PAC - how does it work in practice?

[Guest KenM]

I'm waiting on O2 to transfer my number from Orange and it's happening today. Has anyone done this before and know how it works? I've been told by O2 that both my orange and O2 (an XdaIIi) phones must be switched of until the transfer has taken place, which could be anytime during the day. To find out if it's happened I should switch the phones on, call my mobile number from a landline and see which one rings. If it's the Orange one, I should quickly switch both phones off again and continue to wait for the PAC magic to weave its spell.

It all sounds a bit Heath Robinson, but there you go.

Has anyone been through this, and if so, can you tell me:

1. I don't know how to switch the XdaIIi off. Is it sufficient to put it into flight mode?

2. Is it really going to take all day?

Cheers

Ken

[Guest Jay247]

Hi Ken,

yes I've been through it, back in the days when I switched from one2one to Orange. Back then, you weren't handed a PAC code, the providers were handling it internally somehow. It took three months in total... but then, that's ages ago.

Fast forward to today:

From what I know you can still make and receive calls on your Orange phone, and eventually it stops working. Sometime during the day. If that happens, switch both phones off (take off the battery on the XDA just in case). Wait a few minutes, switch your XDA back on, and enjoy the PAC magic!

I reccomend not worrying about it too much, just switch both phones off when you go to bed tonight and see if your number has been ported.

[Guest KenM]

Looks like it's a lot easier than it used to be!

Both phones switched off and am periodically calling my number. Still getting the Orange answering service, so no joy yet.

Ken

[Guest Pondrew]

I can help you with this by relaying my experience porting from Orange to T-Mobile recently.

I left both phones on the whole time and had no problems, the transfer happend a couple of days or so after requesting it (think it happened on a Saturday and they said it could be as late as the following Monday so no complaints there).

What was strange though was that at one point my incoming calls on the number I was keeping started coming in on the new device (an MDA III) despite my old phone still being able to call out. What's strange about this you ask? Well, this resulted in my being able to use my old Orange phone to call my new phone using the number that I was calling from!? So I dialled my mobile number and the new phone rang but displaying the call from number as the number I'd just dialled on the other phone!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done to those who are still reading! ;)

Edited April 21, 2005 by Pondrew

[Guest KenM]

The exact same thing happened to me! I called from a landline and got the O2 messaging service, so I knew the transfer had happened, then out of curiosity I switched on my Orange phone - still working and able to dial out!

Another question. How straightforward is it to get a pay as you go sim for my old SPV E200?

Edited April 21, 2005 by KenM

[Guest chucky.egg]

Something I've noticed is since my number was ported from O2 to Orange sometimes it doesnt connect incoming calls - the caller gets a message like "The number is not in use" or "Number not recognised" (something like that anyway)

I can't be certain it's because it was ported, but I've never had it before and am still getting it now (nearly a year on from the porting). It also happens to my GFs phone (Nokia 6110) which was ported at the same time.

No pattern, other than it's always incoming calls that get bounced.

Orange are not overly interested, and O2 will be even less so, so I've got little choice but to live with it.