800 Numbers General Terms and Definition

• FCC (Federal Communications Commission) – a government agency in the US that is responsible for standards and regulations for licenses, rates, tariffs, etc.
• NASC (Number Administration and Service Center) – is an organization that administers and provides user support of the SMS (Service Management System) database.
• PUC (Public Utilities Commission) – is an agency that is responsible for the regulation of services, rates, etc., of public utilities or services such as an electricity, water or telephone. Depending on the state or city PUC is also known as PSC (Public Service Commission), UC (Utilities Commission) or URC (Utility Regulatory Commission)
• Regulator – a governing body, like FCC or PUC, which is responsible for the regulations or standards.
• RespOrg (Responsible Organization) – is the provider of a toll free number to a subscriber. RespOrg are required to access the SMS database to make sure that the number to be issued is obtainable.
• SCP (Service Control Point) – a database under the SS7 (System Signaling 7) network which the SSP (Service Switching Point) give queries for lookup and verification of 800 phone or LNP (Local Number Portability) numbers.
• SMS/800 (800 Service Management System) – the toll free phone numbers database and system that is administered by the NASC and provides access to RespOrg in amending data about 800 numbers. It also shares information with the SCP database.
• Toll-Free Subscriber – a subscriber of a toll-free number to a RespOrg.
• Toll-Free Number – is a free-of-charge number of a business for callers. In the US, this number makes use of 800, 855, 866, 877 or 888 prefix.
• USF (Universal Service Fund) – is a fund program that was created by the FCC to meet the mandates of the Telecommunication Acts of 1996.

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.

ANI and Toll Free Phone Numbers

Using a toll free number to call a telephone equipped with a caller ID feature will result in displaying the local number assigned to the calling number. This is due to the fact that free phone numbers are inbound phone service and their physical line does not exist. It means that this service rides over a working phone number line that the subscriber have. A call made to a 1 800 number will be rerouted to the service provider’s switched based circuit going to the appropriate subscriber.

But, not all toll-free numbers are concealed. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and the law require that telemarketers should provide a valid caller ID whenever they call a telephone number. Telemarketers can legally accomplish this using a simulated number to appear on the display of the caller ID device of the phone number called. This number can either be the 800 service number itself or a local business number. Such ruling is important to provide a way for the called party to make a return call for inquiry, order or prevent the telemarketer in making further calls.

ANI (Automatic Number Identification) is the term used for the number that is simulated using Inward WATS (Inward Wide Area Telephone Service) or simply 800 phone numbers. ANI is composed of two components namely the information digit and the phone number. It is dissimilar and unrelated to a caller ID service since it can still capture the number on the caller ID device even if call blocking is enabled.

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.

The Role of FCC on Toll Free Service

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is an independent government agency in the US that was established to control and standardize both the international and interstate communications. The agency covers the following: cable, radio, satellite, television, telephone, wire, etc. FCC was created under the Communication Act of 1934 and all the 50 US states including the territories under its jurisdiction.

FCC plays a notable role in the toll free service industry as well. The commission is also responsible for regulating the rules in obtaining and using the toll free phone numbers and that they cannot be put up for sale. Even if these special telephone numbers are in the public domain, brokering/hoarding is still prohibited although there are some who practice the idea. This prompted the agency in filing court motion to clarify the system. The regulations include:

• Allocation of toll free numbers is on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Subscribers are not allowed to allocate more numbers.

• RespOrg (Responsible Organizations) are not allowed to reserve a number without a properly identified subscriber. This illegal practice is also known as hoarding.

• A reserved number must be allocated within eight months. This mandate prevents RespOrg in hoarding numbers.

Vanity numbers are now targeted for the illegal selling despite of the regulation and mandates made by FCC.

The agency also ruled out the implementation of 1800 numbers portability. This regulation states that subscribers are allowed to switch to different providers or carriers without changing their number. With this rule, subscribers are not locked with their carriers thus increasing the competition among the providers.

Unfortunately, FCC has limitations as well since it has no access to the SMS/800 database and it cannot provide the status of 0800 numbers.

Useful Toll Free Service Directories on the Web

Small and large business can utilize toll free numbers as powerful tools for branding and marketing. 800 toll free numbers have been around for a very long time and are here to stay even with the threat of flat-rate phone call rates and the escalation of cell phone usage.

A toll free service can provide a consumer with a free way to connect to a business for support, inquiries or orders. That is why more consumers tend to choose a toll free number rather than a local number when calling. But, some companies pay little attention in advertising their toll-free numbers thus resulting in hard to find numbers.

