What denotes a cell phone number vs a land line number?

[rhshaner]

I am trying to figure out what series of digits at the beginning of a phone number indicates whether it is a land line or a cell line. I have heard that the first five or six digits indicate whether the number is a cell number or a land line number. Could someone please let me know if that is accurate? Also, is there a comprehensive list of what digits/codes are indeed cell codes? For example:
"561" - is an area code for cell numbers and land line numbers in Palm Beach County Florida

"676" - is the three digit code that follows the area code and is specific to cell phone numbers.

Is there a national list of what area code + three digit codes are cell phone specific?

Thanks for the help

[ZaphodB]

There's no separate area code for cell phone numbers in the US due to government rules -- New York tried it a while back with 917 (and, in fact, most 917 numbers are pagers, faxes or cell phones) but were forced to give out 917 landline numbers to people who asked for them.

In general you can tell by going to http://www.nanpa.com and getting the Central Office Code Usage List, which will tell you what company a specific exchange (the fourth through sixth digits in a ten-digit telephone number) is for, but with the advent of number porting, there's no guarantee -- I could port my (mobile) Verizon number to my new (landline) Pacific Bell account.

It's not like Hong Kong or Spain (where mobile numbers start with 9) or France where they start with 06.

[rhshaner]

Thanks mate, you seem to know a lot about phones. We have a database and are trying to separate the land lines from the cell lines. Do you have any experience with that?

[Matt]

Originally Posted by rhshaner

Thanks mate, you seem to know a lot about phones. We have a database and are trying to separate the land lines from the cell lines. Do you have any experience with that?

That's not going to work, since anyone can take their landline and port it to their cell phone....and then turn off their landline service.

[rhshaner]

So, when you "port" a number you are simply changing it from a cell phone number to a land line number or vicce versa . . . So, how can I get a comprehensive list of what are cell phone numbers and what are not? Is it possible? And, a majority of the phone numbers from nanpa.com registered to wireless companies will be cell phone numbers, but not all?

[Telekom]

Originally Posted by rhshaner

I am trying to figure out what series of digits at the beginning of a phone number indicates whether it is a land line or a cell line. I have heard that the first five or six digits indicate whether the number is a cell number or a land line number. Could someone please let me know if that is accurate? Also, is there a comprehensive list of what digits/codes are indeed cell codes? For example:
"561" - is an area code for cell numbers and land line numbers in Palm Beach County Florida

"676" - is the three digit code that follows the area code and is specific to cell phone numbers.

Is there a national list of what area code + three digit codes are cell phone specific?

Thanks for the help

Prior to November of 2004 you could tell by the office code, but since November of 2004 with local number portability any number can be any class of service. The area code/prefixes are assigned to the carriers and there's a good possibility that those numbers are held by someone with that carrier, but there's also the possibility that they could have ported out their number and it's either on another mobile carrier or even a land line.

Go to: http://telcodata.us for area code/exchange listings and who the prefix is assigned to. Also, now prefixes are assigned down to the "thousands" block so you need to look at the number following the third digit in many cases. telcodata.us shows those breakdowns as well.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by rhshaner

Thanks mate, you seem to know a lot about phones. We have a database and are trying to separate the land lines from the cell lines. Do you have any experience with that?

If you don't mind me asking, what's the reason for this?

I am suprised you can't get this type of information from Wire Line & Wireless carriers.

[TelcomJunkie]

Originally Posted by Fire14

If you don't mind me asking, what's the reason for this?

I am suprised you can't get this type of information from Wire Line & Wireless carriers.

I'll take Telemarketing for $1000 Alex.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by TelcomJunkie

I'll take Telemarketing for $1000 Alex.

That is what I am betting on too, seems one of the only reason's to seperate Cell from Landline #'s, without spending the money to get this data from other sources.