cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

How do you port a phone number from an old SIM card and phone to new ones?

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Please accept my apologies if all this information is somewhere else here, but I have tried to find it and have been unable to do so.

 

A friend of mine is going to cancel service with another service provider and then transfer his phone number to Public Mobile and needs some technical help.

 

The cellular phone has never been connected to the internet as they have only been used for text messages and calls.  The current phone uses an old, larger-sized SIM card and the slot in the new phone is for a new, smaller-sized (“nano”) SIM card.  The name of the company which made the current (old) phone is not relevant because if the number porting process requires the new, smaller-sized Public Mobile SIM card to be inserted into the current phone (which only takes the older, large-sized SIM card) in order for the porting process to be successfully completed, it will be impossible to transfer the phone number (to Public Mobile).  The current phone was likely unlocked when it was bought because it was purchased refurbished from a reputable electronics retailer in 2018, after the CRTC's Wireless Code of Conduct was implemented, I think, although it will be checked later, just to be certain.

 

1) Can a cellular phone number be transferred from a current Canadian service provider to Public Mobile from an old, larger sized SIM card and an older phone (made available in 2007 or 2008 and which was bought in 2018) which is only 3G capable to a new phone which uses a smaller nano-sized SIM card?

 

2) Does the phone number porting process require the removal of the old, larger sized SIM card from the current phone and then the installation of the new Public Mobile SIM card into the same phone, before the new Public Mobile SIM card is transferred to the new phone?

 

3) If this is not required, how does one port a cellular phone number (from another service provider) to Public Mobile from an old, larger sized SIM card and an older 3G only phone to a new cellular phone which uses a nano-sized SIM card? Please provide clear, step by step instructions.

 

4) Does the current phone have to be unlocked to be able to transfer a phone number from the current phone's SIM card to a new phone with a new Public Mobile SIM card?

 

Please do not copy what has been posted here with your response. There is no need to duplicate what is already here and create more data clutter as the information and questions are in this message.

 

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide. It is appreciated.

 

19 REPLIES 19

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

   Artificial Stupidity, is more like it.  Oops, will that get me "warned"?  Sorry computer program, if I hurt your feelings again.

darlicious
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd 

You are getting the red warning by doing multiple edits in a short period of time to what is already a very long post. Next time you plan a thread like this give yourself a few placeholder posts to avoid the spam filter doing its thing....as a new user with long posts that have not been broken up into neat and tidy well spaced paragraphs you are going to run into this problem a lot if you don't modify your style of post to please the spam filter as it learns how you post to finally start giving your posts a passing grade. It's nothing personal just dumb A.I.

 

Edit:

Put "**poof** the magic dragon eating post bug" in the search bar and read my thread on how to avoid the spam filter.

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

   Am really tired (and need to get to bed so I can get up in a few hours) but I think it gave me the big red warning and the big yellow one, once each.  Each time I quickly responded by writing a new first paragraph to summarize why it is not "spam", at which point the computer program or a person read it and removed the "spam" warning.  It's pretty clear if someone were to take a few seconds to read the first few paragraphs that it is not a duplicate of this post or any kind of "spam" (multiple annoying duplicate messages trying to get people to buy something from some scammer or so-called "business").

   Anyway, by the time I had finished replying to your post here, you must have found the other one (which had been flagged before, right after it was amended a few times) and responded there and I responded (to your response).

   If somebody could organize all the duplicate messages (and responses) and then re-write them into one clear and comprehensive message or list, as the case may be, answers would be so much easier to find.

darlicious
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd 

Did you get the yellow warning that it's been marked as spam? Or did it land in your unmoderated items?

darlicious
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd 

Actually I found the post I was answering.....I'm not sure if the spam filter got it or **poof** the magic dragon eating post bug got it or you accepting a solution to it made it disappear  but I posted my question to you with the first third of my reply safely copied and pasted if I decide to finish my reply.....so from one long poster to another if you can answer my question reasonably I will go back and finish my reply.....?

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

  Well, I am here right now and this post is up and can be read.  There are only four questions and after having time to more carefully consider the information provided here, first by handy1, and to look at the card my Public Mobile SIM card came in, I concluded that a Public Mobile SIM card should work in the old phone (as long as it is in the mini-Sim/standard-SIM size).

   If you are referring to the post I wrote after this one, "What is the process to transfer a phone number to a new Public Mobile account?", it has been flagged as "spam" twice after making corrections and amendments to it.  That post is different from this one, as is explained in what is now the second paragraph (if that is correct).

   The reason my posts are long and detailed is to provide complete information, all in one place, and correct and amend it as necessary, so that very few people will need to ask questions or ask for changes to clarify what was already posted.  Sometime my posts are not as clearly written as others would like them to be, so I must amend them to try and better clarify what was intended to be conveyed.