Below are few of the most useful toll free phone directories in the web that can provide assistance when searching for toll free numbers:

• Airline Toll Free Numbers and Website – not really a directory but a listing of the world’s airline carrier.

• AnyWho – as part of AT and T, it does not only provide a toll-free number search but also has white and yellow pages.

• Argali White and Yellow – one of the most powerful and complete telephone directory searching tools in the web.

• Canada TollFree – a service that provides a free toll-free numbers search on products or services in Canada.

• FCIC National Contact Center – in search of the most common federal toll-free numbers? Then FCIC can be a big help.

• Health Hotlines – provides a toll-free number searching of health-related services.

• World Directories – phone directories collection from around the world.

How a Caller ID Feature Works?

With a caller ID feature, a user is able to see caller information on the telephone display or on an attached caller ID box. It is usually available on most digital, VoIP and on some analog phone systems. This feature is a telephone service that transmits caller information like name and number to called party’s device.

The process of sending caller ID information to the other end of the line is quite simple. Telecommunication providers use the FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) technique, similar technique used on baud modems, to send ASCII data over a telephone line to the called party’s device display. FSK sends data by changing tone or frequency (that represents data bit 1 or 0). So, when a caller dials a number the data is sent between the first and second telephone ring. On some telephone or caller display box there is an audible half-a-second bleep sound that, when decoded, contains the caller ID information: type and length of message; time and date of the call; the phone number; and a checksum byte for making sure that the data received is complete.

Other caller ID systems, found on some toll free service, use advanced techniques, similar to FSK, but transmit data as an 8-ASCII character preceded by a start bit 0 and then followed by stop bit 1. With a circuit, a ring signal is detected and the bits are decoded using the modem contained on the telephone or caller ID box. The display is then handled by a simple processor. This technique enables the caller ID to display more caller information such as the caller name, number being called, location, date, time, etc.

Caller ID is a very useful telephony feature for tracking down unwanted callers, telemarketers and prank callers.

The Advantages of Owning Toll Free Phone Numbers

To provide better customer satisfaction and to apply an effective marketing strategy toll free numbers are the right telecommunication tools to supplement the needs of a growing business. Owning such a special number provides the business with an easy connectivity with its customers.

Maximizing the business with a proper communication device will enable a business to gain toll free advantages over the competition. Because of its free nature, a customer can call the business for an inquiry, support, order or other services without getting charge for the call. Therefore, providing the business with better customer care.

A satisfied customer will seek the business by placing orders or making inquiries about a product or service. This gives the business more chances of selling its products and to gain potential customers. Coupling it with efficient and productive sales team will boost and create more sales.

Customers may come and go due to a flawed service, product or support. One solution to bring back the trust of lost customers is by offering a toll free service to let them know that the business is fairing well and has improved. Old customers will definitely reconsider going back especially if they have been patronizing a certain product or service for quite some time.

Having won back the trusts of consumers and provided better customer support the next benefit a business can gain, when utilizing a toll free number, is a professional corporate image. Customers will be convinced that the company is serious in doing business and providing excellent services for them. This in return will put the business in par with other larger corporations.

800 Number Features of a Victorious Provider

Obtaining a toll free service can greatly benefit the business. Toll free numbers are so popular with many businesses that the governing body for this service had complemented the 800 prefix with other prefixes (866, 877, 888) to meet the ever growing demand. As a matter of fact more prefixes are reserved for future expansion: 822, 833, 844, 855, 880, 887 and 889.

With businesses noticing the potential of this service as a business tool it is no surprise that 800 number users has increased tremendously since its inception in the early 80s. It is now an essential telecommunication component even for a small business because it generates branding and professional image.

Today's 800 service providers even made it a sought-after service by adding more advanced functions. That is what every business look for in a provider. And to become a winning toll free provider requires the following 800 number feature, that also includes a full virtual PBX system package, offer: 

• 3 Way Calling
• Auto-Attendant
• Call Blocking
• Call Recording
• Call Return
• Call Routing
• Call Screening
• Call Waiting
• Caller ID
• Custom Greeting
• DND
• International Forwarding
• Internet Fax
• Maximum Call Length
• Multiple Extension
• Music On-Hold
• Notification
• Online Call Management
• Select Ring
• Vanity Number
• Voicemail

A toll free provider furnishing their service with more toll free features are the true overall winner. Any business planning to get 800  numbers will always seek for the suitable provider that can supply a powerful and cost-effective solution to meet their telecommunication requirements.