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In the video above, Tatango CEO Derek Johnson answers the question, “What’s the difference between deactivated and ported mobile phone numbers?” Prefer to read instead? No problem, please see the post below. You can also find answers to all of your SMS marketing questions in our Q&A video library; click here to browse.
What Is a Deactivated Phone Number?
A deactivated phone number occurs when a mobile phone user decides to cancel their phone plan or subscription with a wireless carrier.
For the consumer, this isn’t an issue, but it can create a tricky situation for SMS marketers and brands. Depending on the carrier, a deactivated phone number will be reactivated in 2 to 60 days and assigned to someone else. This is where the tricky situation presents itself. If SMS providers don’t handle deactivated phone numbers correctly, then a phone number that has opted in to a text message program will continue to receive messages, even when it’s been reactivated as someone else’s phone number. This is why it’s essential to stop sending SMS marketing messages to deactivated phone numbers.
What Is a Ported Mobile Phone Number?
A ported phone number describes the process of taking an existing phone number on one wireless carrier and transferring the same phone number to another wireless carrier. For example, let’s say that the phone number 555-555-1234 is currently on AT&T, but the consumer wants to switch to T-Mobile. Consumers can retain the same phone number by porting the phone number to a new wireless carrier, instead of deactivating the number.
For information about how to handle these situations, check out our video about deactivated phone numbers.
About Tatango
Tatango is made up of a team of seasoned text message marketing experts located in Seattle. Our passion is to help brands and organizations solve their text message marketing challenges, no matter how challenging.
Need help solving your text message marketing needs? Contact us today!
