How to Switch Mobile Providers and Keep Your Number

To switch mobile provider and keep your number, the safest sequence is to leave the old service active, give the new provider the exact registered details, complete the required identity check and wait for confirmation before removing the old SIM. The new provider normally organises the port. Cancelling first can disconnect the number and remove the right to transfer it.

Quick answer

Choose the new plan and ask it to port your active mobile number. Match the old account name and number exactly, complete the additional identity verification and keep both SIMs or eSIM instructions available. Do not cancel the old service first. Test calls, SMS, data, voicemail and account access after the new provider confirms completion.

Key points

• Only active numbers can normally be ported; suspended service may remain active, but disconnected service does not.
• The new provider manages the port after receiving permission and verifying the account holder.
• ACMA says a mobile port usually takes about three hours, but problems and out-of-hours timing can extend disruption.
• Porting a number does not remove handset repayments, final bills or other old-contract obligations.
• An unexpected loss of service or porting message should be treated promptly as a possible unauthorised port.

How to switch mobile provider and keep your number

A mobile number is transferred through a porting process between telcos. The customer signs up with the gaining provider, selects the option to keep an existing number and authorises the transfer. The gaining provider checks identity and submits the port using the service details. The old SIM works until the transfer proceeds, then the new SIM or eSIM becomes associated with the number.

The service and the handset are separate decisions. A customer can often keep a compatible unlocked phone while changing SIM, but remaining device repayments can become payable under the old agreement. Network support, emergency-calling compatibility, eSIM capability and coverage should be confirmed before ordering the replacement service.

What matters most when comparing your options

Coverage and handset compatibility

Check the new network at regular locations and verify the exact handset supports required bands, VoLTE, emergency calling and the chosen SIM format. A successful number port can still leave a poor service if the device or network was not tested before the irreversible account change.

A useful test is to ask: Will this phone place ordinary and emergency calls on the new network in every important location? Write the answer down in the same units for every option. That small discipline prevents a prominent headline, introductory discount or theoretical maximum from crowding out the detail that will shape the household's real result.

Exact old-account details

Copy the account holder name, mobile number, account number and prepaid registration details from the old provider rather than relying on memory. A mismatch can reject or delay the port and create confusion when family or business services share an account.

A useful test is to ask: Do the submitted details match the losing provider's current record character for character? Write the answer down in the same units for every option. That small discipline prevents a prominent headline, introductory discount or theoretical maximum from crowding out the detail that will shape the household's real result.

Timing and authentication access

Begin when both providers' support is available, the old SIM can receive verification and a short service interruption will not block urgent work or travel. Porting is usually quick but not guaranteed to finish at a convenient moment, and important accounts may depend on the mobile number for login codes.

A useful test is to ask: What essential task or authentication method would fail if calls and SMS paused for several hours? Write the answer down in the same units for every option. That small discipline prevents a prominent headline, introductory discount or theoretical maximum from crowding out the detail that will shape the household's real result.

Old contractual obligations

Read device repayments, notice, plan cancellation, final billing, subscriptions, insurance and bundled-service conditions separately from the number transfer. Porting generally moves the number, not debts or every linked product, and ending a primary service can reprice other services.

A useful test is to ask: What charge or linked-service change remains after the mobile service closes? Write the answer down in the same units for every option. That small discipline prevents a prominent headline, introductory discount or theoretical maximum from crowding out the detail that will shape the household's real result.

Before requesting the port

Download recent bills and record the registered account details. Confirm the service is active and remove any confusion about which family member or business owns the number. Back up contacts, messages and authenticator recovery codes; contacts stored only on a SIM may not appear after it is replaced. Keep another contact method available.

Choose the new plan from coverage, ongoing cost, data and terms rather than treating number retention as the only requirement. Check whether a physical SIM must arrive or an eSIM can be installed, and whether installing it starts billing or activation. Do not cancel the old plan or ask it to release the number separately unless the providers specifically direct that process.

During and immediately after the port

Submit the port through the new provider and complete its identity-verification method. ACMA says mobile ports usually take around three hours, but allow more time and follow the provider's stated operating window. The old SIM may stop working before the new one fully registers. Restart the phone or follow activation instructions only when prompted.

After completion, test an outgoing and incoming call, SMS in both directions, mobile data, voicemail and emergency-address or Wi-Fi calling settings where relevant. Check that the mobile number appears correctly in messaging services. Log into the new account over a trusted connection and set a strong password before relying on the service for authentication.

Failed, delayed or unauthorised ports

If the port stalls, contact the new provider first with the order reference and exact error. Do not create repeated requests or cancel the old account while the providers investigate. Keep timestamps and screenshots. If a disconnected number was lost through provider error, ACMA explains a process for asking the telco holding it in quarantine to reissue it.

If service disappears or an unsolicited port-verification message arrives when no switch was requested, contact the telco immediately using a trusted channel. Protect email, banking and other accounts that use the number, and report unresolved provider complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. An unauthorised port is a security incident, not an ordinary coverage fault.

Which option suits which household?

There is no universally best choice. The stronger option is the one that fits the household's location, equipment, usage pattern, appetite for complexity and likely behaviour after any introductory period. These scenarios are a decision aid, not a product ranking.

A practical comparison process

Use the same assumptions for every option and keep a copy of the plan summary, Critical Information Summary or offer terms you relied on. Online prices and eligibility settings change; a dated record makes it much easier to check the first bill or challenge a mismatch.

1. Confirm the number is active and identify its registered owner.
2. Save old account details, bills, contract terms and recovery codes.
3. Check new-network coverage, handset compatibility and total cost.
4. Order from the new provider and request to keep the existing number.
5. Complete identity verification and leave the old service active.
6. After confirmation, test calls, SMS, data, voicemail and account security.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Cancelling the old number before the port.
• Using a nickname or different account holder from the old record.
• Starting just before travel or an important authentication event.
• Assuming device repayments disappear with the old service.
• Ignoring an unexpected verification message or sudden service loss.

The comparison should end with a defensible household decision, not the longest feature list. Recheck one-off costs, ongoing charges, speed or export constraints, cancellation conditions and what happens after a promotion. When two options remain close, favour the one whose conditions you understand and can realistically manage.

Bottom line

Keep the old number active, let the new provider lead the authorised port and preserve access to verification until the switch is confirmed. Treat plan choice, device debt and number transfer as separate checks. Follow the ACMA's current mobile number porting guidance if timing or ownership becomes unclear.

Related CompareUs resources

• compare internet plans
• CompareUs guides
• family mobile plan guide
• 365-day prepaid plan guide
• unlimited mobile data guide

Sources and editorial method

CompareUs reviewed current Australian regulator, government, network and provider material available on 28 July 2026. Product examples are included to explain how offers work, not as an endorsement or a permanent price promise. Check the provider's current terms and your address-specific eligibility before acting.

• ACMA — Keep or transfer your phone number — mobile porting eligibility, identity checks, timing and complaint steps
• ACMA — ID checks for prepaid mobiles — prepaid activation and additional pre-port identity verification
• ACMA — Switch your phone or internet provider — contracts, devices, continuity and provider-switching checklist
• ACMA — Clearer mobile coverage information — standardised coverage-map categories and limits of predicted coverage