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Issues with cellular

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I transferred my Canadian number from my old carrier to Public a week ago. My data is working fine and I'm able to make outgoing calls, but I'm not receiving text messages and phone calls. The Public Mobile chat bot states that it can take a while for the cellular info to be transferred over and route text and calls correctly, but it's been a week and I'm at a loss on what to do. Any suggestions?

15 REPLIES 15

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13   Good to hear you were able to port over your number and thanks for sharing the steps on how to go about it for accounts closed before the number was successfully transferred.

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@dabr Thanks for all your help and pointing me in the right direction. 

Below I've listed how to port your old number from a cancelled account to Public Mobile.

You will need your old SIM from your previous provider to be successful with this solution. Contact your old provider and ask for what is called a "24 hour pre-port skip", or to temporarily reactivate your account, and state that you are changing providers and the text prompt to transfer was not received. Pack your patience when attempting to have your old provider temporarily reactivate your account, as it took me 1.5 hours and 5 transfers to have this done successfully. Once the old account is active contact Public Mobile support and ask them to send a request for transfer again. Swap in your old provider SIM and you should receive a text from the old provider regarding "approval to transfer". Reply Yes. Swap in your new Public Mobile SIM, wait between 20 minutes to 2 hours for the SIM and your lines to be activated again. 

There is a way to port your old number without your old SIM, but you will need to have both Public Mobile support and your old provider on the phone to make this happen.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13   Are you able to reactivate the old account temporarily or ask them to reactivate it for an hour or so to be able to receive the transfer request text?

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I'll try. It would really suck to lose my old number.

I tried the number you gave me and they said there was no port initiated for that number. Although it's the number I have associated with my Public Mobile account.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13   A temporary number allows you to call/text and use the data until the transfer can be completed (hopefully).

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

There's no point in taking a new number, as no one has it.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13   It could get a little difficult if your old account has been deactivated.  Are you able to call the other carrier and ask them to allow the transfer text be resubmitted as a gesture of goodwill? 

Then you kinda jumped the gun on the process. The porting would normally close the account. I think you'll need to take this up with the old provider.

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks very much @dabr, my old account is not active anymore. Will check the porting # you sent. Thanks in advance.

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I did, the account is cancelled and completely closed, but I'm still not receiving texts or calls.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13   As long as your old account is active then PM (Telus Porting Dept.) can ask your old carrier to resubmit the transfer text authorization again, so keep the old SIM in your phone until you receive and respond within the 90 minute window.

 

I'll private message the Telus porting #, check your message box top right.

Did you call the previous provider and cancel that account? A properly completed port would close the source account.

Take a new number for now. Then initiate port of old number when phone is working.

Your old account has to be active in order for port to be successful.

added...

 

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/choose-your-phone-number

W00K13
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I had read on this forum about the transfer text, but I never received one. I must have swapped-out my old sim for my new sim before I received that text. My old sim no longer works, so I'm not getting that text anytime soon. I feel like my cellular number is stuck in some type of transfer limbo. Is there anyway to fix this?

Outdoorsman
Mayor / Maire

@W00K13 hi it sounds like your port didnt't complete did you answer yes to the transfer text? You needed to leave old sim in phone to receive it within 90 minutes 

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