don't think that explains it. I don't think they turn it off immediately anyway.

 

[getsomesun1]

We have ported to Voip.MS many times and have not had any outages that long. Maybe 15 or so minutes depending on how many numbers are porting. The problem we have with VOIP.MS is that you cannot schedule the port. It just happens on the FOC date and you do not know when. Based on what I know, Level 3 does all of VOIP.MS's ports so there is no local coordintation, it just happens.

There are ways to work around this issue that we have found successful though, so we continue to use VOIP.MS with good success.

 

[HopeUCX]

Thanks for the response. What workarounds have you found successful
[tt][/tt]

 

[getsomesun1]

It depends on the type of lines you are moving to SIP. If Pots, there are a couple of ways.

If 4 or 8 Pots, Install a FXO card and install the system pre-port using the Pots lines. Build all you inbound routes as as if the calls were coming in Pots or SIP. When they port to SIP the pots will stop ringing and the calls will come in SIP. You then have to go back to site and remove your FXO unless you sell it to them to keep a few Pots lines for Failover in the event the server becomes unreachable.

If you use a External FXO gateway then all you have to do once the port is done is to go to site and unplug it and leave.

This will work for PRI or Pots lines. We have done it numerous times.

another option; let's say you have 8 pots lines. Setup a Voip.ms account and order 8 DID's. You are talking $8 so it's not a big deal for the month or so you will need to get the port done. Install the UCx and forward your 8 POTs lines to the 8 SIP DID's. build all your routes using the temporary 8 DID's and then also build the routes for 8 numbers that are going to port. When the port happens everything will just keep on working and you do not need to be there. You can confirm from your office.

These are just a few ways of being able to accomplish this. The key is to have the system in and working prior to the port and in such a way that the impact to the customer is minimal of course.

Hope this helps.