Keep Your Business Number When Switching: Porting Rules in India
TL;DR
In India you can port a business mobile number to another operator in about 5 working days with an authorisation letter from the company's signatory. Landline and 1800 toll-free numbers can't be ported yet: TRAI's rules cover mobile numbers only. To switch providers without losing a landline, toll-free or cloud number, keep it with its current operator and forward the calls.
You can port a business mobile number to another operator in about 5 working days under TRAI's rules, but landline and 1800 toll-free numbers can't be ported in India yet. To keep a landline, toll-free or provider-issued number while you switch, leave it with its current operator and forward its calls to the new system.
For most businesses the hard part isn't the owner's mobile. It's the office landline or 1800 number printed on years of invoices, boards and listings, and those are exactly the numbers the rules don't let you move.
Which business numbers can you port?
| Your number | Can it be ported? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile, in a person's name | Yes, in 3 to 5 working days | Port it to the new operator |
| Mobile, in the company's name | Yes, in about 5 working days | Port it with the signatory's letter |
| Landline (BSNL, Airtel, Jio fixed line) | No, not yet | Keep it and forward calls |
| Toll-free 1800 | No, TRAI says not feasible | Keep it with its operator |
| Number issued by a cloud provider | Landline-series no; mobile-series, ask them | Forward it, or run both |
The reason is in the rules. TRAI's Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regulations "will be applicable only to cellular mobile telephone numbers" (TRAI MNP regulations), and there is no equivalent for fixed lines.
That may change for landlines. In February 2025 TRAI recommended a 10-digit fixed-line numbering scheme that, in its words, "lays the foundation for fixed-line number portability". It is a recommendation to the government, and TRAI suggested adopting it within five years.
Toll-free numbers are further off: TRAI said adding them to a portability database "is currently not feasible" (TRAI).
How to port a company mobile number: 6 steps
This is the TRAI process for a mobile number registered in the business's name.
- Check you're eligible. The number must have been active with its current operator for over 90 days, with no unpaid bills, no pending change of ownership, and at least 7 days since any SIM swap.
- Get an authorisation letter signed by the company's authorised signatory. Without it, the current operator can reject the request.
- Get the porting code. From the number you're moving, SMS
PORT <10-digit number>to 1900. The unique porting code (UPC) arrives from 1901; TRAI's regulations prefix company codes with C. It's valid for 4 days, or 30 days in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North East. - Apply at the new operator. Fill its customer acquisition form and porting form, add the UPC, the letter and the KYC documents it asks for, and collect the new SIM. The porting charge, if the operator asks for one, is ₹6.46 a request.
- Wait about 5 working days. The current operator gets 4 working days to verify a company request, and the port is then scheduled within 36 hours (TRAI MNP regulations). The switch happens at night, with up to 4 hours without service (TRAI FAQ).
- Changed your mind? SMS
CANCEL <10-digit number>to 1900 within 24 hours. Any porting charge you paid isn't refunded.
A personal number takes 3 working days within the same service area and 5 across areas. Every port, company or personal, takes up to 15 working days in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and the North East.
Moving to a cloud or app-based provider
A cloud phone company can only receive a ported mobile number if it is a licensed mobile operator itself or works through one. Some providers say they can do more: MyOperator's FAQ says you can port "your existing landline or mobile number to our platform" (MyOperator).
Since TRAI's portability rules cover only mobile numbers, ask two questions before you cancel anything:
- Which licensed operator will hold the number after the move?
- Is this a port, or are you forwarding calls from my current line?
If the answer is forwarding, you'll keep paying the current operator. That's often fine, and for a landline it's the only route today.
The forwarding route: keep the number, move the calls
Forwarding leaves the number with its operator and sends each call on to your new number. On Airtel and Vi mobiles, dial these codes (Vi, Airtel):
*21*<new number>#forwards every call.*61*<new number>#forwards only unanswered calls, so the old phone rings first.*67*<new number>#forwards when the line is busy.*62*<new number>#forwards when the phone is off or out of coverage.##002#cancels all forwarding.
On Jio, turn forwarding on in the phone's call settings or the MyJio app. Jio says the service is free with an active plan, and it can't forward to BSNL numbers or international numbers (Jio). For a fixed line, ask your operator for its call-divert code and charge.
A 14-day switch-over plan
Use this whether you port or forward. It keeps customers reaching you while you move.
- Day 1: list every place the number appears. Google Business Profile, website, invoices and letterhead, visiting cards, the shop board, JustDial and IndiaMART listings, ad accounts and your WhatsApp Business profile.
- Day 1: export your history from the old system: call logs, recordings and contacts. A port moves the number, not the data.
- Day 2: set up the new system and test it with calls from outside, answered and missed.
- Day 3: switch on forwarding, or submit the port request.
- Days 3 to 10: update each listing, starting with your Google Business Profile, which Android's Phone app uses for business caller ID (Google).
- Days 3 to 14: check the missed-call log daily so nothing falls between the old and new setups.
- Day 14: decide whether to keep the old line forwarding for good. For a landline printed on years of invoices, keeping it is cheap insurance.
For the full new-number setup, see our step-by-step setup guide. If you use the number on WhatsApp, read how the WhatsApp Business app treats virtual numbers before you move it. To keep missed-call follow-ups working through the switch, see missed-call automation on an existing number.
Starting a shared number alongside the old one
Many small businesses don't move the old number at all. They keep it, forward it, and give the team a new shared number for everything new.
TalkEasy by GrowEasy's business number is a cloud number that runs in the TalkEasy app alongside each person's existing SIM, so nobody needs a new SIM or handset. The whole team can share it, calls are routed by team or availability, and every call is logged against the number whoever answers. Pro is ₹999 a month plus GST for unlimited users (pricing).
For prices and KYC across providers, see the virtual number India guide and the best virtual number providers. See how the TalkEasy business number works.
Last reviewed 24 September 2026.
