The short answer
In most cases, yes. When you change landline provider and stay at the same address, keeping your number is a regulated right. It is called number porting (moving a number from one provider's network to another's), and Ofcom's rules say providers must not apply direct charges to you for it. You have to ask for it when you order.
It is less certain when you move to a broadband-only package with no phone service to carry the number, and when you move home, especially to a different area code.
Your situation | Can you keep the number? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Changing provider, same address | Yes. Porting is a right under Ofcom's rules, which bar direct charges for it. Check the new provider's terms for any porting fee. | Tell the new provider you want to keep your number when you order. |
Your provider moves your line to a digital landline | Normally yes. BT, for example, says your number will not change on its move to Digital Voice. | Nothing, unless your provider says otherwise in writing. |
Moving to a full fibre or broadband-only package | Only if the new package includes a phone service that your number can be ported to. | Add the provider's phone service and ask for a port before the old line ends. |
Moving home in the same telephone exchange area | Possibly. | Ask your provider when you book the move. |
Moving home to a different area | Probably not. | Plan for a new number and ask about call diversion. |
Provider details were checked in October 2026; your own provider's written confirmation is what counts.
Your rights: what Ofcom's rules say about number porting
Ofcom calls number portability a regulated facility. The rules sit in two of its General Conditions, the legally binding conditions every phone and broadband provider must follow: Condition B3 (number portability) and Condition C7 (switching), made under the Communications Act 2003.
In the consolidated version of the conditions effective from 22 April 2025 (the latest full copy we could read; Ofcom updates them from time to time), the key points are:
- You can ask for it. Providers must offer number porting, on reasonable terms, to any switching customer who requests it (C7.6).
- No direct charge to you. Providers must not apply direct charges to a switching customer for porting (C7.6). In practice, read the new provider's terms: Truespeed's terms (February 2026, clauses 19.2 and 20.2) list a one-off fee for porting a number to it. If you are asked to pay for porting, ask the provider to explain the charge, quoting General Condition C7.6.
- A one-month window. Porting must stay available for at least one month after you end your contract, unless you expressly agree otherwise when you end it (C7.6). Ofcom's guidance says you can ask to keep your number even after cancelling, as long as you ask within one month of cancelling.
- A fallback if it fails. If the porting process fails, the old provider must reactivate your number and service until porting completes successfully (C7.7).
- Providers must cooperate. When asked by another provider, a provider must port the number as soon as reasonably practicable and on reasonable terms, and the networks involved must not cause a loss of service that would delay the port (B3.2 and B3.4).
Two limits are worth knowing. Porting must fit Ofcom's National Telephone Numbering Plan, which is why moving home can cost you your number (see below). And we found no fixed maximum time for porting a home phone number in the rules, so real timescales vary by provider.
How porting works when you switch with One Touch Switch
Since September 2024, broadband and landline switches between providers have used a process called One Touch Switch. You contact only the provider you want to move to, and it leads the switch. Your old service ends automatically once the new one is working. Our guide to switching broadband providers covers the process in full.
- Check the new deal includes a phone service. Some providers, such as Zen, sell broadband without a phone line and add a phone service only if you ask for it.
- Give the new provider your details: your address, current provider's name, the services you are switching and the number, saying clearly that you want to keep it.
- Agree a switch date. The new provider arranges the switch for your preferred date where it can.
- Leave the old landline alone. Ofcom says that where you have asked to keep your number and are able to, you do not need to tell your old landline provider you are leaving.
- Check on switch day. Once the new provider confirms its service is working, it tells the old provider to stop. You should not be charged notice-period charges beyond that date, and any loss of service should not last longer than one working day.
If your bundle includes TV or other services from the old provider, Ofcom says you may still need to tell it to cancel those, particularly TV.
The cooling-off period
You have 14 calendar days to cancel a new order, but your old service will not automatically come back, so ask how your number will be handled before you cancel. See our guide to the broadband cooling-off period.
If you manage the switch yourself
You can ask the new provider not to manage the switch, for example because you want both services running for a while. Ofcom says you then have to cancel the old contract yourself and the One Touch Switch process does not apply, so getting the order of cancelling and porting right is down to you.
Some providers spell out the order to do things in. Community Fibre advises that if you are cancelling broadband directly with your current provider, you should not cancel your phone line before it has told you porting is complete. Truespeed says you must tell it you want to keep your number before your old contract is cancelled and your existing line is cut, and its terms warn that if you cancel before the port completes, your old telephone company may reclaim the number and it will not be available to port.
If you have already cancelled, Ofcom's rules require porting to stay available for at least one month afterwards, so ask the new provider to port the number straight away. Treat that as a fallback rather than a guarantee: providers' own terms show the number can be lost if the old line is ceased first.
