Recent changes in industry standards, as set out by the OTA, means we have seen a reduction in porting lead times across our suppliers. The change has been introduced in the spirit of providing customers flexibility to allow them to host their numbers and services where they feel they get the best solution and level of support they need to run their business successfully.
These reduced lead times are already in place for our BT WHC SIP and Hosted products and development is being done to ensure all of our offerings allow for this change so that Partners can utilise this increased flexibility when bringing customers to any Onecom Partners solution.
Lead times on successful ports will continue to be reliant on acceptance by all parties so correct information and authority to port being provided by the customer is as vital as ever. We are already seeing a positive impact for our Partners, allowing them to onboard new customers more quickly and efficiently.
A summary of the updated lead times are as below and full details can be found in OTA guidance found at Porting for Business Customers
- Single Line Direct* porting lead time from 10 to 4 WDs (working days).
- Multi Line Direct* porting lead time from 10 to 7 WDs.
- Multi Line inc. DDI Direct* porting lead time from 20 to 10 WDs.
- Multi Line Complex DDI Direct* porting lead time from 25 to 22 WDs.
- Non-Geographic lead times from c.15-20 to c.10 WDs.
*Direct port is when Range Holder and Losing CP are the same i.e. this is the first time the number is porting from its originating network. If the RH/LCP are different, this can extend lead times and is known as a subsequent or sub-port.
These changes allow for a single geographic number to be ported between suppliers in as little as 4 working days which is fantastic news however, there are things we, as suppliers need to be mindful of when supporting our Partners with reduced lead times.
One of the primary aspects we need to consider in the reduction in lead times is that it’s relevant to exports as well as imports, meaning there can be a smaller window of opportunity for the notifications to be sent by the carrier to us, and then on to yourselves for you to act should it be needed. We always work hard to ensure there is no delay within our internal teams and development work is ongoing with our suppliers to automate these processes so you get the information as soon as it’s available.
