A phone number that has been yours for years does not have to stay behind when you change wireless providers. This guide explains the federal rule that makes a wireless number portable, the national routing database that moves it, the ten steps on figgers.com/switch and why each piece of account information is required, what happens on the day the number transfers, how to protect it from port out fraud, and which Florida area codes travel with it, from Pensacola to Key West.
For most Florida residents, a mobile number is the login for bank accounts, the contact on file at a child's school in Broward County, and the number painted on a contractor's truck in Fort Myers. Federal rules settled long ago that the number belongs with the customer, and Figgers Communication, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, built its switch process around that rule.
The federal rule that lets your number move
Local number portability is a consumer right administered by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC's consumer guide on keeping your number explains that a customer who switches providers while staying in the same geographic area can keep the existing number, and that once the new provider has requested the port, the old provider cannot refuse it, even if the customer still owes a balance or an early termination fee.
Timing is set by the same rules. Simple ports, which the FCC describes as requests involving a single line and no complex changes to switching equipment, must be processed within one business day. A change between two wireless providers can often be usable within a few hours, while a port from a landline may take a few days, and orders with several lines can take longer. One limit applies to people who have relocated: because numbering is tied to geography, a customer who has moved to a new area may not be able to keep the old number. The eligibility check on figgers.com/switch answers that question before any account information is entered.
How a port works, step by step
A port does not physically move anything. It changes a routing record. Every ported number in the United States is listed in a national number portability database that tells carriers which network currently serves the number, rather than which network first issued it. The transfer runs in a fixed sequence:
Figgers, as the gaining provider, submits a port request to the provider you are leaving, carrying your 10 digit number and the account details you entered.
The losing provider compares those details with its billing record. A match returns a confirmation; a mismatch returns a rejection that must be corrected and resubmitted.
The two providers settle on a port date and time.
The national database is updated so your number points to the Figgers network, and carriers nationwide load the change into their routing tables.
From then on, any network handling a call or text to your number looks it up and delivers it to Figgers.
The losing provider deactivates the number, which is why the old SIM stops working as the new one begins.
At activation, the Figgers network associates the subscriber identity on your new SIM with your number, so the phone needs only the SIM and, if you are bringing your own device, an unlocked, compatible handset.
Florida area codes travel with the number
The area code is part of the 10 digit number, so it moves with the port. A 305 number stays a 305 number on Figgers, which matters in a state where the code says where a person or business belongs. Florida's codes include 305 and 786 for Miami, Miami Dade County and the Keys; 954 and 754 for Broward County, including Fort Lauderdale; 561 for Palm Beach County; 407 and 689 for Orlando and Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties; 321 for Brevard County; 813 and 656 for Tampa and Hillsborough County; 904 for Jacksonville; 850 and 448 for the Panhandle, from Pensacola through Tallahassee; and 239 for Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers and Naples. The second code in several of those pairs is an overlay, added when growth used up the original supply of numbers, and a ported number keeps whichever code it was issued with.
The Figgers switch, in order
The flow on figgers.com/switch runs through ten screens.
Confirm coverage. Enter your street address at figgers.com/add-new-line to view the coverage map.
Check eligibility. Enter the number you want to keep; the tool confirms it is portable.
Identify your existing provider.
Enter your carrier information: the account number with your current provider, your number transfer PIN or account password, the last four digits of the account holder's Social Security number, the IMEI or serial number of the device you will use, and the billing ZIP code. The account number and PIN prove that the account holder authorized the request, the last four digits are a second identity check, the IMEI identifies the handset so the right SIM ships, and the ZIP code must match the billing address on the old account exactly, even if you have since moved.
Choose a plan. As listed on figgers.com, the Budget Plan with nationwide talk and text is $20.00 per month, the 5G enabled Economical plan is $60.00, Global Unlimited is $85.00, and Family 4 Lines is $160.00. None requires an annual contract.
Decide on Figgers Device Protection, listed at $8.99 per month on the switch page, which covers new or used devices, including phones you bring with you, against damage, parts failure, loss and theft.
Enter the shipping address for the SIM kit.
Enter payment information. A charge of $4.99 per SIM card is noted at checkout.
