RECOMMENDATIONS Porting/Purchasing Disconnected Landline #

[rossiv]

I'm in a situation where I want to get two specific landline numbers that are currently owned by AT&T. These numbers are disconnected (phone calls confirm so). My issue is that I don't have any way of establishing a wireline account where these numbers' ratecenters are. Has anyone done something like this before? I've reached out to AT&T, but haven't made much progress.

 

[briankelly63]

http://wholesale.att.com/products_and_services/local/resale/rcf.html

This would be a way to start and then MAYBE you could move them once you are using them or just continue to use them this way.

 

[EndeavorPBX]

I have a client who would contact real estate agents in the area, find the address of vacant residential or commercial properties in the rate centers, establish service but tell the ordering person NOT to send a technician out, provide a genuine billing address so that the bills could be received and paid, and then almost immediately port the number out. He said it always worked like a charm...

 

[krzykat]

I think the issue is that he wants a "specific number". I've had a similar request and was never able to figure out how to do it.

 

[rossiv]

I think the issue is that he wants a "specific number". I've had a similar request and was never able to figure out how to do it.

The specific number, along with the lack of physical address are both issues. I did reach out to AT&T's social media team and they are working on it. We'll see if it pans out.

There was a backup number one city over from where I do have a physical location (this one owned by TWC), so I tried to get that one added to my home TWC account. No dice. Even their social media team wouldn't let me pick a number.

 

[krzykat]

So if you have a physical address, your odds of requesting a specific number that is in that area that you know is available and they own is possible?

 

[rossiv]

So if you have a physical address, your odds of requesting a specific number that is in that area that you know is available and they own is possible?

That's what I thought. I've done it with Frontier before at least twice, but the number was in the same exchange as the existing account. Back when I still had POTS lines at my house, I could have Frontier add a line and tell then I want XXX number. They'd mark that on the order, tech would connect the line in the CO, and I was good.

Apparently TWC, despite the fact that their phones are all VoIP, can't pick a specific number to be assigned even in the same area. At least that's what their social media team is telling me.

AT&T called me back earlier today and their person said she should be able to get me the two on their network that I want using Remote Call Forward like briankelly63 suggested earlier.

 

[rossiv]

Update. AT&T called me earlier this afternoon. They can 100% get me one of the two numbers that I want using RCF. They said the second one isn't a valid AT&T exchange though. Something's wrong there - I'm guessing that something got typo'd when it got to this person since she's the third person I've talked to. That number is an 843-723-xxxx number which has been the main exchange for Charleston, SC for lots and lots of years.

I've emailed her back to see what the issue was. Hopefully I can get both.

 

[briankelly63]

Update. AT&T called me earlier this afternoon. They can 100% get me one of the two numbers that I want using RCF. They said the second one isn't a valid AT&T exchange though. Something's wrong there - I'm guessing that something got typo'd when it got to this person since she's the third person I've talked to. That number is an 843-723-xxxx number which has been the main exchange for Charleston, SC for lots and lots of years.

I've emailed her back to see what the issue was. Hopefully I can get both.

Too many layers in companies these days.....

 

[phonebuff]

Have you tried looking up the umber on TNID or what ever the new site is called..

If you want send me the number as a private message and I will run it through the ENUM service we use and get a carrier if record for you.

 

[rossiv]

Thanks phonebuff, but I got them both now. AT&T just emailed me and they have activated both of them with RCF. It's a tad more expensive than I thought. $33.05/line/month, $10/one time activation, $15.00/250 minutes of long distance. The long distance charge is because the number I'm forwarding to (even though it's just in Myrtle Beach), it considered long distance since it's in a different LATA.
I imagine as long as I wait a month or two, I'll be able to port them out and forget the rest of the charges. But for now, I'm SO happy.

 

[wa4zlw]

I would have gotten an account at vitelity or voip.ms or some 3rd party and grab the number if it shows up

Leon

 

[rossiv]

I would have gotten an account at vitelity or voip.ms or some 3rd party and grab the number if it shows up

Leon

The numbers wouldn't show up though. Vitelity and VoIP.ms both use the same upstream provider. Can't recall who it is off of the top of my head, but what I do know is that it's not AT&T. AT&T owned both of the numbers I wanted, so I had to go through them to get it. If VoIP.ms or Vitelity had the numbers, of course I would have grabbed them from them. But the weren't.

 

[krzykat]

So you are using FXO to get the numbers into your PBX then, or ATT has any VoIP offering for you?

 

[rossiv]

So you are using FXO to get the numbers into your PBX then, or ATT has any VoIP offering for you?

Neither actually. It's remote call forwarding, so the numbers just forward to any DID I tell them to.

 

[briankelly63]

Thanks phonebuff, but I got them both now. AT&T just emailed me and they have activated both of them with RCF. It's a tad more expensive than I thought. $33.05/line/month, $10/one time activation, $15.00/250 minutes of long distance. The long distance charge is because the number I'm forwarding to (even though it's just in Myrtle Beach), it considered long distance since it's in a different LATA.
I imagine as long as I wait a month or two, I'll be able to port them out and forget the rest of the charges. But for now, I'm SO happy.

Sometimes it's cheaper to setup your own toll free DID and forward to that rather than pay the AT&T LD rate.

 

[rossiv]

Sometimes it's cheaper to setup your own toll free DID and forward to that rather than pay the AT&T LD rate.

Funny you mention that. I just ordered two DIDs from Anveo that are also in the Charleston ratecenter and I'm going to get them to change the forward destination. No more LD $$$ and just the $33.05/month

 

[briankelly63]

Yep... great idea. Anveo would have been my suggestion. Nice when things work out..

 

[wa4zlw]

OK on that...then I would use an alternate provider and get them ported from AT&T

Leon

 

[rossiv]

OK on that...then I would use an alternate provider and get them ported from AT&T

Leon

In due time. Haven't even gotten my first bill yet.