Phone carrier lookup: the original carrier of a number, free
In short: Gives the original carrier: for US numbers the carrier NANPA assigned the prefix or 1,000-number block to, for mobiles elsewhere the operator libphonenumber's data lists for the range. Labelled as original, because ported numbers keep their digits. Canada and most landlines have no data. Limit: Original carrier only: ported numbers show the network the range was first given to.
A free phone carrier lookup can show the original carrier: the network a number's range was allocated to. For US numbers this tool reads NANPA's prefix and block assignments; for mobiles in other countries it reads libphonenumber's carrier data. It can't see ports, so a number moved to another network still shows the first one. The current carrier needs a live network lookup.
Price: this tool is free. Live line type and carrier lookups come with Pro + Phone at $49.99/mo; email checking is from $9/mo. See pricing
Used for numbers written without a + country code.
Sample result
+44 7400 123456 was allocated to Three. If it was ported, it is with another network now.
- Original carrier
- Three
- Country
- GB
- Source
- Numbering plan
What this means for you
Original carrier from public numbering data: NANPA for US numbers, libphonenumber for mobiles elsewhere.
- Paste a list or drop a CSV
- NANPA block carrier for US
- libphonenumber for mobiles
- Ports not seen, and said so
- NANPA
- libphonenumber
- CSV
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated · Runs in your browser; nothing you paste is sent to us
Need the carrier the number is with today?
- Original carrier is right for numbers that were never ported, and wrong for the rest; the digits can't tell which.
- Upload the list at /verify with Pro + Phone: a live lookup returns the current carrier and line type of each number.
- Use the original carrier for rough grouping only, such as estimating SMS routing costs.
How do I find out which carrier a phone number belongs to?
- Paste numbers one per line, or upload a CSV with a phone column, and pick the default country for numbers without a +.
- Press Look up carriers. Only the public data files for the countries and US area codes in your list are loaded; your numbers stay in the browser.
- Read the original carrier, its source (NANPA block assignment or numbering plan allocation) and the note on each row.
- Download the CSV. For the carrier serving each line today, run a live lookup.
Example
- You enter
+44 7400 123456,+49 1512 3456789,+91 98765 43210,(212) 226-4567,+1 787 203 4567,+33 6 12 34 56 78and+44 20 7946 0958.- You get
- Original carriers: Three (UK), T-Mobile (Germany), Airtel (India), SFR (France) and Claro (Puerto Rico) from libphonenumber's range data, Verizon New York from NANPA's block assignment for the 212 number. The London landline has no carrier data. Each row says the carrier may differ if the number was ported.
- Limits
- Runs in your browser; up to 5,000 numbers a run. Only the public data files your numbers need are downloaded.
Original carrier vs current carrier
Every phone number is born in a range a regulator gave to one network. That is the original carrier, and it is public. When someone switches network and keeps their number (porting), the number moves but its digits don't, so the original carrier stays the same while the current one changes.
Only the networks know the current carrier: it comes from a live lookup against porting databases or the mobile network (an HLR or carrier lookup). Those cost money per number, which is why free tools that claim the current carrier are guessing. This page tells you which answer you are getting.
Where does the carrier data come from?
US numbers: NANPA's central office code and thousands-block assignments, the same files as the NPA-NXX lookup, so the carrier of the 1,000-number block the number is in. Canadian prefixes are administered separately and aren't covered.
Everywhere else: the carrier files in Google's libphonenumber, which map mobile number prefixes to the operator they were allocated to, for most countries and the Caribbean +1 countries. Landline ranges have no carrier data there.
What a free lookup can and can't tell you
| Question | This tool | Live carrier lookup |
|---|---|---|
| Original carrier | Yes, for US numbers and most mobiles | Yes |
| Current carrier after a port | No | Yes |
| Mobile, landline or VoIP today | Range type only | Yes |
| Is the line connected | No | Often |
| Cost | Free, in the browser | Per number |
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- SMS teams
- Group a list by original network to estimate routing costs, knowing ported numbers will differ.
- Fraud teams
- See which network a suspicious sign-up number was issued on, as one signal among several.
- Developers
- Check what libphonenumber's carrier data returns for a range before relying on it in code.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- Original carrier only: ported numbers show the network the range was first given to.
- Canada isn't covered, and most landline ranges have no carrier data.
- Data is as fresh as the NANPA file and the libphonenumber release it was built from.
- It never says whether a number is connected or who owns it.
Common questions
- Can I look up a phone carrier for free?
- You can look up the original carrier for free here. The current carrier, after a port, needs a paid live lookup; no free source has it.
- Why does it show a carrier the person doesn't use?
- The number was probably ported. Ported numbers keep their digits, so the range still belongs to the network it was first given to.
- Why is there no carrier for my Canadian number?
- Canadian prefixes are administered by the Canadian Numbering Administrator, whose assignments aren't in the public files this tool uses.
- Why is there no carrier for a landline?
- libphonenumber only carries operator data for mobile ranges, and many countries don't publish landline allocations by operator.
- Are my numbers sent anywhere?
- No. The page downloads public data files for the countries and US area codes in your list and matches the numbers in your browser.
Sources
The numbering plan only knows what a range was issued for.
In the US and Canada mobiles and landlines share the same prefixes, and anywhere a number can be ported or reassigned the range stops telling the whole story. A live carrier lookup asks the network data instead, which is what Pro + Phone ($49.99/mo) adds.
- 5,000 live carrier lookups a month: real line type, including US numbers
- Carrier name for every number looked up
- Upload a CSV up to 100,000 rows; emails in the same file get a mailbox check
Plans from $9 a month, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.