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Hosting adds texting to a number you already own. Your voice service stays exactly where it is, with the provider you use today. You can complete the whole request yourself in MessageDesk, including signing the Letter of Authorization.

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Hosting or porting?

MessageDesk supports both, and they’re genuinely different. Pick the one that matches what you want to happen to your phone service.
Most teams want hosting. If you’re happy with your current phone system and just want to text from your business number, host it. Port only when you’re moving off your current provider.

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What you can host

Hosting works for numbers that aren’t tied to a mobile device:
  • Landlines and traditional wired lines
  • Local 10-digit numbers
  • VoIP numbers from most business phone systems (see supported providers)
  • Toll-free numbers — see Connect toll-free numbers for the separate verification process
You can’t host mobile numbers, Google Voice numbers, or virtual SMS app numbers. You must port those out of their current service first. See Move a Google Voice Number to MessageDesk for that path.

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Before you start

US numbers need an approved carrier registration campaign first. If your workspace has no campaign, or your campaign hasn’t been approved yet, MessageDesk blocks the hosting request and prompts you to finish carrier registration. Start registration before you plan to host numbers.
Canadian numbers are the exception. You can host numbers with a Canadian area code without an approved campaign. Canada doesn’t run on the A2P 10DLC registration system that US numbers require.A Canadian number added this way can only text Canadian recipients until you complete carrier registration and associate it with an approved campaign.
Have this ready before you begin:
  • The phone number you want to text-enable
  • Your current provider and account details for that number
  • The name and title of someone authorized to sign on behalf of the account holder

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How to host a phone number

Host Number
2

Click Phone Management

  • From the left-hand navigation, select “Phone Management” under Workspace Settings
    • If you don’t see Phone Management you may not have access. Speak with your account administrator for more details.
3

Click Add Phone Number

  • Click Add Phone Number button in the top right corner of the Phone Management screen
  • Select Host existing phone number
4

Enter the numbers you want to host

  • Enter the phone numbers and the current provider they’re tied to.
  • MessageDesk checks whether the number can be hosted before you go any further. If it isn’t hostable, you’ll be told at this step rather than after submitting.
5

Fill out the Letter of Authorization

  • A letter of authorization (LOA) grants MessageDesk permission to connect the texting associated with your phone line to MessageDesk
  • Add your information to complete your LOA
6

Sign and submit

  • Sign the LOA using the signature field
  • Submit the request
6

What happens next

  • MessageDesk generates a PDF Letter of Authorization for you and submits it on your behalf to the carrier network.
  • In some cases, number hosting completes in minutes, but for many, it can take up to 72 hours to complete configuration.
  • Once MessageDesk submits the request, we have to wait for your existing provider to release the text messaging side of your phone line to MessageDesk. 
  • Durring this time, no action is required.
  • Once MessageDesk receives the number, texting will be enabled automatically.
  • We recommend logging in and checking your account periodically to monitor the number hosting process.
You can add at most 2 numbers per day per workspace through hosting, porting, or purchase combined. This fraud-prevention limit prevents number-rotation scams. If you need to host or port more numbers in a day, contact support.

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If you haven’t already completed carrier registration

Carrier registration is required for texting with MessageDesk. If you haven’t already completed this process, you’ll be prompted to do so first. Learn how to submit your carrier registration.

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Processing time

After you submit your Letter of Authorization (LOA), the carrier processes the hosting request. Processing time varies by provider:
  • Typical timeline: 5 minutes to 72 hours
Track progress in the Status column in Phone Management. The number moves from pending to active once the carrier completes the transfer, and MessageDesk automatically associates it with your campaign.
Adding additional numbers later? You’ll need to complete a new LOA for each number you want to add. The same processing timeline applies.

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What changes once your number is hosted

Texts stop arriving in your current phone system. After hosting successfully completes, every text sent to that number will land in your MessageDesk Inbox and nowhere else. If your VoIP system shows texts today, it won’t after hosting.Voice is unaffected. Calls keep routing exactly as they do now, through your existing provider.
Moving voice later can break texting. If you move the voice side of a hosted number to a new provider, that provider often pulls the texting side back too. This is called a snapback, and it happens because MessageDesk doesn’t own the number outright. Tell your new voice provider explicitly that SMS stays with MessageDesk. See Removed numbers and snapbacks.

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Supported VoIP providers

Below is a list of all supported VoIP providers. You can text-enable and transfer phone numbers from any of these providers to MessageDesk via phone number hosting. In this case, all of your calling, voice features, and service will remain with your VoIP provider. The text messaging associated with the number will move to MessageDesk. Many businesses and organizations configure their numbers in this way to get the best of both voice and text messaging features. Don’t see your provider? If your number is non-mobile and not tied to a mobile device, you can usually still transfer it to MessageDesk and enable texting.
  • Microsoft Teams Phone
  • Cisco Webex Calling
  • Zoom Phone
  • RingCentral
  • 8x8
  • Nextiva
  • Dialpad
  • Vonage
  • GoTo Connect
  • Intermedia Unite
  • Ooma
  • aircall
  • Avaya Cloud
  • Mitel
  • Sangoma
  • Quo (formerly OpenPhone)
  • Grasshopper
  • Phone.com
  • net2phone
  • Verizon Business
  • AT&T Business
  • Comcast Business
  • Spectrum Business
  • Lumen Business
  • Cox Business
  • Frontier Business
  • Rogers Business
  • Bell Business
  • TELUS Business
Verizon One Talk isn’t compatible with MessageDesk. One Talk numbers are tied to Verizon’s mobile network, so you can’t text-enable or host them with MessageDesk. If you use One Talk today and want texting through MessageDesk, use a separate MessageDesk business number. To keep voice continuity, set up call forwarding from that number to your One Talk line.

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FAQ

Will hosting interrupt my phone service?
No. Voice keeps working throughout, and there’s no cutover window for calls. Only texting changes hands. Can I undo hosting?
Yes. Hosting is reversible in a way porting isn’t. Texting returns to your provider if you stop hosting with MessageDesk, though you may need them to re-enable it. Do I need a new LOA for every number?
Yes. Each number needs its own Letter of Authorization, even numbers on the same account. My number couldn’t be hosted. Why?
MessageDesk checks hostability before you fill out the LOA. Mobile numbers, Google Voice numbers, and some carrier configurations can’t be hosted. Contact support if you think the result is wrong. What if I want to move voice to MessageDesk too?
That’s a port, not a host. See Port a phone number to MessageDesk — and note that MessageDesk doesn’t provide full voice service, so you’d set up call forwarding after.