Technological innovations have greatly affected every aspect of our lives over the years. For instance, the technology advancements in the field of communication have allowed people to communicate easily regardless of the distance. Numerous telecommunication applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Telegram, and Slack have been helping people communicate effortlessly for years now. These apps, on the other hand, use Internet-based connections to send a message or make a call bypassing the conventional phone lines.
Visit Telnum’s website to know more about how the different types of virtual numbers work.
May it be for business or personal use. People have been continuously exploring different channels in communicating. With the goal of helping people communicate even more conveniently, virtual phone numbers have been made.
Hence, what exactly is a virtual phone number?
A virtual phone number is similar to an ordinary phone number—the main difference between the two is that a virtual phone number route calls over the Internet line. In contrast, an ordinary phone number route calls over traditional phone lines. Receiving and making calls through a virtual phone number is as easy as using a regular phone number, but a virtual phone number allows you to communicate from wherever you are. A long-distance call fee is not an issue because you may register your number in another country to have it routed through your phone, unlike traditional phone lines, which can be quite expensive.
The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system is the technology behind the virtual phone numbers. VoIP works by taking voice signals, converting them to digital signals, and sending them over Internet lines—which means that a stable Internet connection is necessary for a virtual phone number to work. You may use any device such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones to receive and make calls from anywhere in the world. Hence, this is also the main reason why businesses embrace the technology of VoIP. It allows them to connect to clients and partners from anywhere in the world.
On the other hand, virtual numbers have different types. Thus, here are the following:
Mobile Numbers
Virtual mobile numbers do not include the use of SIM cards—it does not allow the user to receive or make ordinary mobile calls. This type of number can be linked to an app to receive and make calls through the Internet. It is also important to take note that there are virtual mobile numbers that do not support messaging.
Geographical Numbers
Geographical numbers are for a specific region, city, or state—examples include a geographical number for Stockholm, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Paris or Amsterdam. This type of number is usually present in every household before, but now, it is beneficial for the use of small local businesses to easily reach and establish a presence within a particular community. Localizing ads and tracking advertising efforts is much easier with the use of geographical numbers. This number is much cheaper compared to other types of virtual numbers and it usually includes a three-digit area code.
National Numbers
National numbers are for a specific country—this does not associate to any region, city, or state. This type of number is usually used by businesses to cater to customers, clients, and partners across a country. The use of a national number is more expensive compared to the use of a geographical number because it can be used to call people from anywhere in the world. It is also important to take note that some countries have national numbers, but no geographical numbers and vice versa. On the other hand, this type of number usually begins with 1870, 0870, 1800, 1850, 0871, and more.
Toll-free Numbers
Toll-free numbers are for a specific country alone. In receiving calls, the cost of the call is paid by the recipient of the call—this only means that calling a toll-free number is of free charge. This type of number is usually for the use of large scale companies making it of free charge for every customer, client, and partner to call them. Compared to geographical numbers and national numbers, the monthly expense for toll-free numbers is much more expensive. The cost of getting a toll-free number, and the cost of answering calls per minute also differs for each country.
