Porting means moving your existing mobile number to a different network and keeping the number. The request goes to the network you are moving to, not the one you are leaving.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
The new network. This surprises people, and contacting the old network first is the most common reason a port is delayed. The new operator initiates the port and deals with the old operator on your behalf.
What to do, in order
- Choose the network you are moving to and get a SIM from them.
- Ask them to port your existing number. They handle the request with your current network.
- Do not cancel your contract with your current network before the port completes. Cancelling first can leave the number released and unportable.
- Settle any outstanding amount with your current network. An unpaid account is a legitimate reason for a port to be refused.
- Keep both SIMs until the port completes and you have confirmed the number works on the new network.
What to have ready before you make contact
- Your ID document.
- The number you are porting.
- Your current account details, and whether the number is pre-paid or on a contract.
- Confirmation that the account is settled.
Verified mobile network customer care routes
Every route in this table was taken from the organisation’s own official contact page and checked on 21 August 2026. Contact details change, so confirm on the official site before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Vodacom Customer Care (free from a Vodacom phone) | 082 135 |
| MTN call centre, post-paid (free from an MTN phone) | 808 |
| MTN call centre, pre-paid (free from an MTN phone) | 135 |
| Cell C customer care (free from a Cell C phone) | 135 |
| Telkom technical support and faults | 10210 |
| Rain Customer Engagement Centre | 081 610 1000 |
Who owns what on a South African connection
- The mobile network (Vodacom, MTN, Cell C, Telkom, Rain) owns the spectrum, the towers and your number. Anything to do with the SIM, the number, coverage or a mobile account is theirs.
- The fibre network operator owns the physical fibre in your street and the box on your wall. It installs and repairs the line, but its customer is your ISP, not you. It holds no record of you and will refer you back.
- Your ISP sells you the internet service, holds your account, bills you and owns the relationship. For a fibre connection, this is almost always the party you should be contacting.
- ICASA licenses and regulates the operators. It is a regulator, not a support desk, and it takes complaints only after the operator’s own process has been used.
Most wasted time on a connection problem comes from contacting the wrong one of these four. Working out which layer your problem sits in, before you dial, is worth more than any number on this page.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Contacting the old network to start the port. The request goes to the new one, and starting at the wrong end is the usual cause of delay.
- Cancelling the existing contract first. That can release the number and make it unportable.
- Porting with an unsettled account. Arrears are a legitimate reason to refuse a port.
- Throwing away the old SIM before the port completes and the number is confirmed working.
The scam to watch for
A port request you did not make is a warning sign, in the same family as a fraudulent SIM swap: it moves your number, and with it your one time PINs, to someone else. If you are told your number is being ported and you did not ask for it, contact your network immediately and tell your bank.
If it is not resolved
ICASA is the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, the regulator for licensed telecommunications operators. It handles complaints against operators, but only after you have given the operator a chance to resolve the matter first, and it will ask for the operator’s reference number.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| ICASA consumer complaints email | [email protected] |
| ICASA head office, Centurion | +27 12 568 3000 |
| ICASA general enquiries email | [email protected] |
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Frequently asked questions
Do I contact my current network to port?
No. The request goes to the network you are moving to. They arrange it with your current provider.
Will I lose my number?
No. Keeping the number is the point of porting. You keep it across networks.
Can a port be refused?
Yes, most commonly where the account is in arrears or where the details given do not match the registered account holder.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.