Spelling Trouble with 800 Toll Free Vanity Numbers

With the advent of toll free numbers, many companies have found a phone service luxury that provided their business with positive benefits and comfort. But for AT&T, it was a different story. The advantages that they have expected from this number have backfired against the telecommunication giant. This vanity number spat between AT&T and MCI in the early 1990s has remained the most famous communication fiasco of all time.

For the purpose of making collect calls, MCI has introduced their 1-800-COLLECT toll free vanity number to the American public. This newly introduced and easy to remember phone number was a huge success since it offers the much lower collect call rates as compared to that of AT&T. With MCI doing huge advertising and marketing campaigns for their services, AT&T felt that it is time to make their own marketing move in order to stay on track with the competition.

To directly compete with MCI’s new number, AT&T introduced their own vanity 800 number: 1-800-OPERATOR. AT&T sensed that introducing a new collect call number would not be enough. So, they made their own advertising campaigns by offering discounted collect call rates to match that of MCI’s.


Now that both companies are already equipped with phone words and competitive call rates, the war of collect-call service has begun. AT&T did not expect that most of their customers would mistakenly spell out their number as 1-800-OPERATER when dialing. It won’t turn out bad if this error would still redirect the call to AT&T. But, unfortunately, it was directed to its competitor since 1-800-OPERATER was owned by MCI. It was a big loss to AT&T.  MCI, on the other hand, reportedly earned $500,000 for their rival’s mishap.

After AT&T recognized this debacle, the old number was ceased and the new 800 vanity number was announced: 1-800-CALL-ATT.

N-1-1 Numbers for Accessing Special Services

N-1-1 codes are three digit phone numbers that are abbreviated for the purpose of quickly accessing special services within the US and Canada. These numbers does not start with 0 or 1. The first digit of these numbers usually starts from 2 to 9 and the last two digits are both 1’s. N-1-1 numbers can be used as a prefix for premium rate numbers (900) and toll free service numbers (800, 855, 866, 877 and 888) but are prohibited from being used as local area code for local numbers.

The N-1-1 convention results in 8 number possibilities:

2-1-1
Use for accessing community information, social and referral services which may cover the following: child care, counseling, credit request, donation, education, elderly programs, evacuation, financial assistance, health, homeless assistance, non-crisis, parenting, relief, volunteers and youth programs.

3-1-1
Mainly used for calling non-emergency government, municipal or police service or assistance. This N11 code is implemented for local level access wherein some cities may use it for other services. Some carrier services, like the AT&T UVerse, prevent subscribers from calling this number.

4-1-1
The directory assistance number which provides information like address or phone numbers requested by the caller.

5-1-1
The telephone hotline used for accessing information, news or conditions about traffic or transportation. It is also used by travelers as a travel guide or non-emergency assistance for police services.

6-1-1
A general customer service number intended to be used for reporting landline or wireless service problems.

7-1-1
Is a TRS (Telephone Relay Service), for the deaf, which convert a TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) signal to speech or vice-versa.

8-1-1
A “call before you dig” public utility service that provide digging or excavation services.

9-1-1
Used for calling emergency services such as police, fire or medical.

Tips in Searching for Toll Free Vanity Numbers

Acquiring vanity telephone numbers nowadays is a big challenge. Time has changed and the popularity of these phone numbers has increased tremendously and their availability has been scarce because more businesses are now acquiring them due to the positive benefits that it provides.

Getting any vanity toll free numbers is not what business owners would prefer. Rather they want a number that is closely related to their type of business and something that is unique. This sort of strategy allows a business to stand out among the competition and provides presence to the consuming public.

The following tips can help a business in searching for suitable vanity toll free numbers:

1. It may be possible that the phone word numbers to acquire is already taken or may still be available in rare situations. Dialing the number or utilizing an online toll free number directory search can assist in determining their availability. If a potential number is available then always acquire it from a RespOrg. Obtaining a toll free number other than a RespOrg is illegal under the FCC regulations.
2. Popular telecommunication providers or some toll free phone number brokers can be consulted for their availability. But be cautious because some of them maybe operating outside the rules of the FCC.
3. Search for a toll free vanity telephone numbers provider that uses a shared-use system. This system allows different businesses to share a certain vanity number by using routing and special area codes.

Getting a vanity number is a business investment. Remember to always get an appropriate number, do not settle for second rate prefixes (866, 877 and 888) and make sure that the provider has a tracking system for logging and monitoring calls.

The Basics of a Universal International Freephone Number

The universal international freephone number (UIFN) is a worldwide toll-free number service that enables an International Freephone Service (IFS) subscriber to allocate a fixed-global number which can be called freely (except for some certain cellphone network providers) anywhere in the world.

The UIFN number is issued by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is a United Nations (UN) agency for information, communication and a global focal point for developing networks and services among the governments and private sectors.

Components of a UIFN number
The UIFN number uses the global ITU 800 number prefix as the fixed country code. The next component is the 8 digit Global Subscriber Number (GSN), which is the number issued by the ITU to the IFS customer or subscriber. The following, which is almost similar to a business toll free number, is an example of a UIFN number: 800 1234 5678

Dialing a UIFN number

A caller can dial a UIFN number by simply keying in the International Access Code (IAC), the ITU Country Code and the GSN number: 00 800 1234 5678

Applying for a UIFN number

Just like with a toll free number application, only a Recognized Operating Agency (ROA) can submit the IFS subscriber's application. The subscriber should also agree to serve two or more countries or else the application will not be accepted. Upon the approval of the application the number is considered under reservation until the subscriber completes an in-service, between two or more countries, within 180 days.

Fees and method of payment
Currently, the registration application fee costs 200 Swiss Francs and is payable by bank transfers, prepaid accounts or credit cards.