Toll-free telephone number

A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number is free of charge, unless air-charges apply for mobile telephone service. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefix similar to an area code. The specific service access varies by country.

History

The features of toll-free services have evolved as telephone networks have evolved from electro-mechanical call switching to computerized stored program controlled networks.
Originally, before the automatic system was developed, a call billed to the called party had to be placed through a telephone company operator as a collect call, often long-distance. The operator had to secure acceptance of the charges at the destination number, or even transfer that decision to a long-distance operator, before manually completing the call.
Some large businesses and government offices received large numbers of collect calls, which proved time-consuming for operators and the callers.

Manual toll-free systems

Prior to the development of customer-dialed toll-free service many telephone companies provided the service by operator assistance for telephone subscribers without dial telephones.
Operator-assisted toll-free calling included the Zenith number service introduced in the 1930s in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the manual 'Freephone' service introduced by the British Post Office in 1960.
Both systems were similar in concept. The calling party would ring the operator and ask for a specific free number. In the U.S., the caller would ask for a number like "Zenith 12345". In the UK, the caller would ask the operator to ring "Freephone" and a name or number.
In either case, the operator would look up the corresponding geographic number from a list and place the call with charges reversed.
A Zenith number was typically available from a predefined area, anything from a few nearby cities to a province or state, and was listed in local directories in each community from which the subscriber was willing to accept the charges for inbound calls.
Until the introduction of InWATS toll-free service by the Bell System on May 2, 1967 and the Linkline 0800 services by British Telecom on 12 November 1985, manually ringing the operator was the standard means to place a toll-free call. More than a few established manual "Freephone" or "Zenith" numbers remained in use for many years after competing automated systems were deployed in parallel for new toll-free numbers.

Initial direct-dial systems

An automated toll-free service was introduced by AT&T in 1966 and 1967 as an alternative to operator-assisted collect calling and manual "Zenith" or "Enterprise" numbers. This Inward Wide Area Telephone Service allowed calls to be made directly from anywhere in a predefined area by dialling the prefix 1800- and a seven-digit number.
The system initially provided no support for Automatic Number Identification and no itemised record of calls, instead requiring subscribers to obtain expensive fixed-rate lines which included some number of hours of inbound calling from a "band" of one or several U.S. states or Canadian provinces. Early InWATS 800 calling lacked the complex routing features offered with modern toll-free service. After competitive carriers were allowed to compete with AT&T in establishing toll-free service, the three digit exchange following the 800 prefix was linked to a specific destination carrier and area code; the number itself corresponded to specific telephone switching offices and trunk groups. All calls went to one central destination; there was no means to place a toll-free call to another country.
Despite its limitations, the system was adequate for the needs of large volume users such as hotel chains, airlines and rental car firms which used it to build a truly national presence.
For small regional businesses who received few long-distance calls, the original InWATS was prohibitively expensive. As a fixed-rate bulk service requiring special trunks, it was suited only to large volume users.

Modern direct-dial systems

Modern toll-free service became possible when telephone companies replaced their electro-mechanical switching systems with computerized switching systems. This allowed toll-free calls to be routed based on instructions located in central databases.
In the United States, AT&T engineer Roy P. Weber from Bridgewater, New Jersey patented a 'Data Base Communication Call Processing Method' which was deployed by AT&T in 1982. The called number was an index into a database, allowing a 'Toll-Free Call' or '800 Call' to be directed anywhere. This feature and other advances that made it possible were what led to AT&T marketing analyst Dodge Cepeda from Bedminster, New Jersey to propose the introduction of providing 800 Toll-Free Service to small and medium-size business customers on a nationwide basis. Once this service was implemented, it became possible for the very smallest of business operations to have potential customers contact them free of charge at a time when long-distance calling was expensive. Until this time, 800 Service was only available to major Fortune 500 companies.
In the United Kingdom, BT introduced "Linkline" on 12 November 1985. No more need to manually ring the operator, two new prefixes 0800 and 0345 could be reached by direct dial. Cable and Wireless used 0500 and 0645, in much the same way, just a few years later.

Vanity numbering

A toll-free vanity number, custom toll-free number, or mnemonic is easy to remember; it spells and means something or it contains an easily recognized numeric pattern. An easily remembered number is valued as a branding and direct response tool in business advertising.
In the United States, Federal Communications Commission regulations mandate that numbers be allocated on a first come, first served basis; this gives vanity number operators who register as RespOrgs a strong advantage in obtaining the most valuable phonewords, as they have first access to newly disconnected numbers and to newly introduced toll-free area codes. In Australia, premium numbers, such as the 13-series or the vanity phone words, are distributed by auction separately from the administrative procedure to assign random, generic numbers from the available pool.

