Looking for advice of correct porting procedure to ensure no loss of number or broadband (port waiter status at cabinet).

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › Looking for advice of correct porting procedure to ensure no loss of number or broadband (port waiter status at cabinet).

dolsen

1476 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#191365 2-Feb-2016 11:10

I have a friend who is currently looking at moving to broadband with bigpipe and phone with 2 talk. He is currently on spark home phone and vdsl.

My suggestion to him was to get bigpipe installed on the second pair, once that is fine, port the spark phone number to 2talk, then cancel the spark vdsl line (unsure if the port of the phone number automatically cancels the vdsl as well).

Unfortunately, he have been advised by bigpipe that they are unable to create the vdsl line due to being a port waiter, so, that option is not available. Obviously, this means it is critical that there is no stuff up with the steps taken to transfer now due to the need to ensure that his current vdsl line is not relinquished.

Any suggestions on the correct order to do this given the port waiter issue along with the need to port the phone?

It’s very important that he does not lose his phone number, but, also important that he does not lose his vdsl port allocation.

Edit - he will be getting a static ip address so no issue with VOIP & CGNAT.

trig42

5810 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1483393 2-Feb-2016 11:14

If there are port waiters on his cabinet, it may be better to stay where he is.

You can get all sorts of assurances that it will go through smoothly, but things can go wrong.

Sounddude

I fix stuff!
1928 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

2degrees

Lifetime subscriber

#1483403 2-Feb-2016 11:24

Generally Port waiter status for VDSL doesn't last that long as its a modern cabinet. (Chorus can just add more cards)

Port waiter on a coklin is where the real issues are. (Which you are not on).

RunningMan

8954 posts

Uber Geek

#1483411 2-Feb-2016 11:34

Sounddude:

Generally Port waiter status for VDSL doesn't last that long as its a modern cabinet. (Chorus can just add more cards)

Port waiter on a coklin is where the real issues are. (Which you are not on).

This. It's not uncommon to be a VDSL port waiter, but you may well find there are spare ADSL ports. It's usually a matter of Chorus coming out to stick a VDSL card in, and I think can take up to a couple of weeks.

@Chorusnz can probably confirm if you ask nicely.

dolsen

1476 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1483436 2-Feb-2016 12:01

Great timing, at 11:51 he sent through an email that the connection date is confirmed for 15/2, therefore, he can use my suggested approach to transfer everything. Not sure if a new line card was added, or, someone moved.

Although I don't need the answer now, would be interested to see the correct procedure for the question posted for future reference by other users.

Lorenceo

904 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1483446 2-Feb-2016 12:16

AFAIK Bigpipe don't offer second lines. If they do it it'll likely be up to your friend to ensure his internal wiring is capable of it (separate jackpoint + internal wiring connected to the ETP). If not either he'll have to organise this himself, or ask for Bigpipe to organise it and be prepared to pay for it.

None of the above will resolve the port waiter issue, and if there's a problem with any of the wiring a tech will still need to go out to look into it in the end.

Moving the VDSL over and running the POTS to VOIP porting for the same day should work OK. Unlikely a tech will need to visit the house, as the line's already connected to Chorus equipment on VDSL. If he's with Spark he shouldn't need to change any modem settings anyway, so again the downtime will be minimal to level of one modem resync. There might be a bit of downtime while the phone number is going through porting process, but is it really that big of a problem if telemarketers can't call for little while?

Thinking back to when naked DSL became a thing, it took a day or so for my POTS number to start working on VOIP (Telecom landline moving to VFX). Don't know if there's still such a delay on that these days. 2talk would probably be able to say how long the process takes.

BigPipeNZ

1170 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

BigPipe

#1483453 2-Feb-2016 12:25

for future reference, here are the best ways to sort number porting when moving to Bigpipe

If moving from Spark landline & broadband to Bigpipe broadband with some VOIP provider (e.g. 2Talk):

Best way is to move the broadband first (on the same line), and ask us to leave the landline connected.

With spark, they are two separate things, so you can have a landline with Spark and broadband with Bigpipe, if you really wanted to.

Once the Broadband is moved over and all working, arrange for the number porting with your preferred VOIP service. (make sure you let Spark know what you are doing ahead of time so they don't accidentally cancel the voice service at the same time)

This will result in a few extra days paying for the landline, but probably worth it to ensure a smooth transition

If moving from another providers voice service that is tied to your broadband connection (e.g. Orcon):

Arrange for the broadband transition and number porting to happen on the same day.

(generally it's better to schedule the broadband first, then once your date is locked in with Chorus, arrange for the numb er port on that day)

Again, let you current provider know that is what you are doing once the dates are set and it should all go smoothly.

When people follow those guidelines, and keep new and old providers informed of what they want to do, I am yet to see a problem where they lose their landline number.

Worth noting that even if you lose your landline number because of some stuff-up with the porting, it doesn't automatically get reassigned to someone else straight away. It sits in a pool for a few weeks, and it is entirely possible to get it back as long as you take the action quickly.

bigpipe.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/BigPipeNZ
https://twitter.com/BigPipeNZ

dolsen

1476 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1483455 2-Feb-2016 12:26

Lorenceo:

AFAIK Bigpipe don't offer second lines. If they do it it'll likely be up to your friend to ensure his internal wiring is capable of it (separate jackpoint + internal wiring connected to the ETP). If not either he'll have to organise this himself, or ask for Bigpipe to organise it and be prepared to pay for it.

He used to have two phone lines active in his house, therefore, the existing wiring is there. He made it clear in the emails (and phone call apparently) that it was for the second line into the house. The fact that he was a port waiter while his 1st line was active suggests that they correctly assigned to the second line.

