It is useful to know which telephone operator the client has chosen and in which region. Then you can break up your client base geographically and avoid calling at night. Or carry out promotions together with operators. And some of our customers save money: for each operator they choose the cheapest SMS aggregator.
That’s why Dadata has been finding an operator by phone number for a long time. The algorithm is simple - make it and use it. Only in 2013, when, oh, we had to slightly adjust the process. In this article I will tell you how everything works for us.
There is a big difficulty in the process - getting access to the database of ported numbers. It is not issued to individuals, and it will be difficult for companies. More on this in a separate section.
What prevents you from accurately identifying an operator without services?
It would seem that everything is simple: you can remember the codes of countries and telecom operators or take a reference book with such codes, and then look for the required values. But there are nuances.
Crossing codes
Issues of number distribution are dealt with by the International Telephony and Telegraph Consultative Committee (ICITT, ITU‑T). Its regulation No. E.164 states to the International Public Telecommunications Numbering Plan that numbers can have up to 15 digits and are usually written with a "+" prefix.
Immediately after the prefix comes the country code. And this is where the difficulties begin. Thus, the +7 code belongs not only to Russia, but also to Kazakhstan and Abkhazia. +1 - USA, Canada and many Atlantic island states. Therefore, you need to look at the following numbers.
The fewer subscribers there are in a country, the more digits there are in that part of the number that distinguishes it from other countries. Thus, Ukrainian Order 09.29.2008 N 1200 “On the approval of the Plan for the transition to a promising numbering system for the telephone network of the foreign government of Ukraine” numbers in the international format begin with +380, and Belarusian numbers STOP OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS June 22, 2006 No. 7 87 “ABOUT APPROVAL SYSTEMS AND NUMBERING PLAN FOR PUBLIC TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORKS” - from +375.
Map of the distribution of area codes between countries. Image: Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) / Wikimedia Commons
Telephone numbering plans for specific countries describe codes for cities and mobile operators, and dialing rules. For example, in Russia, an extract from the register of the Russian system and numbering plan, the number looks like this.
- Country code: +7 (international format for calls from abroad) or 8 (for calls within the country).
- Numbering zone: 3–5 digits. For mobile operators this is 3 digits, for landline numbers in large cities it is also 3, and in small cities it is 4 or 5.
- Subscriber number: 5–7 digits. Mobile numbers and telephone numbers in large cities have 7 digits, in small cities - 5–6.
The structure of Russian numbers, approved by the numbering plan.
Image: Olga Skvortsova / Lifehacker Since there are many subscribers and operators, mobile number ranges sometimes overlap. So, initially MTS numbers began with 91x and 98x, MegaFon with 92x and 93x, and Beeline with 903 and 96x. But with the growth in the number of subscribers, new codes were added, including the same ones.
On the website "Codes.su" the intersections of zones are more clear than in terms of numbering
Now the numbers of MegaFon, Yota, Tele2 and other smaller companies can begin with 999 Code 999, and Beeline, MTS and others with 986 Code 986. So, in addition to the operator code, you need to look at the first digits of the number.
Landline numbers usually have a stricter geographic location, and the ranges do not overlap. But it happens that in small cities, for example, 5- and 6-digit numbers are used. Then a certain number is added before the 5-digit number and used by analogy with 6-digit numbers.
And in large cities there may be several number zones. For example, Moscow has three codes: 495, 498 and 499. They are not tied to regions. But a number with the same code can be serviced by different service providers. For example, for 499 Moscow telephone code - 495 or 499 these are Beeline, MTS, Comkor (Akado Telecom) and Telecom TZ.
Abolition of mobile slavery
In many countries around the world, the linking of a number to an operator was canceled in the early 2000s. In Russia, this became possible only from December 1, 2013. The authorities decided that the phone number is the property of the subscriber, so they allowed MNP (Mobile Number Portability).
That is why searching for a certain combination of numbers in numerous tables of numbering plans is not only a long task, but often useless.
Using digital numbers
VoIP telephony (voice over IP over the Internet) further complicates number identification. Without going into the details of the technology, we can say that here the cheapest possible way is chosen to connect subscribers of different operators, including from different countries, the corresponding proxies and nodes.
If, for example, you receive a call from Skype to your mobile phone, you will see different numbers each time. Accordingly, even if you determine the country code and operator using such a set of numbers, this will say practically nothing about the real location of the subscriber and even about what VoIP service he uses.
Why you can't call spammers back
If you miss a call from an unknown number, do not call back. The chances that this is a paid number with a hefty price tag for the connection are much higher than the inability to call you back later.
Often, when you answer a call from an unfamiliar number, you can hear a choice curse word. The caller then hangs up.
Naturally, you call back to answer, and a nice girl starts talking to you, offering various products and services. On a paid telephone line.
If you still cannot help but call back, use Skype or another instant messenger that has the function of calls to landline numbers. You will not lose more than you have on your balance.
They also force you to call back in order to get your number . To issue a duplicate SIM card, operators may ask you to indicate the last three numbers you called. By calling back, you increase the chances of scammers stealing your number, and with it the linked accounts, for example, Internet banking.
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