VOIP etc > Voice Over IP - VOIP > VOIP Tech Chat > Recovering your phone # if your provider goes out of busns.

reply to Trev

Re: Recovering your phone # if your provider goes out of busns.

Yes, but I am offering it because if someone does not have a Call With Us (CWU) account, they would have to put in $5.00 to fund the account, to be able to use the lookup service.

reply to JoeSchmoe007
Refer to this past post ... linked to the demise of ZingTel ... but applicable to the OP's query.

»Re: Zingotel Gone?

Here's the order of business when getting a VoIP account:
• The end user (customer) gets a DID from a VoIP provider.
• The VoIP provider "leases" the number from a CLEC (Competitive Local Exchange Carrier) or similar telecommunications organization.
• The CLEC obtains one or more 1000-number blocks in rate centers throughout the US/Canada from NANPA (North American Numbering Plan Administration). [Landline and Cellular and Beeper carriers get their numbers from NANPA, too.]

The method for porting from one provider to another is as follows:
• The customer submits a request for an inbound port to the new VoIP provider.
• The customer provides a signed Letter of Authorization (LOA)
• The customer sends along documentation proving entitlement to the DID. [Since VoIP does not mail out bills, the recommended procedure is to print out a page or two from the "losing" provider's website showing the account holder's name, the DID itself and the service address.
• The new VoIP provider submits the request and accompanying documentation to the one of its CLECs that serves the DID's rate center.
• The "winning" CLEC contacts the "losing" CLEC to arrange for the transfer.
• If all is in order, the various organizations that maintain the Routing Tables are notified of the need to modify their settings for the DID to redirect incoming calls to the new CLEC's system ... and that CLEC sends the calls to the new VoIP provider's server which, in turn, sends the calls to the customer's home setup.

The VoIP porting process may take anywhere from one to six weeks ... and sometime the port is "denied" by the "losing" CLEC for some reason or another ... for example, where the end user's address of record for the old and new CLECs do not match.

The main point is that, even if the VoIP provider fails (and flouts the FCC rules by not giving proper notice), the number is not lost!! The number is "owned" by the CLEC and the CLEC will not reassign it for some time ... allowing one to port out even if the VoIP provider is dead and buried.

Be aware that the new VoIP provider can ask its CLEC to "escalate the issue" (that's the appropriate terminology) by requesting a "forced port" away from the old CLEC. This is used when there are mitigating circumstances ... such as with a VoIP provider that initially registered the customer's DID with the provider's address ... or when a VoIP provider's web site dies with the provider, and documentation is no longer available.

Finally, I have never lost a VoIP number that I wished to port. I was able to port out all of my SunRocket DIDs even after they closed up shop. I ported out numbers from StanaPhone and NetZero when they shut down, even though I had no documentation because they never asked for a service address upon initial signup.

Sounds accurate, except you don't actually need documentation. Your name, address, and a Letter Of Authorization (LOA) are all that's required in most cases. Unless the number is registered under a different name/address - in which case it complicates things quite a bit...

reply to JoeSchmoe007
One suggestion is to keep an eye on the behavior of the provider. Look for increasing reports of issues reported in forums or for major changes in service quality (including support).

Although it can happen, companies rarely fail overnight with no warning. There are usually some signs of issues which get worse over time.

If the provider is the type of company run by people who would even consider disappearing without notice, FCC regulations aren't necessarily going to stop them. Another situation that happens with some failing business is denial - they can keep thinking they will be able to somehow make it, and keep trying to survive, but finally something major happens that they can't recover from (tax issues, important vendors pulling the plug, etc).

Too late at night for a full essay, just reminiscing....

SunRocket was a big company, brought down by the arrogance of former AOL executives. Ironically, one of them is in charge of ALL of the phone numbers in the USA, being that she runs Neustar (the NANPA people).

----------------------------

And then we had a smaller company:

From my archives:

reply to videonex
I've tried to stay silent during some prolonged time...
But certain things "call" to reveal my presence here )

Unfortunately, I must say that "videonex" provided not quite correct (although seemingly logical) information about how PSTN numbers work... Or rather - that information would be okay to go if we lived in an LNP-less world.

In the LNP-enabled world that we currently live in - that explanation is not true.

The numbers are indeed allocated in 10K blocks - that's correct (NPA NXX where 2nd "X" is the block number). Whenever a new block is allocated - the switch (and its I/C-LEC owner) it's assigned to (so called homing switch) becomes that block holder. This is so called "assigned LA" or simply "A" record in LERG/BIRRDS (Neustar's managed database division).

