Are you looking to port you current number from Cell C to Telkom? If yes, then you need to read this article. Porting from Cell C to Telkom is surprising easy. You will be done with the process in a couple of minutes. Afterwards, it will only be a matter of waiting a day or two while your request is being processed. That’s done by the Number Portability Company, which is responsible for all cellphone number porting in South Africa. The benefits of porting to Telkom from Cell C are many, as you will see in the rest of this article.
How to port from Cell C to Telkom
In order to port from Cell C to Telkom, you need to carry out the following steps;
- First, you need to buy a new Telkom SIM.
- Next, you need to RICA the new SIM.
- For the moment, keep the Cell C SIM in your phone and open Messages.
- Type in PORTME#idnumber#iccid
- Send this to 081 160 7678
- You will now need to wait up to 24 hours for the process to complete.
- After some time, your old Cell C SIM will stop working.
- Remove it from your phone and put in your new Telkom SIM.
- Recharge the Telkom SIM and you are done!
What is the ICCID?

You are required to have your SIM’s ICCID when porting from Cell C to Telkom. But what’s an ICCID? Well, it’s the 20 digit number that’s written on the back of the card on which your SIM is attached. It usually starts with an 89. So, you are going to have to write it down to complete the entire process. You can see what we are talking about in the above screenshot. So, the ICCID is for your new Telkom line and not for the old Cell C line. So, don’t get confused there!
How long does it take to port a number from Cell C to Telkom?
You should expect up to 3 days for your porting request from Cell C to Telkom to be approved. However, in most instances, approval comes in as little as 24 hours. So, you won’t have to wait that long to move from one network to the other.
Why would you move from Cell C to Telkom?
The main reason for moving from Cell C to Telkom is cost. Telkom tends to be one of the cheapest Telecommunications providers in South Africa. That’s despite the fact that it actually rends space on other networks, since it doesn’t have that much infrastructure as far as mobile communications are concerned. Telkom roams mostly on Vodacom, meaning you will get all the benefits of being on that network should you move from Cell C.
So, this is something that you may wish to look into as a way of making savings on mobile broadband and on other things. One of the best things about doing porting in the country is that you can always move back and forth to find the right deals. And you will, most of the time, keep your number. So, you don’t have to worry about getting lost to your contacts as you move between networks.
If you need to reach out to Telkom, here is their Customer Care Number for South Africa. Also, here is how to change the WiFi pasword on a Telkom router.
PORTME#idnoiiiiiiiiii7#iccid892702001ddddd316024
We are just bloggers. Please send the details as an SMS on your phone. Or better still, visit your nearest Telkom shop
Yes
Good day, I was in a process porting my number from Cell-C to Telkom online. Unfortunately a message says it is suspended. What should I then do? Thanking you in anticipation.
Hi. What’s suspended? Your number or the service? If it’s the service, yes, Telkom hasn’t been allowing sms and online porting. At the moment, porting can only be done at your nearest Telkom store. You need to visit them. Carry along a copy of your ID, proof of residence.
Hi and what if you’re not stay near a telkom shop how can you then port to telkom
That’s an issue. For some reason, Telkom has disabled porting via SMS so the only way of doing it is by going to a store.
What if you dont have your old sim anymore and you want to port your old number to telkom
You need to have the old number working. Otherwise no deal. The message to port is sent from the old SIM. So, you will need to first do a SIM replacement. Aftwards, you can port to Telkom.
Good Day
I started my porting process on Friday, 29th Oct and am still waiting for it to be completed. The porting process was done for me at a Telkom branch and I was told to wait for my SIM to lose service, but it has not done that thus far.
I don’t know if doing this over the weekend may have affected the porting time, but I’d like some assistance/advice on how to deal with this.
Hi. It’s probably better for you to go back to the Telkom branch to have them look at the issue. By now the porting process should have been completed. They say it takes about 24hours for things to be sorted out.
Hi I need your assistance I want to port my cell c number to telkom. Is there any number that I can call
Follow the steps given here or go to your nearest Telkom store for help.
Port me service is currently unavailable, is there any channel I can use. Besides going to the store?
No option but to go to the store
Hi, i do not have any Telkom branch next to me and i want to port. when i follow the SMS method it says port me by sms is temporarily suspended. is there anyway i can port by call or code or something?
Yeah, SMS porting is suspended. You will have to wait to get to a nearby Telkom branch
Good day
I did the porting process on a Sunday morning around 10 am received an OTP from Cell C and sent it back .They sent another message acknowledging receipt of that OTP.
On Tuesday afternoon I decided to open the Telkom sim card and insert it in my phone but found out that the my old number was still on the old sim card.
Is there any problem if you insert your Telkom sim card in your phone before the process is complete then take it out and wait a bit longer?
PortInBySMS service temporarily suspended. Please use alternative channels.
The port me number is not accepting my sms for porting..I tried a million times but I am failing.
Try at your nearest Telkom
Why’s my porting taking so long its been 48 hours already what’s the hold up why won’t cell c allow me to port to telkom
Hopefully it’s done now.