Porting Mobile Numbers

Owned by Tom Higgins
Last updated: Feb 15, 2024 by Eric Chavez
2 min read

When mobile numbers are not attached to a SIM device they are referred to as virtual mobile numbers and have many benefits over SIM based mobile numbers but may not suit all business needs and it is important you understand the differences of a virtual number to a SIM based number before porting the service.  We recommend ordering a new virtual number in our portal to get you using your service quickly and for testing.

Virtual Mobile Number Benefits:

  • You are not limited by one line or device. When a single mobile device is no longer enough to handle all customer enquiries the a virtual number has no limit on the number of concurrent calls you can make at once.

  • You can make and receive mobile calls using our Desk phone, PC app as well as on your mobile device with our Android and iOS apps.

  • Many staff can share a number and send and receive company wide SMS messages using the same number.

  • You can configure email notifications on new SMS messages.

  • You can configure time conditions and smart routing on a virtual mobile number.

  • Customers may be more likely to answer calls if they are coming from mobile compared to a landline.

  • Access real-time reporting on call distribution, new calls, missed calls and user performance statistics.

  • Incoming and outgoing call recording can be enabled and stored in the portal or your CRM.

Virtual Mobile Number Disadvantages:

  • Not all providers support porting virtual numbers to SIM numbers. As a rule Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will not be able to port your number back to a SIM service once it is made virtual.

  • You will no longer have mobile reception or data on a virtual number once you port a number to virtual it will stop working as a mobile phone as the number will be hosted in the cloud.

  • It is no longer bound to a SIM card or a mobile phone handset.  While this in itself is an advantage, it can be an easily overlooked component, and if the number requested for porting is associated with a SIM then that phone will no longer work until a new SIM is acquired and replaced in the handset ( this includes any mobile data ).

  • Virtual numbers do not support MSS messages.

  • There are some senders known as shortcodes that we may not be able to receive messages from, these are usually short text based caller ids ( not standard phone numbers ).

If you do not wish to port your existing number why not order a new virtual number in our portal and get instant access to all the benefits of going virtual today.