In a world where texts and emails seem to rule, many companies are forgetting how important the traditional telephone is when communicating with customers. Losing your listed number could mean losing clients or prospects. But is it really yours? The answer is no if “yours” means private property. But you can still rest assured that your number will point at your business unless you cancel your service.
The Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) is the entity responsible for administering and issuing telephone numbers and other telecommunications codes in Canada. It operates under the regulatory supervision of the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and is funded by the Canadian telecommunications industry.
The CNA allocates telephone numbers to phone companies, which then issue telephone numbers to their customers. So the local telephone company doesn’t own phone numbers.
When you are issued a telephone number, there are no ownership or special right in telephone numbers other than the right to use that number and right you may have to port it. This means you have a contract with a phone company to use this number.
However, if you interrupt your service by not paying your bill or by closing your account, your service will be disconnected and you no longer have the rights to the number. That’s why when you want to move your number to another provider, they will always tell you to stay with the old one until the move is complete. If you cancel too early, you can lose your number.
This is not really ownership. It’s more like rent, since your number stays yours as long as you phone account remains in good standing.
Can I keep my number when changing phone company?
Number portability lets you keep your number when changing from one phone company to another. Taking your telephone number to another company is known as ‘porting’.
Your current phone company must port your number if you request to port and should not prevent you from keeping your number. However, a new phone company does not have to accept a port request. You may need to find a new phone company that is willing to accept the port request.
It’s important that you don’t disconnect your service as only an active service can be ported.
Can I port a number that has been disconnected?
No—when a service is disconnected, you no longer have the rights to the number. A port cannot occur if a service is disconnected.
If a phone company makes a decision to disconnect your service due to credit or debt management reasons, the phone company must give you adequate notice and provide you with a written disconnection notice.
What happens to numbers after they are disconnected?
After a service is disconnected, your telephone number will be placed in quarantine for a minimum period of six months (12 months if the service was disconnected due to nuisance calls).
Can I get my number out of quarantine?
A phone company may recover and re-issue a number from quarantine before the end of the quarantine period if you are the previous account holder or if you have taken over a business that previously used the number.
If you wish to reconnect your service, you should ask your previous phone company to re-issue the number to you, but there is no obligation on a phone company to do this.
Can I ask for a specific number or reserve a number?
You can ask a phone company for a specific number, but the phone company is under no obligation to issue it to you.
You may also request a phone company reserve a number for future use—again, there is no requirement on a phone company to do this.
Can numbers be moved between customers?
Numbers can be moved between customers; however, the phone company must have authority from the current account holder before issuing it to another customer. There is no obligation on a phone company to do this.