I have only had one UK mobile number ever and now plan to work abroad for a few years. Friends who moved from the USA to the UK have ported their US numbers to Google Voice. It doesn’t look like it is possible to port a UK number to Google voice, is there any options to do something similar with a UK mobile number and if not what is the absolute cheapest place to port a number to ?

I think a lot will class a number as inactive if not used in 6 months or so. So you’d need a way for it appear active. Some PAYG contracts class a top up as activity but it still relies on you doing something.

Maybe a VoIP provider like Sipgate UK.

Go on money saving expert, choose cheapest sim only contract, make sure you turn the old phone one every so often. Job jobbed.

Port to voip while abroad, use a sw voip client on your mobile to allow cheap calls to / from his U.K. number

Local sim for local calls & mobile broadband

https://www.aa.net.uk/voice-and-mobile/number-porting/mobile-porting/

Port back to U.K. mobile provider when back in U.K.

Obviously don’t take my word and contact the voip provider to confirm this works as you want…

1p mobile top up £10 a quarter automatically

I’d look at asda mobile. Credit might expire after 6months, but that would be cheaper than 1p mobile.

Yeah watch out for the 6month thing. I used to keep a PAYG mobile as an mtb only phone, just in case. Except when I actually needed to use it I found it was disconnected. Useless.

A lot of PAYG mobiles need you to make 1 call every 6 months. I don’t know whether this is allowed to be from abroad. If it is could do that. A ten pound top up should last a few years provided you remember to call from it. Ask on the Giffgaff forum and you’ll probably get an answer.

thanks few good options