How Does Global Call Forwarding Work?

What types of phone numbers are available?

There are many differences between virtual number types, and choosing the right type of number is crucial for successful implementation and results.

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  Local Phone Numbers (Geographic)

  Geographic numbers are typically bound to a specific location like a city or state with corresponding area codes. Calls to these numbers are not free and callers are charged by their telecom provider for the calls. The cost of the calls will vary depending on where the call is made from / to. These numbers can usually receive calls from outside of the country and from, which makes them suitable as a regional contact phone number that customers from neighboring countries would be expected to call.

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  International Toll Free Numbers

  International toll free numbers are free of charge to the caller, which is their key differentiator compared to geographic, national, or mobile numbers. They are, however, mostly not reachable from outside of their origination country, which makes them not a very suitable option as regional contact phone numbers. In addition, because the callers do not pay for the calls made to these numbers, the cost is passed onto the businesses that own and use these numbers.

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  Virtual Phone Numbers

  Virtual phone numbers work just like a normal phone numbers except they function over the internet without any need for expensive hardware. Calls made to these types of numbers are forwarded to your call center, mobile phone, or VoIP/SIP. These numbers can be enhanced with premium addon features such as call recording, rollover, outbound calling, and SMS forwarding.

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  Mobile Phone Numbers

  Mobile numbers work like geographical or national numbers with one difference, which is their ability to receive SMS messages. Incoming SMS messages to these numbers will be delivered to a predesignated email address of the customer. It is optional to activate inbound SMS capability for these numbers with an additional service fee. Mobile numbers are located within one of the national mobile networks of the designated country.

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  Vanity Phone Numbers

  A vanity number is a toll free number that is easy to remember or spells out a word or phrase. Vanity numbers are one of the easiest and most effective ways of marketing your business. These numbers are called “vanity numbers” because they add some flair and interest making them easy to recall and to distinguish your number from the crowd.

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  Universal International Freephone Numbers (UIFN)

  These numbers are sought after by businesses as a solution for enterprises that operate in multiple countries. The main differentiator of this format is that it allows the same toll free number to be dialed from multiple countries (up to select 45 countries). There are, however, some disadvantages that need to be carefully considered before making a final purchasing decision. Please click here for more information on this number type.