Fax number porting terminology

CAT A: CAT A fax number ports, otherwise referred to as ‘simple’ ports, are generally applicable to single-hosted numbers with no associated services or configurations.

CAT C: CAT C fax number ports, otherwise referred to as ‘complex’ ports, are typically applicable to multiple-hosted numbers with associated services or configurations, or virtually/digitally hosted numbers.

Emergency Roll-back: An emergency port rollback (or emergency return) in the context of online faxing is a critical, time-sensitive procedure used to reverse the transfer of a fax number back to its original carrier, where this is possible.  

Fax Duet: A fax duet service usually provides two numbers under one phone/fax connection with the same carrier. Although each number is separate, it is technically connected to one line. Customers will need to request that their losing carrier separate the numbers that are part of the duet or agree to port both numbers to us (this will be required as a CAT C port).

Gaining Carrier: The new carrier or service provider which the customer is attempting to transfer/port the fax number service to.

Losing Carrier: The losing or releasing carrier that the customer's fax number service is currently billed to.

PNV: stands for Pre-Port Number Validation. It is a crucial, non-mandatory pre-validation step in the Australian Category C (complex) porting process where the gaining carrier verifies the number's details with the losing carrier before officially submitting the port request. PNV can help to identify the number configuration and underlying carrier hosting.

Porting: “port” or “porting” refers to the moving of fax numbers between telecommunications carriers; essentially, a transfer of any service on a customer’s account with a telecommunications carrier.

Port Accepted: When the port order submitted is accepted by the losing carrier.

Port Rejection: A port rejection occurs when a current fax service provider (losing carrier) denies a request to port a fax number to a new provider. This usually happens because the information provided in the porting application does not match the carrier's records, the number is inactive, or it is linked to complex, non-portable services.

Porting Rescheduling:  When the port is booked and a change of booking date/time is requested. 

Rotary/line hunt services: multiple phone lines under a single public-facing number; if the primary line associated with the number is not available to take a call, the service will check the next line and so on until it finds an available line to take the call. The customer will need to discuss porting one or some of the numbers associated with a rotary/line hunt service with their carrier; they may need to dissociate them from the service first. If not, porting all the numbers on a Rotary/line hunt service is a CAT C port.