Only one 1K block is then left to the "LA" record holder, 9 other 1K blocks are either immediately assigned to other LECs in the area or some of them may stay unassigned (for new/low demand area) for some time (these are new rules, in past the whole 10K block could be immediately assigned to the "LA" record holder). A responsibility of "LA" holding switch is to return either an error code or error message followed by an error code whenever it received a call to a number within its 10K ("A") block, but _NOT_ within its own 1K assigned block.

Now, in the LNP-enabled world, any number, from any block may be ported out at any time. How is that done? Very simple - any number, on any switch actually belongs _NOT_ to its 10K and even not to its 1K block, but rather to so called LRN - local routing number. Any arbitrary number (usually "001" or "999") is selected by a LEC within one of its _OWN_ LA's 1K blocks and then that number is registered with LERG as its assigned LRN.

That LRN is then attached to OCN (operating company number) list of LECs and their switches serving some particular area. The list of OCNs/LRNs is uploaded to all Neustar's subscribed SS7 networks providers (anyone can subscribe for daily updates, but the cost is incredibly high) to be further uploaded to their SS7 SCPs (signal control point), all others subscribers get either weekly, monthly, quarterly or even annual updates.

Originally, right after allocation - all numbers within 1K block belong to their own LRN (so called "not contaminated block"). As soon as any number is being ported out - that number is assigned to a _NEW_ LRN of a winning carrier in the same LATA/rate-center. A number can be ported only among LRNs within the SAME LATA/rate-center or shortly speaking - among switches interconnected to the same tandem (not to be mixed with "porting" from one VoIP operator to another one when actually a number might be served by the same LEC - in this case no porting happens at all, simply that LEC re-points the DID internally from one VoIP client/operator to another one).

For those who understand how BGP-4 routing works in IP world - the LRN might be imagined as an AS-number (ASN) although ASN has no direct "numeric" association with IP blocks routed/announced under it whereas a LRN is represented by an actual phone number like 646-570-1001 (the number is removed from being assigned to an actual subscriber - it serves only the LRN function).

Well... Whenever a call is being dialed to a certain number - a LEC performs an OCN/LRN lookup (called LNP SCP dip) for the number dialed and then routes the call according the information received from the SCP. In case a LEC (or not SS7 interconnected VoIP provider) doesn't have SCP connection - then they send a call along their "default" route to an ILEC (or RBOC) they're interconnected with and then that LEC completes the call (a fee for LNP lookup is being charged to originating LEC/provider).

Hence - after porting is complete - the number ported-in is now assigned to a new (receiving or "winning") OCN/LRN. Therefore in NO way an original number block or its homing switch is anymore responsible or anyhow related to a new "home" of that number. Moreover - if, by a mistake or misconfiguration of some LEC a call would be directed at a "former" OCN/LRN of that number (that had been ported away) - that switch would return an error code saying "the number does not belong to this switch" (not literally, but you get an idea). No forwarding... no any other dancing around.

On top of the above, in Canada (but not in US), a LEC whose ported-in number has lost its subscriber (disconnected or the like) - must return that number back to its original OCN/LRN.

CRTC does actually look after LECs to follow this regulation. In US - nobody cares, therefore a number, once started its travel along a LATA (and related VoIP, wireless and/or cable operators) may never come back to its parents' house or may get there by a chance, as a result of another port-out-in process.

Simple? )

Iscream: What do US providers typically do with a DID that was ported to them if their subscriber cancels service?

IME (both Canada and US), after a few months they are just recycled and offered to a new subscriber.
--
Wondering what I do? Find out at »www.digitalcon.ca

reply to josephf
I can talk only about Callcentric - all other providers establish and follow their own policies.

As Trev explained - US and international (except Canadian) numbers are recycled and after some period of "sanding" time (normally 45 days) are returned back to "available DIDs" pool while Canadian numbers are returned back to their original holders.

reply to Iscream
Can you draw a diagram or something... you lost me after 3rd paragraph.

reply to JoeSchmoe007
It'd be awesome if you could acquire any number within your calling area - perhaps for an extra charge, perhaps not. This would have been far more useful back in the days before number pooling, when telcos lobbied (and were granted) brand-new area codes any time they wished.

Assess a $1/mo fee to each telco for each TN currently allocated to that telco. If the telco assigns that TN to a subscriber, then the telco has the option of passing that charge through to him. However, the telco can't cost-shift the charge to existing subscribers if the TN isn't assigned. If a given TN isn't assigned to a subscriber, then the telco that currently owns the TN has the option to port-out to a special OCN to avoid getting stuck with the fee. Other telcos have the option to port-in a TN from that OCN to one of their own subscribers.
--
The truth is that the State is a conspiracy designed not only to exploit, but above all to corrupt its citizens. - Tolstoy

Sorry, any number not allocated to another subscriber.

reply to PX Eliezer