How long porting takes with different providers
These are the timescales and conditions providers published when we checked in October 2026:
Provider | What it says about keeping your number |
|---|---|
Ogi | Ports your number to its Ogi Voice service at no extra cost. It can take a few days, and Ogi gives you a temporary number if there is a delay. Its price guide lists porting in or out at no charge. |
Community Fibre | Says keeping your number is free. Its page says porting takes "up to 12 working days" in one place and "at least 12 working days" from installation of its calls service in another, so allow 12 working days or more. You get a temporary number at installation and an email when the port is done. |
Truespeed | Tell it before the old contract is cancelled and the line is cut. Its terms (February 2026) say porting can take up to 30 days, may not always be possible (you then get a new number), carries a one-off porting fee, and the Truespeed phone line is not active until the number has ported. You may lose phone service for up to 24 hours on porting day. |
Zen | Its Digital Voice service lets you port your existing number; it needs a reliable connection, a Fritz! router and a handset. |
Airband | Its Airband Talk add-on supports number porting and comes with a free adapter for existing analogue phones. |
Hyperoptic | Customers taking its home phone service can usually transfer their existing number. |
Vodafone | Says you can keep your number when you switch; its landline uses Digital Voice. Its terms add that transferring your number is subject to availability. |
Virgin Media | Says it will move your landline number where possible when you switch to it. |
The wording varies: Hyperoptic's "usually", Virgin Media's "where possible" and Vodafone's "subject to availability" are not guarantees, so ask the provider to confirm in writing that your number will be ported. You can read more about individual providers on our Ogi broadband deals, Zen broadband deals and Community Fibre broadband deals pages, or start from the broadband providers hub.
With some providers the broadband goes live first and the number follows later, so ask before you order:
- Will my old line keep working until the port finishes?
- Will I get a temporary number in the meantime, and will incoming calls to my old number reach me?
- Do I need to do anything with my old provider, or will you handle it?
Keeping your number when your landline goes digital
The old copper phone network, called the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), is being retired. Openreach says that on 31 January 2027 all traditional phone lines will be going digital, and that if you have not switched by then you may be moved to Emergency Voice and Access Continuity (EVAc), a temporary emergency voice-only service. A digital landline carries calls over your broadband: you plug your phone into the router instead of the wall socket.
The good news is that going digital does not normally mean a new number. GOV.UK and Ofcom both say you can keep your phone number, and the industry's Digital Phone Switchover site says that in most cases nobody will have to change their number. BT says your number will not change when it moves you to its Digital Voice service, and that there is no charge for Digital Voice. Our guide to the digital landline switchover covers the wider change, and our guide to whether your phone will work on a digital landline covers handsets and adapters.
Full fibre and broadband-only packages
The bigger risk is switching to a package with no phone service at all. Zen, for example, says its full fibre and part-fibre broadband come without a phone line, with a home phone added through its Digital Voice service. If you switch to broadband only and let your old landline end, there is nothing to carry the number to, and Ofcom's rules only guarantee porting for at least one month after your old contract ends.
Some providers do not offer a home phone at all. ISPreview reported in April 2024 that Plusnet would not offer home phone after the analogue switch-off and was pointing customers who want a landline to BT. Dropping a phone service can also be permanent. When WightFibre started charging for its previously free phone line in late 2025, it warned customers that removing the line would mean losing the number, with no way to reclaim it later if they added a line again (reported by ISPreview, October 2025).
So before you move to a broadband-only deal, decide what you want to happen to the number:
- Keep it with the new provider: add its phone service and ask for a port when you order.
- Keep it elsewhere: look for a provider that offers a phone service your number can move to, and arrange the port before the old line ends.
- Let it go: tell everyone who uses it first, as a dropped number may not come back.
If you are comparing, our broadband and phone deals comparison is filtered to packages that include a phone service, and broadband only deals shows packages without one. Enter your postcode to see what is available at your address. Our guide to a landline without broadband covers households that want the phone but not the internet.
Before you port a number used by an alarm or telecare
If a personal alarm, telecare system or security alarm uses your landline, check the new service first. Ogi, for example, says its Ogi Voice service will not work in a power cut or if your internet fails, so it is unsuitable for a personal alarm or telecare system, and you cannot make 999 calls in those circumstances. Tell the new provider and the alarm company about the switch in advance. Our guides on telecare alarms and digital landlines and digital landlines in a power cut go into this in more detail.
Moving home: when you might lose your number
Ofcom says you may not be able to keep your existing landline number if you switch provider at the same time as moving home, and Citizens Advice gives the same warning, advising you to check with the provider you are switching to.
