Finding a solution to FPL CANNOT port my landline

[itiBi8]

Hi! Networkers,

I am a proud user of FreePhoneLine (using OBi-202) since more than a month and it works great with your help.

Now, I would like to port-in my landline number (instead of the number generated when creating my FPL account)

but FreePhoneLine/Fongo support reply that my number cannot be ported-in due to one of the following reasons:
-Technical Issues
-Fongo is not part of the Exchange Centre

My landline number 450-635-xxxx is using St-Constant, QC rate center and the phone carrier is Iristel-Inc-ON.

Since yesterday, when dialing my previous landline number, it said that the number is unallocated/unassigned number (Error 404).
so it seems that my previous provider (Ooma) just return my number in the available pool number.

I am trying to find a solution to retrieve my phone number (that we were using since the last 30 years).
and use it with my ATA device.

Any ideas ?


=A= One idea I had was to find a service provider who can port-in that number and forward ALL incoming calls to my FPL's phone number
which then ring my home phones. My ATA's outgoing calls will continue to use my FreePhoneLine account.

Do you know a service provider that offers only that FORWARD option, I do not need anything else (no outgoing calls, no voicemail box...) ?

I know that CallCentric offers free porting and their website said that my previous number can be ported-in
but I don't know their rates for a forwarding only account, if that option is offered.


=B= Another solution maybe to find another service provider (which accepts porting-in of my previous number)
and to configure it on an available Service Provider (SP4) slot on my ATA, for incoming only.


Any help/hints will be appreciated as I want to recover my previous number before it is allocated to someone else.

Thanks and have a nice day
ItiBi

[Liptonbrisk]

My landline number 450-635-xxxx is using St-Constant, QC rate center and the phone carrier is Iristel-Inc-ON

Unfortunately, I don't see your area listed here: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/arti ... 086#quebec.

Any help/hints will be appreciated as I want to recover my previous number before it is allocated to someone else.

There are other SIP service providers. However, all of the ones I know charge money per minute (often in USD) for the outbound (forwarded) part of the call.
You'd be paying in USD to port the phone number (if you can do so). Then you'd be paying a monthly DID (number) fee (possibly ~$1.09 to $3 CAD per month).
For an unlimited incoming minute plan, you might be paying $4.25 USD per month. Then you'd be paying per minute (possibly $0.007/minute CAD) to forward the call. Some services require a minimum deposit of $25 USD to begin using the service. You do get special rates with at least one Obihai partner (Anveo) and getting access to those rates requires you to use the Obitalk.com portal, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to talk about that here. I'm also not sure if that provider can port your number. You'd have to contact the provider and ask.


Callcentric charges fees per month to keep a phone number. I can't think of SIP service that doesn't actually other than Freephoneline. If you're interested in Callcentric, then I suggest visiting their website
and emailing them for help. I can tell you they have a very good reputation for customer service. But I have no clue whether you can port into them:
https://www.callcentric.com/lnp/.

I'm not really sure I'm allowed to discuss other VoIP service providers on FPL's forums, and to be honest, I feel uncomfortable doing so. But I can honestly tell you that I can't think of any solutions that wouldn't cost
monthly fees and/or outgoing minutes for the forwarded portion of the call. You could try asking at http://www.dslreports.com/forum/voip for some suggestions. Regardless, the first step is finding out whether another provider you're interested in can port your number.

** Sorry, if I'm breaking any rules here. Feel free to delete or edit my post.

[itiBi8]

Hi! Liptonbrisk,

Many thanks for your fast reply.

Indeed, I was also assuming that no service provider will provide a free porting and a free forwarding solution.

As my priority is keeping my previous phone number
and knowing that FreePhoneLine/Fongo cannot currently port my previous phone number
leaving me no choice other that finding a service provider who can port-in my number,
offers an outgoing forwarding option
and waiting that FreePhoneLine/Fongo finally add this exchange center to their list.

Do you know if Fongo is adding cities from time to time or is their list static since a long time ?

Is there a Fongo porting dept to whom I can send a request to add this city to their todo list?

Any other idea/workaround ?

Another question:
Can a solution like porting to an intermediate provider and then porting to FPL/Fongo will works ?

I mention that because on USA, if you cannot port between 2 landline providers, the solution is to port to an intermediate cellular provider like T-Mobile and voilà.

[Liptonbrisk]

Do you know if Fongo is adding cities from time to time or is their list static since a long time ?

They do add cities from time to time, but I haven't kept track of when they did last.

Is there a Fongo porting dept to whom I can send a request to add this city to their todo list?

It would just be through https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/requests/new.

You may already have a ticket that you can reply to and offer a suggestion. I probably wouldn't hold your breath that it's going to happen anytime soon though.
But you can certainly ask and see what they say.

Any other idea/workaround ?

Sorry, I don't. If I were in your shoes, I would be hard pressed to be pay an extra $4 (or more depending on call volume) per month just to forward calls.
I would have to be in love with my phone number. I suppose when an incoming call comes in, you could not answer it or hang up. And then call back.
But at bare minimum, you'd still be paying at least $1 per month for a DID.

Regardless, I do appreciate that's a frustrating situation to be in.

Another question:
Can a solution like porting to an intermediate provider and then porting to FPL/Fongo will works ?

I mention that because on USA, if you cannot port between 2 landline providers, the solution is to port to an intermediate cellular provider like T-Mobile and voilà.

Unfortunately, no. The exchange centre doesn't change regardless of where you port the number. Your number doesn't stop being from St-Constant.
If the area of the phone number isn't listed at https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/articles/212436086, you can't port into Freephoneline.