How to PORT to BSNL

Porting to any network is not a common thing to happen nowadays. There is a time when a lot of network operators are in the market, and people usually port their SIMs from one to another at any time. Because at that time, there were a lot of options available. If we don’t like the recharge plans, we can easily jump or choose another one at any time. A lot of shops were there to do the port service. I remember some names which were available at that time as a network operator, like Tata Docomo, Airtel, Aircel, Uninor, Idea, Vodafone, BSNl and some others. Yes, the internet and calling price was high at that time, but people used to have a lot of options to choose from. There was a fair game we witnessed at that time among all the network operators. Also, if we do a 10 rupee recharge, we can use that at as long as we want. There was no pressure to recharge monthly plans to use calling and internet services. The daily use of the internet was very low for users at that time, and the data packs worth 5, 10, 20 rupees were enough to scroll and chat with someone on Facebook. We get a small amount of 2G data with that price, 10, 20MB. But that was enough at that time.

​

Then the next era comes with 3G. Things started to become messy at that time. Still, people and the network operators were happy and making some profit. But then the king of all networks, Jio, appeared in the market with their unlimited 4G services. With the fast internet and unlimited calling, the network offered almost all the network providers were scared at that time. Telecom operators saw a drastic downfall to their profits. Some of them decided to close the services, and some decided to leave India. And now we only have some 3-4 options to choose from. There is no fair game anymore. If one increases its price, the other increases it too. Only one network provider, which we all know as the government’s network operator, BSNL, is providing the lowest recharge plans since the time of 2G. So, now I will describe how we can change/port our existing SIM to BSNL. But I always recommend checking the network speed and strength in your area before porting to any network.

We can port any network operator to another one. But here we will talk about porting to BSNL. So, first, we need to generate PORT code to do that. To get the PORT code, we need to send an sms to a specific number with some details. The number is the same for all network operators. We need to send sms to 1900 with some details in the message box. Now our existing network operator could be any of them, Jio, Airtel, or VI. For any network operator, the number to send sms is 1900. Now, what details do we need to share? Let’s discuss that. So the message is simple and short. Guess our number is 9704344XXX. So we just need to type PORT 9704344XXX and send sms to that number 1900. So the simple thing is to type a message and write PORT and then space after that, your 10-digit mobile number. Then we just need to send that message to 1900. It is not needed to add the country code before your mobile number. After sending the sms we will receive the UPC code within some time. Then we just need to show them to any SIM sellers, BSNL office, or any registered shops that can give you the new sim of BSNL with your existing number. One thing to remember is that the Port code or UPC code will be valid for a short time only, and it will be mentioned in your received message too that the code is valid for a specific time.    

​

It will take 3-5 days of time to activate the new SIM. Yes, the next thing to remember is we need 3-5 days of time to activate the new SIM. It doesn’t mean that at that specific time we can’t use our SIM card. It is not that we will not be able to call or use the internet with that number. The thing is, until the new SIM is activated, the old SIM card will work as it was working earlier. When you see that you are not receiving any signal from your old SIM at that time, we need to change the old SIM to the new one you just bought. Basically, it takes some time to change the operator. Let’s guess we want to port our JIO sim to BSNL. So, after giving the UPC to the BSNL office and receiving a new BSNL sim it will take almost 3-5 days to activate the new SIM. At that time, the old SIM will work as usual without any issue.

​

The next thing is to remember that we should have an active plan before porting. Because without any active plan, we can’t be able to send sms to 1900 and receive the UPC code. So it is needed to have a valid recharge plan on that number before porting. The best way is to recharge the number and use it for some time. Like, if we recharge for a 28-day plan. We may use it for 22 days and then send the port message to 1900, and then we need to wait for 3-5 days again for the new sim activation. But one thing to remember here if we port the number and we still have many days left on our active recharge plan, that will be completely wasted. Because to initiate the new SIM, we need to recharge for that operator only. Means, when getting a new BSNL sim we need to recharge a BSNL recharge plan. And after the new SIM is activated, the old network plan will lapse, and the new, just recharged BSNL plan will be activated.  

​

One more thing to remember is that the SIM could be at least 90 days old before the port request. It means it is needed to use that number for at least 90 days before porting to BSNL or others. We can’t just buy a new random sim and send a port request with that. 90 days of use are needed to do the port. The most important thing which I mentioned earlier is to check the network strength in your area before porting. Because, after doing the port, if you see the network is too bad in your area, it will be a very stressful situation to do the port again. So, before porting your number to BSNL or any others just check your own or others who already have a BSNL sim if they are getting a proper connection or not.

​

Here, I mentioned the steps to port our existing number to BSNL or any other number we want. Always check your own before porting to any network operator. It is suggested that you check everything before porting. First, examine the need. What do we want? It could be faster internet or better connectivity, or it could be the price. So, before doing the port, always check if the network provider you want to port to is providing a good network in your area or not. Also, if you want to port for the recharge plan prices, it is recommended to check by yourself if the new network provider has any lower price recharge option than the one you are recharging now.