How to Port from MTN to Telkom

Cellphone number porting is one of those things that’s almost exclusively South African. It allows people in the country to move from one network to another while retaining their mobile numbers. This provides a high degree of flexibility. If one network doesn’t feel right to you, it’s easy enough to move to another without having to worry about changing your number. Porting is easy. At most, you need to walk into the nearest Telkom shop and they will do it for you quickly and easily. You can also do porting from your own mobile phone. So, how do you do it? Well, here is how to port from MTN to Telkom in the year 2020.

Edit: Porting to Telkom from MTN or from any other network is currently only possible via the Telkom Store. That’s the message that we have received from Telkom. Those looking to port need to present their ID and proof of address for RICA.

Steps to Port to Telkom from MTN

To port from MTN to Telkom, you need to take the following steps;

1. First you need to buy a new Telkom SIM.
2. Next, you need to RICA the new SIM.
3. When that is done, open Messages on the phone that has your old MTN SIM.
4. Create a new message and write the following; PORTME#youridnumber#iccid
5. Send this message to 081 160 7678
6. Wait up to 24 hours for the process to complete. Your old SIM will then become inactive.
7. Now you will need to put your new Telkom SIM into your phone.
8. Recharge the Sim and you should be good to go.

Before getting started

Before you start the process of porting your number from MTN to Telkom, there are a couple of things that you are going to need to have in hand;

The ICCID

First, you need to make sure that you have the ICCID for your SIM card as this will be required during the process of porting your number. You can find the ICCID on the back of your SIM. It has 20 numbers and usually begins with the number 89.

Your ID Card Number

You are also going to need your ID card number during the process of porting from MTN to Telkom. So, make sure that you have that in hand. Remember that all networks are required to know who their customers are, hence the ID is required.

How long will I have to wait?

The process of porting your number to another network does not happen instantaneously. Usually, it can take up to 24 hours before the process completes.

Do I keep my SIM when I port from MTN to Telkom?

No, you don’t keep your SIM when you port from one network to another. So, when you port from MTN to Telkom, you are still going to have to buy a Telkom SIM. In fact, it’s the first thing that you need to do because you will need the ICCID for the process to complete. However, the great thing is that you get to keep your number. The same applies when you are moving from Cell C to Telkom.

Why is porting important?

The appeal, when it comes to number porting, is self evident. Being able to move from one network to another while keeping your number is great because it doesn’t disrupt your life. You don’t have to run around telling people that you have a new number. And people across South Africa benefit in terms of competition. Each of the mobile network operators in the country knows that if they don’t provide the best service at affordable rates, people will simply walk out.

Note: Some people have been reporting that they have been failing to port to Telkom from their phones. Should this happen to you, then you should simply walk into the nearest Telkom shop so they can do the entire process for you there. That’s actually the best because you will be able to get your replacement SIM at the same time.