what exactly does porting entail?

[#1]

I have, after much delay, now been ported. Plusnet have a good reputation for most things except porting> any ideas as to why? Ia their porting person inept?

[#2]

I have no idea. All I can say is that when I ported my number from 3 to Giffgaff the time taken from ringing 3, getting the 'please don't leave ' hard sell, getting the magic number, passing this to Giffgaff and getting my phone working on my original number was, from memory, less than half an hour.

[#3]

Timing is key, and there are a few basic rules to help ensure it goes smoothly.

1. Pick a day that allows for the work to be done,and recover if needed.

2.Avoid doing so on a Friday 0 reasons above.

3. Avoid holiday periods - reasons above.

HTH

[#4]

I don't know if there's been any investment in the back end systems since, but this article from El Reg a couple of years ago may go some way to explain why porting can be such a PITA.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/20/uk_number_porting_creaks_as_arcane_system_shows_its_age/