"Carrier lookup" means two different things
Every free carrier lookup on the internet — including the one above — answers the first question. Only the second is guaranteed right for a number that's been ported.
Which carrier was this number assigned to?
The original carrier, read from the numbering plan. Instant, a fraction of a cent, and correct for the large majority of numbers that were never ported. This is what the free tool above returns.
Which carrier serves it today?
Numbers move networks and keep their digits. Add mode=current and Veriphone resolves the current carrier from national portability registries in 200+ countries — returning current_carrier and a ported flag alongside the original.
Example response
The cost-efficient pattern: run a Static lookup on your whole list first, then Current only where the serving carrier actually matters. If a current carrier can't be resolved, you keep the Static result and pay only the standard rate — no result, no surcharge. And to be precise about what you're buying: Current identifies the network holding the number, not whether the device is switched on or reachable.
Segment a whole list by carrier
Upload your list
A CSV with a phone column is enough — up to millions of rows, any mix of countries and formats. No code required; or call the API row by row from yours.
Every row comes back attributed
Carrier, line type, country, and validity on each number — with current_carrier and ported added where you asked for Current.
Route, drop, and flag
Drop landlines before an SMS send, split traffic by network for routing and pricing, flag VoIP ranges for fraud review — all from one download.
Where the answer comes from
Every phone number lives in a numbering plan — a public registry, maintained by each country's telecom regulator, that assigns blocks of numbers to carriers. Veriphone maps a number to its block and returns the carrier that block belongs to, along with the line type and country and region. In North America that's office-code-level detail from the US and Canadian telecom regulators; elsewhere, the operator allocations published by each national regulator, across 243 countries and territories.
Because a Static lookup reads allocation data, it's fast — sub-20ms — and costs a fraction of a cent, with carrier and line type included on every plan and on the 1,000 free monthly lookups. Current lookups consult the portability registries on top, which is why they carry a higher per-lookup rate.
Current carrier lookup: one parameter on the call you already make
Add mode=current to a standard verify request. You get the full validation result, plus the current carrier, its line type, and a ported flag.
$ curl "https://api.veriphone.io/v3/verify?phone=%2B14155552671&mode=current&key=YOUR_API_KEY" { "status": "success", "phone": "+14155552671", "phone_valid": true, "phone_type": "mobile", "country": "United States", "carrier": "T-Mobile USA, Inc.", "current_carrier": "Verizon Wireless", "current_line_type": "mobile", "ported": true }
Example response. The standard validation fields are always included; a current lookup tells you which network holds the number, not whether the handset is switched on or reachable.
10 credits per lookup. 1 if we can't resolve it.
No separate plan, no separate balance — Current Carrier Lookup draws from the same credits as standard validation. It runs on every paid plan and credit pack; the free 1,000 monthly lookups cover Static.
| Plan | Current Carrier Lookup / 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Starter $12.99 | $13.00 |
| Professional $39 | $7.80 |
| Business $99 | $4.00 |
| Enterprise $249 | $2.50 |
Credit packs run down to $2.00 per 1,000. If the current carrier can't be resolved, you pay the standard 1-credit rate — no result, no surcharge.
For comparison: Twilio's Line Type Intelligence — which returns cached line-type data, not portability-registry lookups — is $8.00 per 1,000.
Current carrier resolution covers 230+ countries and territories — see the live coverage list.
Carrier lookup is a different problem in every country
🇺🇸 United States
Office-code detail from the US telecom regulator — but wireless porting can move a number across carriers and line types, which matters for TCPA screening. Current resolves both.
🇮🇳 India
Porting between Jio, Airtel, Vi, and BSNL is heavily used, so original allocations drift from reality — India is where Current earns its keep.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
The UK telecom regulator's range allocations; MVNO numbers (Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile) usually resolve to the host network, which is what routing decisions need.
🇨🇦 Canada
The Canadian telecom regulator's block data, with the same office-code depth as the US, and CASL-ready line-type classification.
🇦🇺 Australia
The Australian telecom regulator's numbering plan — mobiles resolve to Telstra, Optus, or TPG/Vodafone; fixed lines also reveal their state from the area code.
🇲🇽 Mexico
The Mexican telecom regulator's plan classifies every range as fixed or mobile — since the 2019 dialing reform, the digits alone no longer tell you, so the registry is the only reliable source.
What carrier lookup is used for
SMS routing & cost control
Route by carrier and drop landlines and toll-free numbers that can't receive a text.
Fraud scoring
VoIP carriers and carrier mismatches are strong fraud signals at signup and checkout.
Compliance
Line-type and carrier data support TCPA (US), CASL (Canada), and similar consent regimes.
Deliverability on ported numbers
Knowing the serving carrier of ported numbers keeps high-volume messaging accurate.
Carrier lookup questions
How do I find out what carrier a phone number is on?
Enter the number in the lookup at the top of this page with its country code. Veriphone returns the carrier it was allocated to, its line type, and country. To find the carrier serving a ported number today, add mode=current and it's resolved from national portability registries.
How do I check the SIM company or network operator of a mobile number?
Same tool, same answer: the "SIM company" of a number is the network operator serving it. Enter the number above to see the operator its range belongs to. If the number was moved to another operator through porting, the original allocation can be out of date — a Current lookup returns the operator serving it now.
How do I find out who my own phone provider is?
Enter your own number in the tool above. A Static lookup shows the network your number was originally allocated to; if you've ever switched providers and kept your number, mode=current shows the network serving it now.
Does a carrier lookup show who owns the number?
No. A carrier lookup returns the network operator, line type, and country — the technical facts about a number. It never returns the owner's name, address, or identity; that would be a reverse phone lookup, which Veriphone doesn't provide.
Is there a free carrier lookup?
Yes. The tool above is free with no account, and every account includes 1,000 free lookups a month with carrier, line type, and country data included — no credit card required.
Does carrier lookup work internationally?
Yes — carrier and line-type data are returned for numbers across all 243 supported countries and territories, with especially deep operator-level detail for the US and Canada from the national telecom regulators' data. Current (ported) resolution is available in 200+ countries.
Can I run carrier lookup on a whole list of numbers?
Yes. Upload a CSV to look up millions of numbers at once, or call the API programmatically. Both return carrier, line type, and country per number, and both support mode=current for serving-carrier resolution.
What happens if the current carrier can't be resolved?
You still get the full standard validation result, and you're charged the standard 1-credit rate instead of 10. No result, no surcharge.
Is a current carrier lookup the same as an HLR lookup?
No. An HLR lookup pings the mobile network's Home Location Register to ask about a specific SIM — it can tell you whether a handset is reachable, and it involves signaling into the network. Current Carrier Lookup reads national portability registries instead: it tells you which network holds the number, without touching the device. It does not indicate whether the phone is switched on or reachable. Some third-party directories describe Veriphone as an HLR service — that's their error, not our claim.
How is Current Carrier Lookup billed?
10 credits per lookup — 1 for the standard validation, plus 9 for the registry resolution. If the current carrier can't be resolved, only the standard 1 credit is charged. There's no separate plan or balance: every paid plan and credit pack covers both from one credit balance. The free tier covers standard validation only. See pricing.
Need this in your code or in bulk? See the Carrier Lookup API.