Shared use

In toll-free telephony, a shared-use number is a vanity number, which is rented to multiple local companies in the same line of business in different cities. These appear in Australia and North America ; in the U.S., the RespOrg infrastructure is used to direct calls for the same number to different vendors based on the area code of the calling number.
As one example, a taxi company could rent shared use of 1800TAXICAB in one city. The number belongs to a company in Van Nuys, California, but is redirected to local cab companies on a city-by-city basis and promoted by being printed on everything from individual taxi cab hub caps to campaigns against drunk driving. Another example is Mark Russell's 1800GREATRATE, a shared-use number rented to lenders in various cities nationwide for a monthly fee.
One former Mercedes dealer obtained 1800MERCEDES, charging other dealers to receive calls to that number from their local areas. The automaker unsuccessfully sued MBZ Communications of Owatonna, Minnesota, operated by former Mercedes dealer Donald Bloom, alleging deception and trademark infringement. Mercedes was ultimately forced to obtain a different number, 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES.
A company renting 1800REDCROSS at a premium price to individual local Red Cross chapters as "shared use" was less fortunate; the Federal Communications Commission reassigned that number to the American Red Cross as an emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Shared use can be used as a means to circumvent FCC regulations against "warehousing, hoarding and brokering" toll-free numbers as technically the number is not being sold, only rented one city or region at a time. The practice is nonetheless potentially problematic as it leaves local businesses advertising numbers which they do not own and for which they therefore have no number portability. The cost per minute and per month is typically far higher for a shared-use number than for a standard toll-free vanity number which a local business controls outright, and there is little protection if the shared use company fails to meet its obligations or ceases operation.
There are also technical limitations; voice over IP users in particular are difficult to geolocate as their calls may be gated to the public switched telephone network at a point hundreds or thousands of miles away from their actual location. A roaming mobile or Internet telephone user is effectively attached to a distant rate centre far from their physical address.
If a program like Crime Stoppers is inherently regional or local, but its national 1800222TIPS number is shared between multiple exchanges, the exchange accepting the call must determine whether the call belongs to some other region.

International implementations

The implementation of toll-free calling by assigning special telephone numbers for charging a destination party is implemented in many countries by various dialing prefixes in the local number plan.

