TIM Cell Top Up Plan - how long allowed to keep phone #?

Hello,
Anyone know how long you can keep your TIM phone number after not topping off Reis to your account?
I'm wondering if after 12 months or 3 months for example the phone number will not work anymore on your SIM card?
This is an important question for international travelers.
Some countries a pre-paid plan such as this will last 2 months - 500 days for example without any top off activity.
-@ExpatUSATravels

Wireless Pre-Paid plans, both in Brazil and the USA are not as good as advertised. They eat up bandwidth and minutes.   There is a reason why you end up with less than you paid for,, and people stay on term plans. 

And TIM, well.... they suck.  Best going to Vivo,, the most expensive and the one with the best footprint.

@sprealestatebroker

i understand your reply, but that has nothing to do with my question. lol.

thanks for the heads up tho...

Don't expect your phone number on a prepaid deal to be held for some buffer amount of time. 

Out here, you are inactive, the number is reassigned to someone else.  I had scores of people calling my number on the account of someone else I never met, and I have a term plan on the same number for years.

Record updates here are sloppy, and they do not honor the window from inactive to active, least of all your old phone number. 

So, again, get a term plan if you can afford.  if you can't , get a new number every time you come up.