SWITCHING

PAC Code Port Failed, or Number Ported but No Service: What to Do and How Long It Should Take

How long a port should take, what to check when it stalls, which provider has to sort it out and how the compensation rule works.

Updated 2026-10-09 · 7 min read · NetScan UK

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A port should normally complete within one working day of giving the new provider your PAC. Weekends and bank holidays do not count.
Do not cancel the old service yourself while a port is stuck. The port is what closes it.
No service after a completed port is often a SIM, eSIM or coverage problem. Test the SIM in another phone and check the new network at your address.
Start with the new provider. Ofcom's guidance says customers should not have to go back and forth between the two.
Ofcom's switching guidance says you are entitled to reasonable compensation if the switch takes more than one working day.

Moving a mobile number is meant to be quick. Ofcom's guidance on switching says that once you give your new provider the PAC, your number should normally be ported and ready to use with your new service within one working day. Most of the time that is what happens.

When it does not, people end up in one of two places. Either the port never goes through and the number stays on the old network, or the port is reported as complete and the phone shows no service. Both are fixable. The real risks are letting the old account close while the port is stuck, and losing days being passed between two helplines.

This guide covers what to check, who is responsible, when to complain and what Ofcom's rules say about compensation. It is general information based on Ofcom's pages as read on 9 October 2026, not legal advice.

How long a port should take

The benchmark is one working day from when you give the new provider your PAC. Working days do not include weekends or bank holidays, so a PAC handed over on a Friday evening may not move the number until Monday.

Many providers give you a porting date when you enter the PAC. Write it down. If that date passes and nothing has changed, the port is late and you are entitled to start asking questions.

A PAC is valid for 30 days. Ofcom's guidance says that if it expires you can request a new one. That matters in a long delay, because a port that is still stuck after 30 days will need a fresh code.

If the port has not happened

The signs are easy to read: your old SIM still works as normal, and the new SIM still has the temporary number it arrived with.

Start with the new provider, because it is the one that submits the request. Ask it to confirm that the PAC was accepted, the mobile number it was entered against, and the date the port is booked for. A single wrong digit in the number or the code is enough to stop a port.

Do not cancel the old service yourself while you wait. Using a PAC is what closes the old account, and it does so when the port completes. If the old service has already been cancelled, Ofcom's guidance says you can still ask your new provider to bring your old number across for free, as long as you ask within one month of cancelling.

It is also worth contacting the old provider. It can see whether a port request has reached it, and it is sometimes the old provider that spots a failed request first. If either side asks you for a new PAC, text PAC to 65075 from the old SIM, pass the new code on, and ask for the new porting date in writing.

If the number ported but there is no service

Here the old SIM has stopped working, the new provider says the port is complete, and the phone shows no service or cannot make or receive calls.

Work through the basics first. Restart the phone. Check in your account that the new SIM or eSIM is active and that the account now shows your own number, not the temporary one. If you can, put the SIM in another unlocked phone. Ofcom's fault guide suggests this as the way to tell a SIM problem from a handset problem.

Then check that the new network reaches you at all. A port moves your number. It does not create coverage. Smaller brands use the masts of one of the four networks: giffgaff and Tesco Mobile run on O2, SMARTY and iD Mobile on Three, VOXI and Lebara on Vodafone, and 1pMobile on EE. If the host network is weak at your address, the new SIM will be too.

If the signal is there and the service is not, tell the new provider exactly what works and what does not: calls out, calls in, texts, data. Ask whether a replacement SIM or a fresh eSIM would help, and ask for a fault reference.

Think before porting out again to a third provider. It puts a third company into a fault that two have not yet solved.

Which provider has to sort it out

You should not have to referee between the old provider and the new one. Ofcom's guidance to providers on switching and porting compensation says it is important that providers do not leave it to the customer to work out which of them is responsible, and that the customer should not have to go back and forth between the two.

The same guidance says that where the fault lies with a network operator that both providers use, Ofcom would expect the new provider to pay the compensation and resolve matters with the others behind the scenes.

A smaller brand cannot simply point at the network it runs on either. Ofcom's guide to mobile faults says your provider is responsible even if it uses another company's network to provide the service.

Compensation: what Ofcom's rules say

Ofcom's switching guidance says that if the switch takes more than one working day, or there is an abuse of the process by your provider, you are entitled to reasonable compensation from your provider. Providers must tell customers how to get this compensation and how it will be paid.

Ofcom's guidance to providers adds two useful points. It expects payments to be proportionate to the length and amount of disruption and inconvenience caused. And for residential customers with a delayed switch, it expects payment within 30 calendar days whether or not the customer submits a claim.

We do not quote an amount here, because the figure depends on the provider and on what happened. Ask in writing, and give three dates: when you handed over the PAC, the porting date you were given, and the day the service actually worked.

You should not pay twice for the overlap. Ofcom has banned mobile providers from charging for notice periods that run after the switch date.

When to complain, and where it goes next

If the porting date has passed and nobody can give you a new one, make a formal complaint to the provider and use those words. Keep a log of dates, names and reference numbers from the first day.

If the complaint is unresolved after six weeks you can take it to a free Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme, or sooner if you ask for and receive a deadlock letter. On Ofcom's list, as we read it in October 2026, O2, Three, Vodafone, SMARTY and VOXI are with CISAS, and EE, giffgaff, iD Mobile, Lebara and Tesco Mobile are with the Communications Ombudsman.

While the number is out of action, security codes sent by text will not arrive. Tell your bank and switch any important accounts to app approval or email where you can.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a PAC code port take?

Ofcom's guidance says that once you have given your new provider the PAC, your number should normally be ported and ready to use within one working day. Weekends and bank holidays are not working days.

My number ported but I have no service. Is the number lost?

A completed port with no service usually points to the SIM, the eSIM, the account set-up or coverage, not to a lost number. Check that your account shows your own number, test the SIM in another unlocked phone, check the new network at your address, then ask the new provider for a fault reference.

Do I contact my old provider or my new one?

Start with the new one, because it submits the port request. Ofcom's guidance to providers says customers should not have to go back and forth between the two to work out who is responsible. The old provider can still be useful, as it can see whether a request has reached it.

Can I get compensation for a delayed port?

Ofcom's switching guidance says that if the switch takes more than one working day, or there is an abuse of the process by your provider, you are entitled to reasonable compensation, and that providers must tell you how to get it. Ofcom's guidance to providers says payments should be proportionate to the disruption. Ask your provider in writing.

My PAC has expired while I was waiting. What do I do?

Request a new one. A PAC is valid for 30 days and Ofcom's guidance says you can ask for another if it expires. Text PAC to 65075 from the old SIM, give the new code to the new provider and ask for a new porting date.

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