Ooma Forums

Hi,

I live in an area that Ooma is unable to provide me with a new phone number so I need to port my existing one from AT&T. Unfortunately I have DSL also associated with this number. I understand that if I cancel my DSL and landline then I will lose my number and that once my number is ported the DSL service will be cancelled. I've read the forums and see that the solution is to set up dry loop or direct DSL from ATT prior to porting my number. Problem is that when I contact ATT they tell me it is not possible to activate dry loop DSL separately from my landline. This doesn't seem true from what I have read on multiple forums. They tell me I have to wait until the number is ported and ATT landline is cancelled before I can establish direct DSL; a landline and direct DSL are not compatible.

Of course I am worried that if I wait until the number is ported I will lose both internet and Ooma service until I get direct DSL set up. ATT says this usually takes 5-7 business days. They suggested that once I get a porting date from Ooma that I schedule the DSL hookup for the same day or next day to minimize service disruption. My concern with this strategy is that if the porting is delayed my direct DSL hookup will occur first and I will lose my phone number. Since Ooma can't provide me with one then I would be toast.

There has to be some solution to this problem. Any help with how to proceed is appreciated.

I am having the same issue with Verizon.

You may want to try this... arrange to add a second line with AT&T with a new number. Tell them you want to move your DSL to the new line/number. Once this is completed, port your existing number to Ooma.

Alternatively, you could have a second person order the dry loop DSL at your address. Once that has been installed, port your existing number to Ooma, thereby cancelling all your existing AT&T service.

AT & T customer here. If you drop AT & T's phone service, and go with dry loop dsl from them, they are going to tack on $10 a month to your dsl bill. Check if AT & T Uverse service is available. You can double your current dsl speed, for $5 a month less than you would be paying for Dry loop dsl. They were going to charge me $35 a month for 1.5 mbs for dry loop. I got 3 mbs for $30 a month with UVerse. If you do not subscribe to more than 1 Uverse service, they charge a $87 installation fee. I didn't want to pay that. Just so happened an AT & T Uverse sales person came around, and showed me a way around the installation charge, and I got $150 cash back. What you do is just subscribe to one other service besides dsl. After retaining the service you really didn't want for a month, you can cancel it.

It took me 5 weeks to get my number ported. I thought that was excessive, and I have a beef with Ooma on it. You must retain AT & T phone service, until your number is ported. It cost me money, and several of their reps told me they would take care of it. They told me to write Ooma support. I did, and I never got any response. In my case, Ooma dropped the ball, or the 3rd party that sends the request to At & T did. AT & T kept telling me that they hadn't received the request, and I believe them. They said normally within 2 days after receiving the porting request they have it completed. They said by law, they had 7 days to complete porting requests. So after calling Ooma numerous times over a couple weeks, telling them that A T & T hadn't received the request, I think it finally sunk in, and they sent or resent the request to AT & T. Wasn't shortly after, my porting request was completed. At that point I was able to cancel my phone service with A T & T.

OK, so if I port my number with ooma and wait to set up the dry loop like Verizon wants (until the day of or day after porting is complete) I may be without internet and ooma for a time. I can live with that we have cell's and being without a computer for awhile is ok. ( I'll go to work) The question that comes to mind is will that cause me to loose the number that was successfully ported to ooma since I may have no DSL for a day or week? untill the dry loop is complete.

I would hope that once the DSL is running again my number would be the one I ported since ooma now has posession of it. This seems like it would be much less complicated and less costly than temporarily installing another line or an additional DSL hook up?

Any help out there? THANKS

I have ATT land line+DSL. I dry loop my DSL and ported my number without any problem in Mar 09. When calling CS, you need to make it clear that

1. you want to port your number out to a different carrier.
2. you want to retain the DSL service, hence dry loop DSL, or ATT calls it Direct DSL.

Some had reported that more than one call is needed, since not all CS rep are equal, just keep calling till you talk to some one who know how to get it done. I got it done with just one call.

From my experiences this is what you expected to be done

1. a new dummy account will be created to hold your phone number untill it is ported out.
2. your DSL will have a new account number/phone number. If you are using e-bill and/or combine billing with att wireless, making sure that your billing won't be interrupted.
3. no technicien will come to my house.

After the number ported, your account with att will be closed, don't forget to call again to settle the final billing.

Thank Tommies. I have a question about going through this procedure. If they put your old number in a dummy account then you won't have any landline service while the number is ported, correct? In that case you also wouldn't have phone service until Ooma ports the number from ATT. Is this right or am I not thinking about this the right way?

That correct, I was in this situation, and I had to go by ooma temp. number till my number ported(about 3 weeks). I have not try this, maybe you can give it a shot. First, pick a ooma temp. number, and then have your number forward to ooma temp.

I like tommies sequence, but I was unable to get any AT&T rep to follow that path, and I spoke with many reps, techs... in many different departments. However, I did not try escalating to AT&T management.

Here's my situation: AT&T phone and DSL on the same account number.
. . . . . . Converting to AT&T dry loop DSL, a.k.a. DSL Direct.

. . . . . . AT&T would NOT split my AT&T phone and DST into two separate accounts. Nor would AT&T create a temporary account to hold my phone number during the porting process.
. . . . . . AT&T would NOT allow me to order dry-loop DSL while I had AT&T phone service.

Here's the solution I ended up with to get out of this conundrum

SOLUTION STEP 1) Directly contact other high-speed Internet service providers in your area. Ask them: a) how much monthly service costs; b) promotions or discounts; c) installation charges; and d) when could their service be installed. ('Authorized resellers' and 'distributors' typically offer lower initial rates, but much higher long-term rates.)

SOLUTION STEP 2) Submit your porting request to Ooma. Let them know you have AT&T phone and DSL on the same account number. (This posting is not applicable if your AT&T phone and DSL are on separate account numbers.) In my experience, Ooma provides official porting confirmation in one week, and an estimated porting date within two weeks.
When you receive your official porting confirmation from Ooma, let the Ooma porting team know that you need the estimated porting date ASAP because your AT&T phone and DSL are on the same account.

SOLUTION STEP 3) Contact AT&T to order your 'dry loop' DSL ASAP AFTER you have received your estimated porting date. DO NOT contact AT&T as an existing customer with an existing account number and phone #. Rather, contact AT&T as if you are a NEW CUSTOMER, because (as of the porting date) you really will be a 'new' customer. Ask for a new account with only dry loop DSL. You will get a new account number. You want the DSL Direct installed on your estimated porting date. If that date isn't available, then you want it installed ASAP AFTER your estimated porting date.

SOLUTION STEP 4) You only need this step IF your dry-loop install date is AFTER your estimated porting date. If so, contact the Ooma porting team and ask them to work with AT&T to delay your porting to match your dry loop install date.
Tip: Do NOT ask AT&T to delay your porting date; they legally can't. Ooma can.