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"What is the process for POTS to VoIP porting?"

In my case I was porting from Plusnet as I no longer needed their Internet connection having taken up Virgins high speed offering.

You can't do this unless you have a 'naked' Internet connection as you need a POTS number for ADSL provisioning. I have Virgin so am totally free of OIpenReach copper. Regrettably naked Internet connections on OpenReach copper are not (easily) available in the UK - Australia is way ahead in this respect.

I already had an account with a VoIP VSP (Tel2.co.uk) which I was using for an out of area PSTN number. I've dealt with Tel2, and their predecessors, for over 8 years.

To port a POTS number they advised that the receiving Provider has to initiate the transfer to avoid loss of the number if the existing provider or OpenReach do things out of sequence.

You just tell your selected VSP your current POTS number and provider, send a copy of the invoice as proof, and they do the rest. Also a good idea to warn your existing POTS provider - but DON'T cancel any account with them at that point - you could loose the POTS number.

The new VSP initiates the port with OpenReach, I think it was a ten day wait period, you then get a time/date for the Port and your VoIP is good to go.

You need to set up your VoIP device in advance so that at Port time it just starts working.

In my case I was porting from Plusnet as I no longer needed their Internet connection having taken up Virgins high speed offering.

I can now manipulate POTS calls in my home Asterisk box without the complexity of a POTS/VoIP gateway device. If you don't need that much complexity a VoIP phone will do. There was a time you could take your VoIP phone to a friends house and 'plug in' there while you visit - but Covid Law has scuppered that!!! :-)