Landline Number Porting

it was suggested that I post this on this Forum.
On going problem of moving landline from one provider using Openreach to another provider using Openreach.
This should be is simple as it gets.
Number goes back to British Telecom days. Mine for over 40 years, over 30 at present address.
Everything appeared to go smoothly, calls in and out but discovered we were unreachable from some people (they received ring tone but our phone never rang).
After help from another forum and extreme persistence on my part finally managed to persuade my new provider there was a problem. Their only solution was to give me a temporary number, then request my old number back.
This has now been achieved, but the problem still persists. Is it sensible to give it a few days to settle? The only difference from before is the previous provider claim to have released the number now.
Is the process of changing the number equivalent to the process of a new provider taking over a line?
This has me confused, but not as much as the new provider.
If I moved on to another provider would it help?

Can't answer your questions but I ported a couple of times. Number was originally Bell Cable then Virgin Media then BT now Sipgate, I believe. Think I had trouble when I tried moving it back to Virgin from BT, hence my "solution" was to move it to VOIP. Been fine for many (around six) years.

Edited by hk11 (Thu 13-Aug-20 23:19:14)

Anyone know anything about the work of the OTA?
Having seen elsewhere how complex the problem is it seems to be prudent to give up and take a new number.

In reply to a post by CRD32:

it was suggested that I post this on this Forum.
On going problem of moving landline from one provider using Openreach to another provider using Openreach.
This should be is simple as it gets.
Number goes back to British Telecom days. Mine for over 40 years, over 30 at present address.
Everything appeared to go smoothly, calls in and out but discovered we were unreachable from some people (they received ring tone but our phone never rang).
After help from another forum and extreme persistence on my part finally managed to persuade my new provider there was a problem. Their only solution was to give me a temporary number, then request my old number back.
This has now been achieved, but the problem still persists. Is it sensible to give it a few days to settle? The only difference from before is the previous provider claim to have released the number now.
Is the process of changing the number equivalent to the process of a new provider taking over a line?
This has me confused, but not as much as the new provider.
If I moved on to another provider would it help?

The changing of a number is not akin to the changing of a provider, all that happens is the number attached to a line changes whilst service remains in place.

Can I ask who the new provider is?

If the number has been released and is back with BT/OR then you having a working service, but clearly you are experiencing issues. You need to press upon your current/new provider to have a discussion with OR and get this sorted. It could be that the routing has gone awry and still trying to send calls over the network of your previous provider. Can you dial 17070 and confirm the number read back is yours?

In reply to a post by hk11:

my "solution" was to move it to VOIP. Been fine for many (around six) years.

I guess this isn't on the agenda for the OP? I did the same with a move back in 2007, because BT couldn't port the number even though the geographical distance was small. It puts me in full control and I haven't looked back since.

Full history
1978 British Telecom
1983 Moved House retained number
Moved to Virgin when they operated over ordinary phone lines. Retained number.
Transferred to TalkTalk by Virgin when they divested themselves of copper users. Retained number.
20 Feb moved from TalkTalk to Vodafone. Retained number and moved to Fibre to the cabinet.
Everything appeared to be fine and received bills from Vodafone. Happy customer.
HOWEVER
TalkTalk continued to bill me and refused to believe I had left them.
I was happy that Vodafone were providing internet as the speed had increased and were charging for the calls I was making.
I could make and receive calls on the old number.
BUT some people could NEVER reach me their attempts receiving ring tone (but my phone n it ringing)
Identified 3 people one on iD mobile, one landline on TalkTalk and another on landline with the Post Office (a TalkTalk clone).
No success with TalkTalk taking this seriously, at CEDR but seem to be toothless lapdogs.
Reported via OFCOM as a porting issue, unsure what OTA actually do.
Eventually convinced Vodafone there was a problem.
They said the only solution was to take.a temporary number for two weeks, then get the old number back.
This has happened and using 17070 I confirm I have the old number back.
HOWEVER on testing with my son on the iD mobile the problem remains. Will test again in a few days, but I am not hopeful.

Is their commonality with those who cannot reach you? Are they all customers of one (or more) particular provider?

Somewhere in TalkTalk's systems your number is still flagged as being theirs. This is why when a user calls you from a TalkTalk line it goes nowhere.

When a user calls you from another provider they presumably pick up the correct tag to forward the call to Vodafone.

The problem lies in TT's systems but if they don't understand that, you're unlikely to be able to get it sorted.

Problem has not cleared itself.

Analysis from elsewhere. Any comments?

TalkTalk - uses their own wholesale / local-loop network
Post Office - uses TalkTalk's wholesale network
iD - is a Mobile MVNO owned & run by TalkTalk not really associated with TalkTalk's wholesale / local-loop network.
However, although there is a common factor - it doesn't from a user point-of-view point towards who is actually at fault. Only verifying call signalling at the four points would identify the exact issue:
TalkTalk core network
TalkTalk interconnection network with Vodafone
Vodafone interconnection network with TalkTalk
Vodafone core network
The reason is that each interconnection is typically treated as a totally different source of call and therefore, the config for manipulation for one destination number may need to be setup separately for each interconnection.

For ring-tone to be received by the call originator - only means that the originator's network has received a specific message from what the originator's network believes is the destination network... who _actually_ creates that specific message can only be identified by troubleshooting the 4 points above.
See the simplified call flow diagram here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISDN_User_Part

Therefore, either of the following may apply:
TalkTalk is doing everything correctly and forwards call towards Vodafone - but Vodafone for reasons currently unknown sends back the specific message saying that your number is ringing... which is duly reported as ring-tone to the originating subscribers; however, your number never rings.
TalkTalk thinks you still belong to their network - and when an incoming call to your number arrives - sends to their exchange equipment where they think you are still connected (which is no-longer connected to their exchange equipment as you have switched/ported) which duly rings (but since you are not attached your phone doesn't ring) and returns the specific message saying that your number is ringing.. which is duly reported as ring-tone to the originating subscribers; however, as your phone is no longer connected to TalkTalk's exchange equipment your number never rings.
(The above assumes that in local-loop number switching/porting typical case that your physical connection gets swapped from one land-line operator's exchange equipment to another... though, this may not be entirely true depending on where you live and what equipment the operators have at that location).