A firm order commitment (FOC) is a carrier’s confirmation that it has accepted an order and scheduled a due date for it. In business telecom the term comes up in two main places: number porting, where the FOC date is the scheduled port date, and circuit delivery, where it is the scheduled date for installing or handing off the local access or the service. The FOC is a schedule, not proof that the work will finish that day: activation, testing and verification are separate steps that can still fail or slip. Buyers use the FOC date to plan cutovers, office moves and installer visits.
At a glance
- An FOC confirms a carrier has accepted an order and sets a scheduled due date.
- For number ports, the FOC date is the scheduled port date; activation is attempted in that confirmed window and verified separately; if it does not complete then, escalate to the carrier right away and get a revised FOC.
- For circuits, it is usually the scheduled delivery date for the access circuit or the service, with turn-up and testing as separate steps.
- An FOC is a commitment, not a guarantee; dates can move if access, construction or order details cause problems.
- Missed or slipping FOC dates are worth tracking for escalation and, where the contract provides, remedies.
What problem it solves
Ordering a circuit or a number port starts a chain of work across several organizations: the provider you bought from, the local carrier that owns the last mile, and sometimes the building owner or the losing phone carrier. Until those parties confirm a date, the buyer is planning around estimates.
The FOC turns an estimate into a scheduled due date the carrier has accepted. It tells the buyer when to schedule a cutover, book installers and staff, and tell users about a change. For number ports, it tells the buyer when calls are scheduled to start reaching the new system. Because activation can fail or be delayed, businesses that depend on inbound calls usually keep the old service in place, with a way to roll back, until test calls confirm the port has completed.
How it works
Number ports. The new provider submits a port request using the customer’s letter of authorization (LOA) and account details. If the current carrier validates the request, an FOC date is returned as the port’s due date under local number portability (LNP). On that date, usually within a scheduled window, the new provider activates the port and routing updates take effect. Validation and activation are separate steps: a request that does not match the current carrier’s records is rejected before any FOC is issued, and an activation can still fail; if it doesn’t complete in the confirmed window, escalate right away and get a revised FOC. Test inbound calls to each number, and don’t cancel the old service until the port is verified.
Circuits. After you sign a service order, the provider orders any local access it doesn’t own from the local carrier and checks whether construction is needed. Once the access carrier accepts the order, it issues an FOC date for delivering the circuit. The provider then completes its own turn-up and testing, so the date the service is ready may be on or after the access FOC.
Changes and misses. FOC dates can be moved by either side, and carriers may miss them because of construction, permits, building access or their own workload. A provider’s project manager usually tracks these and escalates. Some contracts set remedies for missed install dates, but many do not.
For circuits ordered for a new or moving site, see our internet access solution page, which covers lead times and options.
When it matters for buyers
- Opening or moving an office. The circuit FOC date often decides when staff can move in.
- Phone system migrations. Cutovers are scheduled around the port FOC, so align training and call routing with it, and keep the old service until the port is verified.
- Tight project timelines. Ask for the FOC as early as possible and track it weekly.
- When dates keep slipping. A history of missed FOCs supports escalation and, where available, contract remedies.
- Multi-site rollouts. Each site has its own FOC, so track them together.
Questions to ask vendors
- When will we receive the FOC, and what has to happen before it is issued?
- Does the FOC cover only the local access, or the fully working service?
- Is construction or a site survey required, and how does that affect the date?
- For ports, what activation window applies on the FOC date, how do we verify the port, and what is the rollback plan if it fails?
- What are the deadlines to change or cancel an FOC date?
- What remedies apply if you miss a committed install date?
How it differs from a letter of authorization
A letter of authorization (LOA) is the customer’s signed permission for a provider to act on its behalf, for example to request a number port. The FOC comes later and from the carrier side: it confirms that the request has been accepted and sets the date it is scheduled to be completed. A port typically needs an accepted LOA before an FOC can be issued, so problems with the LOA show up as delays in getting the FOC.