[wintergreensong]

I have lost my mobile phone. It is most likely that it went in the rubbish bin :-( 

I use it for business and so keeping the same phone number is important to me

Is there any way that I can get my old number registered on a new phone? I know that normally the phone number goes with the sim, but can this be overridden and if so how, and also what do I have to do to prove that it is my number?

It seems unlikely that I am the first person to ask this question but I have searched the discussions and cant find it ... maybe I am using the wrong keywords?

Thanks 

Anna

[scoobyman]

Hi wintergreensong

It is called "Porting cell phone number" usually when transferring from one service provider to another. Has your service provider not offered you any advice? 

[no1_slumko]

You can also perform a sim swap. Your number will just be registered to the new sim card on the networks data base. In South africa when you buy the sim it is attached to another card which contains the sim card number, pin and puk. This is usually sufficient evidence that the sim cardbelongs to you. Otherwise they will ask you some questions regarding the use of the sim card, Questions that usually only the owner would know.

If you're on a contract, on the other hand, all you'll need is proof of identification which should be linked to your contract details. It can usually be done within an hour.

As scoobyman said above, this is a question for your service provider 

[vipinvarkey]

Hi,

If you lost your mobile, first call your mobile service provider and tell them the matter. Ask them to block the sim, so that no one can make / receive calls from the old sim.

Next, ask them the procedure to get the same number transfered to another sim. It might take 2-5 days to get this done and they might also charge a nominal amount for this. But this is possible and I have done this when I lost my mobile..

[no1_slumko]

WOAH!! 2-5 days!!! vipinvarkey your network needs to pull finger . A sim swap takes just over an hour across all networks in S.Africa

And the only cost included in this is the price of a sim card which is about R2.00 

Message Edited by no1_slumko on 14-Dec-2009 12:44 PM

[grschinon]

Not everywhere is like RSA.

In the UK it also takes a few days. In France it takes up to 4 weeks.

[no1_slumko]

That is true but I had would die having to wait a whole week to get my number back. I have kept the same number since I moved to Vodacom about 7 years ago

When they changed the procedure to get a sim swap a year or two ago, I was relieved. It also used to takes some days here, Until Cell C upped their game and the rest followed