The reason is how numbers work. Numbers starting 01 or 02 are geographic numbers: each has an area code linked to a place. Ofcom's numbering plan says a geographic number should only be given to a customer whose line is physically in its area code's area, unless the customer asked for that code and calls to it cost the same as to other numbers with it. We found no mainstream provider offering to port a number outside its area code, so do not count on that exception.
What providers say about home moves (checked October 2026):
- BT: if you will be living in the same telephone exchange area (its example is Lincoln, 01522), it might be possible to keep your number; if you move to a new area you will probably need a new number. BT says it can redirect your current number to your new property or your mobile through its Caller Redirect feature.
- TalkTalk: if you move within the same exchange area it may be possible to keep your number; if you move to another exchange you will be given a new number. TalkTalk tells you when you book your move.
We could not confirm Sky, EE or Virgin Media's home-move number policies from their own pages, so ask them directly if you are with one of them.
You cannot tell reliably from a map whether a move keeps you in the same exchange area, so ask. If you are likely to get a new number, ask about a redirect from the old one and how long it lasts, and list who needs the new number: family, GP, school, bank, employer and any alarm company.
Our guide to broadband when moving home covers taking your contract with you versus switching, and our guide to checking broadband before you move helps you see what is available at the new address. You can also browse broadband deals by area.
Step-by-step checklist to keep your number
- Write down the essentials: the phone number, your current provider's name, your account number and the exact address on the account.
- Check the new package includes a phone service that your number can be ported to, not just broadband.
- Ask for the port when you order and check that it appears on your order confirmation or contract summary. If it is not written down, ask for it to be added.
- Do not cancel the old landline yourself if the new provider is managing the switch under One Touch Switch.
- Ask about timings: how long the port takes, whether the old line keeps working until then and whether you will have a temporary number.
- Moving home? Ask whether you are staying in the same exchange area.
- Test it after the switch: ring your landline from a mobile and make an outgoing call. Keep your paperwork until the port is complete.
If the port is delayed or goes wrong
What the rules say:
- If the porting process fails, your old provider must reactivate your number and service until the port completes successfully.
- Any loss of service during a switch should not last more than one working day, and providers must compensate you if you are left without service for longer than that or if they miss service or installation appointments. Ofcom expects compensation to be paid within 30 days, but the 30-day payment deadline in the switching conditions does not apply to delays in completing the porting process itself.
Start with the new provider, because it leads the switch, then use its complaints process if needed. Our guides to broadband switching problems, automatic compensation and complaining about a broadband provider take you through the next steps.
Keeping your landline number FAQs
Do I have to pay to keep my landline number when I switch?
Ofcom's General Condition C7.6 says providers must not apply direct charges to a switching customer for porting a number, and Ofcom's guidance says you can keep your old number for free. Ogi and Community Fibre both say porting to them is free. Truespeed's terms (February 2026) do list a one-off porting fee, so read the new provider's terms and question any porting charge, quoting C7.6. The phone service itself may still cost money.
Can I keep my number if I've already cancelled my old landline?
Possibly. Ofcom's rules require porting to remain available for at least one month after you end your contract, unless you agreed otherwise when you ended it, and Ofcom's guidance says you can ask within one month of cancelling. It is not guaranteed: Truespeed's terms warn the old company may reclaim a number cancelled before porting. Contact the new provider straight away with the number and your old provider's name.
Can I take my landline number with me when I move house?
Only sometimes. BT and TalkTalk say you may be able to keep your number if you stay in the same telephone exchange area, but if you move to a different area you will probably (BT) or will (TalkTalk) get a new number. Ofcom warns you may not keep your number if you switch provider at the same time as moving. Ask when you book the move.
How long does it take to port a landline number?
It depends on the provider. Ogi says it can take a few days and gives a temporary number if there is a delay. Community Fibre says about 12 working days after its calls service is installed (its page says both "up to" and "at least"), and Truespeed's terms say up to 30 days. Ask your new provider for its timescale and whether your old line keeps working until the port is done.
What happens if the number port fails?
Ofcom's switching rules say that if the porting process fails, the old provider must reactivate your number and service until porting completes successfully. Contact the new provider first, as it leads the switch. If you are left without service for more than one working day during a switch, providers must compensate you, so keep a note of the dates.
Do I need to contact my old provider to keep my number?
Usually not. Under One Touch Switch you contact only the new provider, and Ofcom says that where you have asked and are able to keep your number, you do not need to tell your old landline provider you are leaving. You may still need to cancel other services with the old provider, such as TV, that are not part of the switch.
