Unable to receive calls except from Vodafone users and iMessage keeps trying to verify since porting

[Daza1970]

Unable to receive calls or text since porting from O2 except from other Vodafone users. Customer service say it’s a porting issue, porting say it’s complete. 
iMessage keeps trying to verify. Phone turned off and on multiple times. sIM out and in and nothing seems to work. Paying for a service which is worse than O2 if that is remotely possible. Any great words of wisdom to resolve this? 

[Charlotte]

Hello, @Daza1970. I hope you're well. 

I'd recommend checking if you have any outstanding software updates on your phone, as this can prevent the Apple settings from saving any changes, such as updating your number in the phone settings and verifying the iMessage 'send & receive'. 

But if everything is all up to date, please reach out to us on Social Media so that we can investigate this further for you. 

[japitts]

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@Daza1970 wrote:

Unable to receive calls or text since porting from O2 except from other Vodafone users. Customer service say it’s a porting issue, porting say it’s complete.

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This is strongly indicative of an issue with porting data. Incoming off-net traffic is initially routed via the MNO who issued the number, before being forwarded to the current operator. Incoming on-net traffic is usually retained via core-network flags.

Thus while CS are correct in what they say, "porting" sound like they have a slopey-shoulder approach here. I'd hope they have test phones from all networks, to test these situations. There is a process in-place for the current host MNO to follow, but it sounds like "porting" can't be bothered.

No idea on iMessage - that's an Apple-proprietry platform.

[simax]

iMessage is activated/deactivated by a standard SMS message to a gateway (which I believe is [removed]) and is hidden from itemisation…. And is a number range belonging to EE so the incoming verification text to validate/activate iMessage won’t come through to a Vodafone number if there’s a routing issue.

Absolutely a split-port issue here.

[MOD EDIT: This post has been edited to remove personal information please see Community Guidelines]

[Janey]

Our message centre number is 447785016005. Thanks.

[Daza1970]

Cheers sorted the iMessage issue with apple.

[simax]

Janey,

Im aware of your message centre number but that’s for SMS, not iMessage. iMessages are sent via IP and is initially activated by the iPhone sending an activation message to a mobile number (which you’ve removed from my post)… Apple then send a confirmation text back from the same gateway to validate iMessage. It is completely independent of SMS message centres. The 07903 prefix that Apple use for iMessage activation belongs to EE, so if there’s a split port issue for this customer, that’s the reason their iMessage won’t activate.

[Janey]

Thanks for letting me know @simax 

Hopefully the OP will drop our team message so we can investigate the potential split port 👍

[japitts]

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@simax wrote:

iMessages are sent via IP and is initially activated by the iPhone sending an activation message … Apple then send a confirmation text back from the same gateway to validate iMessage. It is completely independent of SMS message

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The only trouble with this logic, is that if the iMessage activations use IP and are completely independent of SMS centres - then mobile routing doesn't apply and thus a split port shouldn't come into it.

[simax]

Sorry Jon - what I mean is that iMessage itself uses IP (i.e. a data connection and not an SMS channel)…. however the activation of iMessage uses an SMS which is hidden and doesn’t show on phone screens (and is also zero-rated for billing purposes so doesn’t show on bills either)….