Can I keep my phone number when I switch provider in Austria?
You can keep your number when you change provider, and porting is free. The new provider handles it, you agree the switch date with it, and you may be unreachable for at most one working day (§§ 119–120 TKG 2021).
You can usually take your mobile or landline number with you to a new provider. You ask the new provider to transfer it, and the number moves on an agreed day.
📜 The rules in Austria
Compensation
Austria has set no fixed compensation for porting delays: RTR may adopt rules under § 119(7) TKG 2021, but the porting regulation (NÜV 2022) contains none. You can take a dispute to RTR's free Schlichtungsstelle.
The details
- For a mobile number you need the free NÜV information (number porting information) from your old or new provider; it is valid for 90 days. In a shop or via the hotline it must be handed over or emailed within 20 minutes. (rtr.at)
- Porting ends the old contract automatically, as if you had cancelled on the porting date; open base fees for a minimum term and the notice period remain. You can ask to keep the old contract with a new number. (rtr.at)
- You can still request porting up to one month after your contract ends, unless you expressly waived this right. (rtr.at)
- A landline number can only be taken along within the same area code, for example when you move within Vienna. (rtr.at)
- With prepaid, the old provider must refund your remaining credit on request; a fee is only allowed if the contract says so, and it must reflect the actual cost (§ 120 TKG 2021). (ris.bka.gv.at)
RTR-GmbH – Schlichtungsstelle für Kommunikationsdienste
Free dispute resolution with phone, internet and TV providers once your written complaint to the provider has failed.
🪜 Step by step
- Do not cancel the old contract firstIf you end the old contract before the transfer, the number can be lost. Let the new provider request the transfer.
- Get your details readyYou usually need the number, the name on the old contract and sometimes a customer number or transfer code from the old provider.
- Agree the transfer dateThe new provider tells you when the number moves. Keep the old SIM or line in use until then.
- Check that everything worksTest calls and messages on the new SIM or line, and check that the old provider sends a final bill and stops charging.
📇 Who to contact
Sponsor this page → One labelled block, €100 a month. Founding price €75 until 31 January 2027.
❓ Questions
How long does a number transfer take?
It is usually quick. If the rules in Austria set a maximum time or compensation for delays, you find them on this page.
Can I keep my number if I still owe the old provider money?
You still have to pay what you owe under the old contract. Ask the new provider before you switch whether anything could hold up the transfer.
Can I move a mobile number to a landline, or the other way round?
Usually not: mobile numbers move between mobile providers, landline numbers between landline providers.
📎 Sources
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