Reactivate an old landline as a cell phone number

This is a customer-based forum, so we can't help you recover and old phone number. Unfortunately, once the service is cancelled, the number can't be retrieved 

When number has been canceled for years it has already been recycled. Just means if someone activates a new line that is a possible phone number they could get. Unfortunately you cannot choose a number.

The only way to keep a number with another provider is to port it over while it is still active. After canceled, especially many years ago, it is gone.

Looking it up on the web for association is just history. Even after someone else picks it up, you can still find where it shows you at one point. Once on the web, forever on the web, is the concept.

Well, I guess I wasn't clear enough. I look it up and it's still associated with me from long ago but if I call it it is not an active number. No one is using it. So when you say recycling, do you mean somebody's using it? Or does it go into a pool of available numbers?

What I'm trying to figure out is who owns the rights to that number and is there a way to get it? For instance people get vanity phone numbers, is that a route that would work? I haven't figured out how to do that. 

Hello @SAsadler,

We hear you, and we would like to provide all the help with porting your landline number to wireless number.  

Please ensure that the number is active and linked to your AT&T account. 

With the myAT&T app

1. Sign into the myAT&T app.
2. Choose More and then Manage profile.
3. Select People & Permissions.
4. Scroll to Transfer phone number and select Request a new PIN. Your Number Transfer PIN will display on the screen.

Good to know: Don’t see People & Permissions? You may have to sign in to myAT&T from a browser.

Online with myAT&T

1. Go to People & permissions in your myAT&T profile.
2. Select Wireless.
3. Scroll to Transfer phone number and select Request a new PIN. Your Number Transfer PIN will display on the screen.

Hope this helps! Feel free to contact us for any further questions. 

Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.

Gary, AT&T Community Specialist

Um, Gary, did you miss the part about where the number they want associated with the new account was disconnected years ago?

I'm thinking he did miss that. So the part where he says that he hears me should read that I skimmed and didn't actually read your note....

It's owned by AT&T and is put back in the pool of numbers. When the computer hits that number it will be reassigned. Doesn't matter what a web search comes up with who knows where they are getting their information.

Scanned it for keywords and probably plugged 'em into a search tool, like as not.

Hi @SAsadler ,

We wanted the number to be active to intiate a port in to wireless. After reviewing your concern and trying to resolve through the Community Forums, it looks like you may need more account specific support.  To assist you best, we encourage you to review our Contact Us page (https://www.att.com/support/contact-us/) to identify what method you’d prefer to reach out for this account level help.  You can call, chat, or reach out via social media and we can review your specific issue and provide you support.  We’re sorry we weren’t able to resolve your concern directly in the forums, but let us know if we can assist with anything else.”

Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.

Gary, AT&T Community Specialist

The vanity numbers, as far as I know, are for business lines, not residential. We've had many people ask if they can get an old number back and it's always the same answer. Seems like there was one person sometime ago that bugged the office of the president many times and finally got their number back, but it was a short time thing, not years.