Port a mobile number with an SMS code
Use this guide to move a mobile number through Add Mobile Service > Port Service in Atomic. It is for portal users arranging a port for the person or business that holds the number.
The form records the holder's authorisation. Atom sends a 6-digit SMS code to the number being ported. The holder reads the code back to you and you verify it in the portal before placing the order. TIAB does not send this code.
Important: This form requires the SMS code. It does not provide an option to skip the check or upload identity documents. If the holder cannot receive an SMS on the number, contact Atom support before proceeding.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- The mobile number being ported and access to the phone or SIM that receives its SMS messages. Keep the existing service active until the port finishes.
- The holder's full name or business name and whether the number belongs to a person or a business.
- A different Australian contact number for the holder, such as a landline, work phone or another mobile. It cannot be the number being ported.
- Postpaid: the account number from the current provider's bill. Prepaid: the holder's date of birth as registered with that provider.
- The correct service address and notification email.
- For a business holder or someone acting for the holder: that person's name, role, phone or email and how the holder gave them authority, such as in writing, verbally or online.
Step by step
Navigate: Services > Mobile > Add Mobile Service
Step 1: Choose Port Service, then choose the SIM type.
Step 2: Choose the customer. The service address and notification email fill in from the customer's details. Check them before continuing.
Step 3: Choose Postpaid and enter the account number or choose Prepaid and enter the date of birth. Enter the mobile number being ported. The Holder's authorisation section appears below.
Step 4: Fill in the holder's details, including their different contact number. Under Who is asking for this port?, choose the option that matches who is arranging the port:
- The holder themselves: an individual holder acting personally does not need representative details.
- Staff of the holder's business or Us, on the holder's instruction: enter the person acting for the holder, their role, their phone or email and how the holder gave them authority.
- A business holder always needs those representative details, including when The holder themselves is selected.
Step 5: Read the Tell the holder before they agree points to the holder. Once they agree, tick both confirmation boxes and press Send code.
Step 6: Ask the holder for the SMS code. The message uses this format, with the number and provider name filled in:
text
123456 is your code to move <mobile number> to <provider name>. Valid 30 min. Only give it to the person arranging this. Not you? Ignore this.The code above is an example. Enter the 6 digits the holder actually received into Code from the SMS and press Verify. A Verified message tells you to place the order within 15 minutes.
If the SMS does not arrive, Send a new code becomes available after 60 seconds. A replacement code can make an earlier code unusable, so use the latest successful send.
Step 7: Choose Is This For and the Service plan, then press Add Service within 15 minutes of verifying. One verified code can complete one port order.
Note: Add Service stays greyed out until you choose an option under Is This For. The message beside it reads "Choose what this service is for above."
The verified authorisation is attached to the port order. Placing the order does not mean the number has finished moving.
If you change the details
Warning: Changing the details covered by the holder's authorisation after verification requires a new code. These include the holder and representative details, contact details, account number or date of birth, service address and notification email. Choosing Is This For or Service plan in Step 7 is not a change to those authorised details.
Verification is tied to the mobile number and selected customer. A different number or customer cannot use that verification.
Switching between New Service and Port Service resets the form choices. Choose the SIM type, customer, account type and Is This For again. Check the holder's details before continuing. If the form restores a Verified status for the same number and customer in your current session, the original 15-minute order window still applies. Otherwise, complete the authorisation and send a new code.
Limits
6 of 6 rows
| A code is valid for | 30 minutes |
| Wrong codes | 3 tries, then send a new code |
| Time between code-send attempts | 60 seconds |
| Codes per mobile number | 3 in a rolling 24 hours, shared across accounts |
| Codes per account | 10 in a rolling hour, shared by that account's users |
| Place the order after verification | Within 15 minutes |
Code-send attempts with an uncertain result can count towards the limits because the SMS may have been sent. A send that the SMS platform clearly refused does not count towards the hourly or daily allowance. The 60-second gap still applies.
Troubleshooting
14 of 14 rows
| The contact number must be different from the number being ported. | Enter another Australian number for the holder, such as a landline or work phone. |
| That code isn't right. N tries left. | Check the digits with the holder and try again within the remaining attempts. |
| Too many wrong codes... | Press Send a new code when it is available. The send limits still apply. |
| That code has expired. Send a new code. | The code or its verification window may have expired. A newer code may also have replaced it. Press Send a new code and verify the new code. |
| A code was just sent to this number. Wait a minute before sending another. | Wait until the 60-second gap has passed, then try again. |
| This number has had 3 codes in the last 24 hours. | Wait for an earlier attempt to fall outside the rolling 24-hour window. Contact Atom support if it is urgent. |
| Your account has sent 10 codes in the last hour. | Wait for an earlier attempt to fall outside the rolling one-hour window, then try again. |
| Verify the SMS code sent to this number before placing the port. | Check that the correct number and customer are selected. If there is no current verification, send and verify a new code. |
| We couldn't send the code. Wait a minute and try again. | Try once more after a minute. If it happens again, contact Atom support. An SMS that arrives after this error may not be usable, so follow the portal's current status. |
| We can't send verification codes right now. Please contact support. | Contact Atom support. Do not try to bypass verification. |
| Number porting is paused on this account. | Contact Atom support. |
| The carrier refused this port: ... | Follow the reason shown. If you need to correct an authorised detail, such as the account number or date of birth, send and verify a new code before submitting. |
| The carrier did not confirm this port order. Do not submit it again... | Do not submit it again. Contact Atom support with the mobile number so they can check whether the port was placed. |
| A port for this number was sent to the carrier but not confirmed. Contact support... | The number is held against another port attempt from your account for up to 7 days. Contact Atom support before sending another code or placing the order again. Do not retry merely because the hold has ended. |
Keeping a record of the authorisation
Step 1: Open the mobile service.
Step 2: Go to the Port Authorisation tab. Check the holder's details, who placed the port and when the code was sent and confirmed.
Step 3: Press Print and keep the record in case the holder's previous provider asks for proof of authorisation.
The tab also shows the SMS delivery receipt when available. A receipt may be pending or unavailable even when the code has been verified. If Receipt lookup failed. Reload to try again. appears, reload the page.
Ports placed before the SMS check was introduced have no authorisation record from this process. If a newer port has no linked record, contact Atom support.
What this doesn't cover
- A holder who cannot receive an SMS on the number, such as when the SIM is lost or the phone is damaged. Contact Atom support.
- Uploading identity documents or skipping the SMS check. Those options are not provided by this form.
- Other porting request pages. This guide covers Add Mobile Service > Port Service only.
Pre-port identity verification is required. The ACMA guidance allows other verification methods in specified circumstances, but this guide describes Atom's SMS-based portal process only.