Sim Card when transferring Phone Number

[AllSmilesYYZ]

Hello, sorry for the newbie question. Public's article about transferring a phone number from another provider is not clear. It says "make sure that your old SIM is still inside a device".  Do I need to buy a new SIM card, or can I just keep the one I have. I only have 1 device, if I need a new one, I'm not sure how I can keep the "old sim" in, while activating a new one. Any thoughts on how this works? Hopefully I don't need a new sim card.

[Andy85]

Hi @AllSmilesYYZ, 

The responses to your question were a little contradictory. Yes, you will need a Public Mobile SIM card if you decide to open an account with Pubic Mobile. This would apply to any cellphone company actually. 

The thing is that you shouldn't throw out your old SIM card from your old provider though. You will need it when transferring your current phone line from your old cellphone service provider to the new provider. When you are going through the steps to port your line to Public mobile, you will receive a text message on your old SIM card. It will ask you to confirm that you wish to port your phone line over to Public Mobile. You will need to reply YES to that text message. After that step, you will then have to replace your old SIM from your device with the new SIM. 

I hope that clarifies the process a little better. 

[AllSmilesYYZ]

thank you @Phil_Adelphus ! This makes sense

[AllSmilesYYZ]

Excellent info @TheSterlinger ! I will take your advice!

[AllSmilesYYZ]

Thank you @Sansan very helpful!

[Phil_Adelphus]

@AllSmilesYYZ   You keep your old provider's sim in your phone after requesting a number transfer because the old provider will send you a text message asking for your permission to release your number to the new provider.  You have to then reply YES within 90 minutes.  After a while, the time varies, your old carrier sim will stop working.  At that point you put your new Public Mobile sim in the phone and restart the phone, and it should work.

[Sansan · Accepted solution]

@AllSmilesYYZ 

If you have a physical sim then you don't need to buy a new one. That's why you keep it in your phone to start the process and reply to the text message you will receive with 90 minutes.

Once you have completed the process,  you should be able to start getting phones  texts etc.

If not work might have to restart phone 2-3 times.

[TheSterlinger]

You don’t need a new sim. It’s telling you to keep your old SIM in the device because there is an important text message you must reply to, to port your number.

You have 90 minutes from the time you receive the text to respond YES. Then after you can continue with porting process.