Porting my number, but not leaving Vodafone

[bluepurple]

I have a work phone on a Vodafone contract. I am changing jobs and would like to take the number with me (new phone will be on o2 network), and my old employer is happy with this. 

However, they have been told they have to pay up the remainder of the contract (10 months) to release my number -  even though they are happy to keep the phone contract running with a new number.

Surely, there is a way to get a random new number on my old work phone, then release my number so I can use this with my new work phone (o2). Otherwise, there is no way my old work will pay up the contract to release the number.

[AnnS]

This is a difficult one for sure @bluepurple .  As soon as you ported out the Vodafone number to O2 this would immediately end the Vodafone contract leaving you liable for any early termination charged and the final bill would be sent.

A contract can't exist without a number, and even if you tried to replace the number with an alternative number, this would also replace the number you would like to port to O2 and you would end up losing the number.

The only other alternative is to continue using the Vodafone number until the end of contract and then port over to O2.

[hrym]

Keeping the contract going with a new number, but your retaining hold of the existing one may be tricky.   As this is a business account, it may be best for your employer to speak to their account manager, assuming they have one.

If all else fails, I suspect your best bet is to port the number to PAYG on any network other than Vodafone or O2 in order to park it.  This should terminate the contract and leave your employer to sort out the Early Termination Fee.

Once you have your new phone form your new employer, simply port the PAYG number to it.

I'm not sure whether a business number can be ported in this way and who would need to authorise the move, you not being the account holder at any point.

I must say I'd be mightily inc;lined to try to have control of the account and number myself and see if your new employer will simply pay for it (ideally by giving you the money to do so, as you'll be responsible for the payments and the one whose credit rating is hit if anything goes wrong).

That latter would simply require a change of ownership from your current employer, but there'd be no ETF.