While some countries assign unique prefixes to cell phones, in North America a prefix can indicate either a cell phone number or a landline. To make matters even more complicated, we can port cell phone numbers to new phone services. That process makes it nearly impossible to tell if a number is a landline or a cell phone. However, there are a few ways to find out.
How to tell if a phone is a mobile or landline. Phone Validator, the ultimate bulk phone number validation
One of the easiest ways to check if a phone number is a mobile or landline number is to use a phone number validator. Additionally, some phone number validators will send a live ping to the number to check if the number is in use.
In addition to confirming that a number is real, the phone number validator also provides additional information, such as whether the number is intended for a wireless (mobile) or landline.
The phone number validator accomplishes this task by querying the Location Routing Number (LRN) database. Each telephone company uses an LRN database that instructs the telephone company on how to route a call and which switches to send the call to the correct destination. The LRN database also contains information that distinguishes the line type (mobile or landline) and which LEC (Local Exchange Carrier) owns the number.