I will be up there this weekend and will take the second line from where it comes in at the roof and run a dedicated cat5e line to a socket for the vdsl modem. Obviously, no master filter will be required. In the future, once it's sorted, I'll come back and cut the 1st line and join them into the ata output so the other sockets work.

Equinox IT

Cloud spending continues to surge globally, but most organisations haven’t made the changes necessary to maximise the value and cost-efficiency benefits of their cloud investments. Download the whitepaper From Overspend to Advantage now.

hio77

12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

#1483458 2-Feb-2016 12:30

Lorenceo:

AFAIK Bigpipe don't offer second lines. If they do it it'll likely be up to your friend to ensure his internal wiring is capable of it (separate jackpoint + internal wiring connected to the ETP). If not either he'll have to organise this himself, or ask for Bigpipe to organise it and be prepared to pay for it.

https://www.bigpipe.co.nz/faq/can-i-add-bigpipe-as-a-second-line

FAQ seems to indicate they are happy to do second lines

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

Lorenceo

904 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1483467 2-Feb-2016 12:40

Good to hear it worked out. IMO though it'd be quicker and easier to just transition the VDSL line, then port the number as has been posted above.

dolsen

1476 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1483501 2-Feb-2016 13:03

Lorenceo: Good to hear it worked out. IMO though it'd be quicker and easier to just transition the VDSL line, then port the number as has been posted above.

Yeah, perhaps. He was after the safest and least downtime method though.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1489749 10-Feb-2016 13:41

BigPipeNZ:

for future reference, here are the best ways to sort number porting when moving to Bigpipe

(snip)

If moving from another providers voice service that is tied to your broadband connection (e.g. Orcon):

Arrange for the broadband transition and number porting to happen on the same day.

(generally it's better to schedule the broadband first, then once your date is locked in with Chorus, arrange for the numb er port on that day) (snip)

Just to piggyback on this thread, as it raises exactly the issue I've been wondering about: we're planning on moving our UFB connection to BigPipe once they launch in PN.

@BigPipeNZ, would another workable option to the above, to ensure continuity of phone service, be to switch from our current ISP-provided VOIP service to 2Talk, and ensure that was set up and working before the ISP switch-over goes ahead? Or is arranging for both to happen on the same day still a better option? Until reading this thread I was thinking of having 2Talk port our number across a couple of weeks prior, assuming it'll still work fine once the ISP switch-over, provided the internet's working. Thanks!

BigPipeNZ

1170 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

BigPipe

#1490991 12-Feb-2016 10:36

jonathan18:

BigPipeNZ:

for future reference, here are the best ways to sort number porting when moving to Bigpipe

(snip)

If moving from another providers voice service that is tied to your broadband connection (e.g. Orcon):

Arrange for the broadband transition and number porting to happen on the same day.

(generally it's better to schedule the broadband first, then once your date is locked in with Chorus, arrange for the numb er port on that day) (snip)

Just to piggyback on this thread, as it raises exactly the issue I've been wondering about: we're planning on moving our UFB connection to BigPipe once they launch in PN.

@BigPipeNZ, would another workable option to the above, to ensure continuity of phone service, be to switch from our current ISP-provided VOIP service to 2Talk, and ensure that was set up and working before the ISP switch-over goes ahead? Or is arranging for both to happen on the same day still a better option? Until reading this thread I was thinking of having 2Talk port our number across a couple of weeks prior, assuming it'll still work fine once the ISP switch-over, provided the internet's working. Thanks!

this depends on the provider you are with today.

If the voice service is intrinsically linked to the broadband service (as with Orcon) then you won't be able to port the number over early, since that will then cause the broadband to be disconnected,

If they are two distinct services, (I think Slingshot + iTalk would be an example of this) then you should be able to port the voice over anytime and leave the broadband in place.

Best thing is to check with your current provider which scenario applies to them.

bigpipe.co.nz
https://www.facebook.com/BigPipeNZ
https://twitter.com/BigPipeNZ

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1490998 12-Feb-2016 10:39

BigPipeNZ:

this depends on the provider you are with today.

If the voice service is intrinsically linked to the broadband service (as with Orcon) then you won't be able to port the number over early, since that will then cause the broadband to be disconnected,

If they are two distinct services, (I think Slingshot + iTalk would be an example of this) then you should be able to port the voice over anytime and leave the broadband in place.

Best thing is to check with your current provider which scenario applies to them.

Thanks for the warning; we're with 2Degrees, and our VOIP is part of the package with them, so I'm, assuming it is in that "linked" state you refer to so no early porting possible. Will confirm this with 2Degrees, though.

Cheers

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1492481 15-Feb-2016 10:38

jonathan18:

BigPipeNZ:

this depends on the provider you are with today.

If the voice service is intrinsically linked to the broadband service (as with Orcon) then you won't be able to port the number over early, since that will then cause the broadband to be disconnected,

If they are two distinct services, (I think Slingshot + iTalk would be an example of this) then you should be able to port the voice over anytime and leave the broadband in place.

Best thing is to check with your current provider which scenario applies to them.

Thanks for the warning; we're with 2Degrees, and our VOIP is part of the package with them, so I'm, assuming it is in that "linked" state you refer to so no early porting possible. Will confirm this with 2Degrees, though.

Cheers

Just to correct my previous post, in case anyone reading this is misled by it: 2 Degrees have confirmed their VOIP service is not intrinsically linked to the broadband, so transferring the number away prior to closing the fibre account will not cause the internet to be disconnected. (They also, once you are out of a fixed-term contract, don't have any specific lead-in time for cancelling the account, so there is no thirty days notice required.)