How do I move my cell phone number to Public Mobile?

[rmitchell7835]

HELP, 

I have completed the activate sim and payment steps and my phone status stated that there is no service. When I called my old provider they said the number is dissconected, why isnt my sim working, feeling super frusterated as ive been trying to fix this and get help for 13hrs now. Thank you in Advance

[will13am]

@rmitchell7835, this is the troubleshooting suggested by apple when a connection is not possible.  In a newly set up account, there is always the possibility that the account set up is the problem.  So, if the phone troubleshooting doesn't resolve the problem, you might need to try the SIM in a different phone.  If these two steps are exhausted with no resolution, then it is likely an account set up problem in which case you will need moderator team assistance.  The moderator team can be reached via private message using this link.  Please include in the private message account number and PIN code along with a detailed description of the issue and the required resolution. This will speed up problem resolution significantly. Refer to the following knowledge base link for additional information on contacting the moderator team.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201415

[mattsasha3193]

If you ported your number in the start up process you may just have to restart your device. To ensure you number was ported, you can log in to the self serve account, go to “my plans and add-one”, you should see the accounts phone number listed in orange above the plan details. If a new phone number displays it probably means your old number is no more

[Rockdaddy22]

I guess I would try the sim in a phone you know is unlocked. I’d also update to the latest software. 

[srlawren]

Thanks for jumping in, @CalgaryBen.  Hopefully you won't be offended if I tag my other go-to iPhone resources @Luddite and @Rockdaddy22.  

[computergeek541]

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@CalgaryBen wrote:

@rmitchell7835 so you're seeing "No Service" at the top?  If you completely power down and reboot, do you see the signal strength bubbles/bars show up briefly?

In my experience, "No Service" means the device has failed to register onto the network for some reason.  Usually it's either a provisioning issue, or in some cases a faulty SIM card.  Did you activate with a system-selected number before porting, or did you port as part of the activation?  It does seem like an issue that will require moderator intervention, since they'll need to see if the SIM card/IMEI have tried registering with the network, and troubleshoot from there.

@computergeek541 iPhones will show a message similar to the following in the event the device is carrier-locked and therefore unable to be activated:I'm guessing this isn't the issue affecting the OP, but FWIW, when it does come up, the catch-22 for users on a non-data plan is that they'll need to be connected to WiFi so that the device can connect to Apple's activation servers to get a "green light" to activate on another carrier.

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Thanks for the screenshot.  As I was saying, my knowledge is limited to older version of the operating system before "activation" was possible using only the device.  This was back in the day when it was a requirement to physically connect your iPhone to a computer and connect to iTunes.

[CalgaryBen]

@rmitchell7835 so you're seeing "No Service" at the top?  If you completely power down and reboot, do you see the signal strength bubbles/bars show up briefly?

In my experience, "No Service" means the device has failed to register onto the network for some reason.  Usually it's either a provisioning issue, or in some cases a faulty SIM card.  Did you activate with a system-selected number before porting, or did you port as part of the activation?  It does seem like an issue that will require moderator intervention, since they'll need to see if the SIM card/IMEI have tried registering with the network, and troubleshoot from there.

@computergeek541 iPhones will show a message similar to the following in the event the device is carrier-locked and therefore unable to be activated:I'm guessing this isn't the issue affecting the OP, but FWIW, when it does come up, the catch-22 for users on a non-data plan is that they'll need to be connected to WiFi so that the device can connect to Apple's activation servers to get a "green light" to activate on another carrier.

[computergeek541]

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@rmitchell7835 wrote:

my cell is an iphone 5s and it doesnt indicate that it is sim locked. I can look up network providers and such and my account here says it is active with my old providers number 

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Self serve account showing that phone number doesn't mean anything other than you have at least asked for your phone number to be transfered over.  It does not necessarily mean that it actually has been transfered.

As for iPhone devices, I do not believe that any indication of carrier lock status is provided after inserting a sim card.  My knowledge is limited to older iOS versions and device models, but from  memory, it used to be that you would only be informed about a phone being locked to a different provider during the iTunes device activation process.

[rmitchell7835]

my cell is an iphone 5s and it doesnt indicate that it is sim locked. I can look up network providers and such and my account here says it is active with my old providers number 

[computergeek541]

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@rmitchell7835 wrote:

HELP, 

I have completed the activate sim and payment steps and my phone status stated that there is no service. When I called my old provider they said the number is dissconected, why isnt my sim working, feeling super frusterated as ive been trying to fix this and get help for 13hrs now. Thank you in Advance

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Is the number disconnected because you previous asked the old provider to do that, or has it only been like that since you request the phone number to be transfered?

[srlawren]

@rmitchell7835 what is your phone's brand and model?  (Please be as specific as possible with the model number).  Did you purchase it fromyour old provider, prior to Dec 2017?  If so, did you get it unlocked before leaving them?