Review and authorize. You authorize the transfer of your number to Figgers Communication Inc. and agree to the Wireless Customer Agreement. The review page states that you will receive a new SIM from Figgers within 24 hours.
Order completed. When the kit arrives, activate it at figgers.com/activate; the QR code on your order confirmation leads to the same page.
Figgers states the most important rule plainly on the switch page: please do not cancel your existing account until your Figgers account has been activated. A port request for a number on a cancelled account is rejected, which can leave the number unportable. Keep the old account open and let the port close it.
Mismatches, not technical faults, are the usual reason a port is delayed. A ZIP code from a new address, an account number copied from the wrong field, or an expired transfer PIN will each trigger a rejection, so pull the account number and PIN from your current provider's portal on the day you start. Households on the Family 4 Lines plan can port up to four numbers in one order, because the switch page collects four lines, and businesses moving more can use the short form at figgers.com/business-plans, after which a Figgers Business Expert makes contact within 24 hours.
What happens on the day your number moves
When the port completes, service from the old provider stops, the Figgers SIM becomes the home of the number, and routing records send new calls to the Figgers network. During the changeover, which can last from minutes to a few hours, a call or text may reach either handset, so keep both phones charged and nearby.
A few things do not travel. Your voicemail greeting and saved voicemails live on the old provider's platform, not in the number, so save what you need before the port and record a new greeting afterward. Contacts, photos and apps are stored on the handset or in your own backups and are unaffected when you keep your phone. After activation, make a test call and send a text in both directions. If calls still ring the old handset after several hours, contact Figgers support at 1-800-223-5435 by phone or text, at Customer.Service@Figgers.com, or by live chat at www.figgers.com, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Protecting your number from port out fraud
The portability that makes switching easy is what criminals try to exploit. In port out fraud, someone posing as you opens an account with another wireless provider and requests a transfer of your number, usually after gathering your details from data breaches or phishing messages. In the related SIM swap fraud, the criminal persuades a provider to move your number onto a SIM they control. Either way, the attacker then receives the text message codes that banks use for two factor sign in. In November 2023 the FCC adopted rules requiring wireless providers to authenticate a customer with secure methods before processing a SIM change or port out, to notify the customer immediately whenever such a request is made, and to offer an account lock that blocks SIM changes and ports until the customer removes it.
Your transfer PIN is the key to that system. It is meant to be entered by you, on the gaining provider's secure order form, when you choose to move. Nobody who calls, texts or emails you unexpectedly needs it, so treat any such request for the PIN, your Social Security digits or a code just texted to you as a fraud attempt. Figgers support at 1-800-223-5435 is the only place to confirm whether a request involving your Figgers account is real: hang up and call that number directly.
Before you start: a porting checklist
Gather these before opening figgers.com/switch so you can finish in one sitting.
The 10 digit number you are keeping (up to four for Family 4 Lines)
Your street address for the coverage check
The name of your current provider
Your account number with that provider (not your phone number)
Your number transfer PIN or account password, requested the day you start
The last four digits of the account holder's Social Security number
The IMEI or serial number of your phone, from its settings or the original box
The billing ZIP code exactly as it appears on the current account
Confirmation that the phone is unlocked if you are bringing your own device
The shipping address and a payment method ($4.99 per SIM at checkout)
Saved copies of voicemails you want to keep, and a current phone backup
What Florida readers should do next
Start with the two checks that cost nothing: enter your address at figgers.com/add-new-line, then enter your number on figgers.com/switch to confirm it is eligible. Request a transfer PIN from your current provider only when you are ready to order, keep that account open until the Figgers SIM is activated, and make your test call before you cancel anything. If you are unsure whether your phone should use eSIM or a physical SIM, confirm compatibility with Figgers support before ordering, and ask Figgers support about protections against unauthorized SIM changes and port requests once the port is done.
About Figgers Communication Inc.
Figgers Communication Inc. is an American telecommunications company and device manufacturer headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Founded by Freddie Figgers, the company provides cellular, mobile broadband, home phone and international calling services without an annual contract, and designs its own phones, tablets, laptops and connected hardware. Figgers customer support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone, text and email at 1-800-223-5435 and Customer.Service@Figgers.com, and by live chat at www.figgers.com.