Your Number Is Yours, Not Your Old Network’s to Hold Onto
Switching mobile networks is meant to take minutes these days, a free text to a short code and you’re done. Most of the time it works exactly like that. Number porting compensation exists for the times it doesn’t, when an old provider drags its feet or throws up a technical obstacle rather than letting you leave cleanly.
Most people who switch never think about this rule, and never need to. It sits quietly in the background as a backstop, only mattering the day your own switch is the one that gets stuck.
Under Ofcom’s rules, that’s not a grey area. Number portability, keeping your mobile number when you switch, is a regulated right, and a provider that delays it or blocks it without good reason is in breach of its licence conditions.
What Happens If Your Old Provider Delays Porting Your Number?
Your new provider requests the port, and your old provider is required to action it rapidly, without unreasonable delay or unnecessary technical hurdles. If they drag it out, that’s a breach of Ofcom’s General Conditions on switching and number portability, not just poor customer service.
You don’t have to just wait it out either. If your new provider can’t resolve a stuck port with your old network directly, there’s an independent industry process that can step in, assess the case, and effectively override the delay so your number moves regardless.
Why Does This Rule Exist in the First Place?
Before number portability became a protected right, changing network meant changing your number too, handing every network a quiet reason to make switching feel like a hassle. Ofcom’s rules exist specifically to stop your phone number being used as a lock in tool.
Number porting compensation is the enforcement side of that same principle. A right that carries no consequence for breaking it is really just a suggestion, so Ofcom backed the portability rule with a financial one, so that delaying a switch costs the old provider something rather than costing you the hassle.
The Rules Behind Mobile Number Porting (Checked August 2026)
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Right to port your number | A regulated right under Ofcom’s General Conditions, not a favour from your provider |
| Speed of porting | Providers must act “rapidly”, with no unreasonable delay or unnecessary obstacles |
| Number porting compensation | Owed automatically if a provider blocks or delays your port without good reason |
| How much | Not a fixed figure, Ofcom requires “reasonable” compensation reflecting your specific case |
| When it’s paid | Ofcom expects payment within 30 calendar days, without you needing to submit a formal claim first |
Rules checked against Ofcom’s guidance on compensation related to switching and porting, August 2026.
How Much Compensation Can You Claim?
There’s no set amount published by Ofcom for number porting compensation, and any provider or comparison site quoting you an exact figure upfront is guessing. Ofcom’s own language is “reasonable compensation”, judged against how long the delay ran and what it actually cost you, so two people with different circumstances can end up owed different amounts for what looks like a similar delay.
What is fixed is the process. Your provider is required to tell you clearly how to claim, and Ofcom expects payment within 30 calendar days, often without you having to chase it yourself. If a provider stays vague about how their compensation scheme works when you ask directly, that in itself is worth raising as a complaint.
What to Do If Your Porting Is Delayed or Blocked
Key takeaways
- Keep a record of when you requested the switch and when the port was meant to complete.
- Contact your new provider first. They’re the ones who can escalate a stuck port with your old network.
- Ask your old provider directly how their number porting compensation scheme works and how to claim.
- If the delay drags on, an independent industry process can step in to resolve it without your old provider’s cooperation.
- You shouldn’t need to fight for compensation once a genuine delay is confirmed. Ofcom’s guidance expects it to be offered, not extracted.
Our guide on how to switch mobile network and keep your number covers the normal, smooth version of this process, including the PAC and STAC codes that trigger it. Most switches never need the compensation route at all. Ofcom’s own guidance on number portability has the full detail on your rights if yours does.
If you’re also dealing with unwanted calls or scam texts around the same time as a switch, our guide to how Ofcom tackles scam texts is worth a look too, since switching windows are a common moment for opportunistic scam messages posing as your old or new provider.
Frequently Asked Questions About Number Porting Compensation
A few more specifics on how number porting compensation actually plays out once a delay has happened.
- Am I automatically entitled to number porting compensation if my switch is delayed?
- If the delay is your old provider’s fault rather than a genuine technical issue outside their control, yes, Ofcom’s guidance treats it as owed.
- How much number porting compensation can I expect?
- There’s no fixed figure. Ofcom requires “reasonable” compensation based on the length of the delay and its impact on you, so amounts vary case by case.
- Do I need to submit a claim, or is it paid automatically?
- Ofcom expects providers to pay within 30 calendar days without requiring a formal claim, though it’s worth asking directly if nothing arrives.
- What if my old provider just ignores the port request?
- Your new provider can escalate to an independent industry process that can step in and complete the port even without the old provider’s cooperation.
- Does this apply to broadband switches too, or just mobile?
- Similar switching and compensation principles apply to broadband, though the specific process and automatic compensation rates differ from mobile number porting.
