Carrier Lookup Tool & Phone Carrier Lookup API
Phone carrier lookups are a great way to obtain more information about leads and user data. If a number is not associated with a phone carrier, then it's likely that phone number is not currently active. The phone number carrier provides useful information about location, user type (personal or business number), line type, and much more. Some carriers are frequently associated with fraudulent behavior, so carrier lookup data can also help prevent fake accounts and abuse from credit card chargebacks.
Look up cell phone numbers using the IPQS carrier lookup API with easy integration into any application or software. Carrier lookups can also be performed in our user dashboard or by uploading a bulk CSV list. If you need more data besides the carrier, such as checking if a number is active, please use the phone number validator.
Learn about IPQS Phone ValidationWhat Is a Phone Carrier Lookup?
Phone number carrier lookups check the assigned service provider for a specific phone number, such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Orange, Vodafone, O2, and many more. It is crucial to identify the phone number carrier or service provider allocated to a phone number to properly route SMS text messages or voice calls. Each time IPQS receives a cell phone carrier lookup request, a ping goes out to our network of carriers and partners in over 150 countries. This retrieves the latest phone carrier information directly from a Telecom provider including ported number checks.
Phone carrier checks also provide useful information into the geographic region such as city, state, country, and timezone that a number is assigned to. This can be useful for both marketing and user verification to better understand the user's likely location.
How Do Free Phone Carrier Lookups Work?
Carrier lookups can quickly be processed to check a number's current allocated status with any provider. IPQS connects directly to telecom backbones from major phone carriers to identify the latest carrier of record associated with any phone number. With support in over 150 countries, IPQS can identify the carrier and ported number status, a crucial piece of information for risk scoring and phone number fraud prevention. Additional phone carrier information details about the user's number can be checked with a free reverse phone number lookup.
Check If a Number is a Cell or Landline
Phone carrier lookups can also determine if a phone number is a wireless/cellular number, landline, virtual line (VOIP), fixed-line, satellite, or pager. The phone carrier lookup tool can also identify the number line type which is useful for marketers which may only be allowed to call landlines or cell numbers, depending on their region's laws. Since virtual lines and VOIP numbers are frequently associated with higher risk levels, carrier lookups can provide useful information for user validation and fraud prevention. If your platform needs real-time phone number intelligence, our phone carrier lookup API is a perfect solution.
Check If a Number is Active
Need to check if a phone number is active? Use our phone number validator tool to check if a phone number is currently active and able to receive calls or messages. This line check also works for international numbers and carriers to check if a phone number is real and active. For more advanced subscriber status checks, we recommend the HLR lookup tool which can directly ping a carrier's backbone to determine the line activity status. The phone carrier lookup tool also provides additional carrier data like Mobile Network Code (MNC) and Mobile Country Code (MCC).
Ported Carrier Lookup Service
The IPQS phone carrier lookup tool supplies accurate data directly from the largest Telecom providers worldwide and the Number Portability Administration Center (NPAC). Our carrier lookup service uses live porting checks with up to date information to determine the most current provider assigned to any phone number in the world. Since thousands of numbers in the US alone are ported every day, this ensures you are getting the most accurate database of carrier information for each carrier lookup.
