Is a VoIP number or a virtual number any different from a regular phone number?
Summary
No. A VoIP number and a virtual number are ordinary 10-digit phone numbers, and people dial them like any other. "Business," "VoIP," and "virtual" describe how the number is used, what kind of service carries it, and the fact that it isn't tied to one line. The choices that do matter are local versus toll-free, and whether you can take the number with you when you switch providers.
Three labels, one number
Get a main number from a cloud phone provider and it is a business number, it runs on a VoIP service, and it rings on any device. When the FCC explains number portability, the categories it uses are providers, not numbers: numbers can be ported between wireline, IP, and wireless providers. Nothing about the number itself marks it as VoIP.
Local or toll-free
| Type | What callers pay | Rules to know |
|---|---|---|
| Local | Whatever their own plan charges for the call | Starts with a regional area code |
| Toll-free | Nothing from a landline; airtime minutes from a cell phone unless the caller has unlimited calling | Prefixes 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833; assigned mostly first come, first served through a RespOrg |
The toll-free prefixes are not interchangeable. The same seven digits after 1-800 and after 1-888 reach two different subscribers. FCC rules also bar subscribers from taking more toll-free numbers than they intend to use, and that ban covers number brokering, meaning selling a toll-free number or offering it for sale. Vanity numbers that spell a word, such as 1-800-FLOWERS, come under the same rules.
Some providers bundle both options. Quo, for example, includes one local or toll-free number per user.
Keeping your number
If you stay in the same area, you can keep your number when you change providers; move to a new area and you may not be able to. Porting starts with the new provider, and the FCC's advice is not to cancel the old service before the new one begins. Your old provider cannot refuse to port because you owe a balance or a termination fee, though you still owe it, and providers may charge a porting fee.
The timelines are set by rule. A simple port, which generally means one line and no complex adjustments, has to be done within one business day; other ports get four business days. Interconnected VoIP providers must cooperate with a valid port request without unreasonable delay, and toll-free numbers can be moved by switching RespOrgs. The full sequence of a switch is covered in the article on changing providers and porting.
Sources
- fcc.gov/consumers/guides/porting-keeping-your-phone-number-when-you-change-providers
- fcc.gov/consumers/guides/what-toll-free-number-and-how-does-it-work
- ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-52/subpart-C/section-52.34
- ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-52/subpart-C/section-52.35
- ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-52/subpart-D/section-52.107
- quo.com/pricing
Related on this site
- What does a virtual phone system actually do for a small business?
- Can you keep your business phone number when you switch providers?
- Do you need to register before texting customers from a business number?
- Will 911 know where you are if you call from a VoIP phone?
- Is there such a thing as a free business phone number?
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.