 

darlicious
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd 

Geez....I almost lost mid post my answer to you when I got the big red warning that I can't reply to a post they can't find.....and normally I don't reply to the post but rather the thread to avoid this possibility....? So here I am writing my typical reply to a very long OP with 10+ questions that I have been methodically correcting the misinformation  to have it completely disappear and I have to hunt you down to reply to this thread wondering what in the hello has happened to your post? 

@Word-Nerd

Keep the old service active, do not call them to say you are cancelling, don't schedule any future cancellation. This is very important.

 

The old SIM will only work on the old provider. You will need a new SIM from PM in order to activate service with PM.

 

As part of the activation procedure of your new PM SIM, you'll be asked if you want a new phone number or to port an existing number. Choose the port option, enter phone number, account number, name as requested. Don't bother with IMEI as Handy1 mentioned. The porting process will trigger an automatic text message from your old provider. You need to respond to it in order to proceed with the port request. This is a safety feature in order to prevent hackers from stealing your phone number.

 

The PM SIM has all the sizes as you've seen, so it can be placed in any phone. Once your new PM SIM is activated successfully, outgoing calls/text will work immediately. Incoming calls/text may take up to an hour, but usually it's a lot quicker than that.

 

There is no need to contact the old provider to cancel the account. The porting process automatically results in the cancellation of the old account.

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

   Thank your for the advice, ShawnC13.  When this gets done, we will make sure that the current account is not closed until after the phone has been transferred (to Public Mobile).

   Before we even begin the process, I want to be certain we know what needs to be done to get every step completed successfully and how to fix it if something doesn't work as it should.

 

 

 

@Word-Nerd cool

 thanks for clarifying.   So, get a new PM sim, they are tri-cut and will work on any phone 

@Word-Nerd as mentioned earlier, you need a  new sim card for the new activation and porting.  Old , used sim card cannot be reused

  please get a new one from local Telus or Koodo store 

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

  Thanks for the response, softech.  Please read the response provided to Handy1 here (about your question).

Please read the second paragraph (which has just been amended) in reference to the comment about the current SIM card being from Public Mobile.  The current full-sized SIM card is for another service provider, which service is being transferred from.

@Word-Nerd  So are you trying to reuse this old SIM card ? I don’t think that’s possible you would need to get new SIM card to transfer the number 

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

   Thanks for your responses, handy1 and softech. 

  The original message about these questions was first posted online when I was in a rush (because I needed to leave to get to a store before it closed) and since having returned (to the Community here) and looked at the card in which my Public Mobile SIM card was sold, it is clear that what handy1 first stated (and then softech) in their responses here was correct (but I didn't have time to look at the card before I was supposed to leave).

   Based on this alone, it should be possible to do this (if all else goes well).  The only other question I need an answer to now is whether the phone is unlocked (or not).

 

 

@Word-Nerd 

 

You meant this ??

3) If this is not required, how does one port a cellular phone number (from another service provider) to Public Mobile from an old, larger sized SIM card and an older 3G only phone to a new cellular phone which uses a nano-sized SIM card? Please provide clear, step by step instructions.

 

 

All PM sim card should be tri-cut, you can take the outer  frame. to make a full size sim to nano size.  Yours should be same. Check.  

 

(seem like you have an old PM sim?? old , activated sim cannot be re-used. If it was used before, you need a new PM sim card)

 

Word-Nerd
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Thank you for your response.  Please read the last two sentences which were just added to the third paragraph of my original message.

Handy1
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd  SIM cards from pm accommodate all 3 size sim trays so with that things to remember 

When transferring (porting) your number to any new carrier it’s important to remember to leave the old providers SIM card in the phone until you receive the confirmation text from old carrier @that point you have 90 mins to reply YES to the confirmation text … also when going thru this process the new provider will want you old providers account number and will ask for IMEI number disregard this (IMEI) number as it has a tendency to just cos porting hiccups .. so if your ready to port to pm and already activated a SIM card you can go to your self serve serve profile tab and change /transfer (port) number this can also be done on activation but it’s advised to pick a temp number first then port

 

 

3 hole punch /desired size

Handy1_0-1674420967550.jpeg

 

Note flat edge corner / fit flush in tray

No lifting or rising /push in all the way

ShawnC13
Oracle
Oracle

@Word-Nerd Please tell them not to cancel their current plan first.  You do that by PORTING their number to PM when you activate.  This will close their current account.

 

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THEY KEEP THEIR CURRENT ACCOUNT ACTIVE UNTIL IT IS PORTED TO PM IF THEY WISH TO KEEP THAT NUMBER

 


I am happy to help, but I am not a Customer Support Agent please do not include any personal info in a message to me. Click HERE to create a trouble ticket through SIMon the Chatbot *

hairbag1
Mayor / Maire

@Word-Nerd 

what make / model is the phone ?

Is the phone "unlocked" ?

 

added...

https://www.imei.info/

Need Help? Let's chat.