In Argentina, the prefix for toll-free numbers is "0800", followed by seven digits. These numbers are called "0800" or líneas gratuitas. There is also a local-rate service named "0-810" where the calling party pays the fee for a local call and the called party pays for the long-distance fees.
In Armenia, the toll-free prefix is "800" followed by a five-digit number.
In Australia, the toll-free prefix is "1800" followed by a six-digit number. Calls are free from any landline and generally free from mobiles, although some mobile providers may charge their own fee. A fixed-cost fee is payable by the caller to "1300" and "13" prefix numbers.
In Austria, the prefix for toll-free numbers is also "0800", but only followed by six digits. They are commonly referred to as null-achthunderter Nummern.
In Azerbaijan, the prefix for toll -free numbers is 088, followed with seven digits. Toll Free calls are available both from mobile and landline phone operators.
In Belgium, the prefix "0800" is used for toll-free numbers, followed by 5 digits. They are commonly referred to as nul-achthonderd nummers in Dutch, numéros verts in French or "null-achthunderter Nummern" in the German speaking area.
In Brazil, the toll-free prefix is "0800". Although regular landline numbers in Brazil are 8 digits long, the toll-free prefix is usually followed by 7 digits, with 6 digits formerly common. Toll-free numbers in Brazil can be accessed from any telephone within the country, with many exceptions. They can only be accessed from outside Brazil by using a calling service that accesses numbers from within the called country. Many toll-free numbers are not available from cell phones. Some toll-free numbers are not available from phones listed by the owner of the number, including many payphones. There is no special name for the service and when such a number is advertised, there is usually a remark that the call is free.
In Bulgaria, the toll-free prefix is "0800" followed by a five-digit number. These numbers are called Зелен номер by Vivacom and Зелена линия by A1.
In Canada, toll-free numbers are drawn from the US SMS/800 database. A seven-digit number 310-xxxx is available in Bell Canada and Telus territories. From a landline, these are free. From cell phones, airtime is not covered, but there are no long-distance charges.
In Chile, the toll-free prefix is "800" followed by a six-digit number. These numbers are called número 800. These numbers cannot be accessed from abroad.
In Colombia, toll-free numbers start with "018000".
In Croatia, the prefix for toll-free numbers is "0800".
In the Czech Republic, the toll-free prefix is "800".
In Denmark telephone-numbers have eight digits. The toll-free numbers all begin with "80" followed by six further digits.
The Dominican Republic is assigned specific 1800 exchanges in the North American Numbering Plan; the 1-809-200-xxxx exchange is also free for domestic callers in that country.
In Egypt, it starts with "0800" followed by a seven-digit number. Unavailable via cellphones.
In Ecuador, it starts with "1800" followed by a 6-digit number. Some numbers have either regional or nationwide access. Calls from cellphones are only allowed by the operator Alegro which charges a few cents for these calls. PORTA and Movistar do not allow the service.
In France the "0800" to "0805" prefixes are used for toll-free numbers. They are also known as numéros verts.
In Finland, the toll-free prefix is "0800".
In Germany, the toll-free prefix is "'0800" followed by a seven-digit number. The "0801" prefix is already reserved for future use. The prefix used to be "0130". Deutsche Telekom calls these numbers "freecall 0800", most Germans refer to it simply as null-achthunderter Nummern.
In Georgia, the prefix for toll-free numbers is 0800 followed with six digits. Toll-free calls are available both from mobile and landline phone operators.
In Greece, the toll-free prefix is "800" followed by a seven-digit number or "807" followed by a four-digit number, used for phone card services only.
In Hong Kong, toll-free numbers have the "800" prefix.
In Hungary, toll-free numbers have the "80" prefix.
In Iceland, the toll-free prefix is "800", followed by a four-digit number.
In India, the toll-free prefix is "1800", followed by a six or seven digit number. They are free of charge if called from a mobile phone or a land line. The "1860" prefix followed by seven digits is used for local-rate numbers. The calling party pays the local rate and the called party pays long-distance call charges.
In Indonesia, the toll-free prefix is "0800-1", followed by a six-digit number.
In Ireland, 1800- numbers are freephones, with the 1800 71xxxx reserved for services that expect unusually high volumes of calls.
In Israel, toll-free numbers are prefixed with "1800" followed by 6 digits ; "180" or "189" followed by 7 digits usually refers to a free call to an overseas-operated calling center. The called party pays the charges for the call. As of 2012, calls from local cellular phone service providers to these prefixes are also free. Numbers prefixed with "1700" followed by 6 digits are local-rate numbers for the first 3–4 minutes, after which the charges for the remaining duration of the call are transferred to the receiving party.
In Italy, toll-free numbers are dialed with the "800" or "803" prefix and are commonly referred to as numero verde or linea verde. The numeri verdi used to begin with "1678" and later with "167".

Image:Free1.gif|thumb|NTT Communications trade mark for free dial, often used in print advertising.

In Japan, the prefixes "0120" and "0800" are officially assigned for toll-free numbers and are often referred to as "free dial" or "free call" telephone numbers. These numbers are owned by NTT Communications. Several telephone carriers also provide toll-free services under their own company prefixes such as "0077".
In South Korea, toll-free numbers are prefixed with "080". Not all numbers with the "080" prefix are toll-free when called from a mobile phone.
In Latvia the prefix 8000-xx-xx is used for toll-free services. They are toll-free only when dialed from landlines, and charged the same as a land line when dialed from cell phones.
In Malaysia the prefix is 1800. Free if calling from a land-line and VoIP only. Calling from mobile phone will be considered a local call, with varying charges depending on the mobile network providers.
In Mexico the prefix is 800.
In Nepal the prefix is 1660.
In New Zealand, both "0800" or "0508" prefixes are referred to variously and interchangeably as "free phone" or "toll-free". Originally these "Oh-eight-hundred" numbers were provided by Spark New Zealand and "0508" by rival company Clear, although now both numbers can be provided by either company. Some older toll bar services designed to restrict toll calls will also block calls to these free phone numbers, although this has become less common since the mid-1990s. A limited number of companies utilizing toll-free numbers will not accept calls from mobile phones. Some other free phone services exist, such as "*555", which can be dialled from cellular phones to report traffic conditions and incidents of dangerous driving.
In the Netherlands, the prefix "0800" is used for toll-free numbers. Calling 0800-numbers from fixed and mobile phones is free by law. UIFN's "00800" are generally free from fixed lines and charged for the airtime from mobile phones. UIFN access is not enforced by law, causing certain phone providers not to honor the standard.
In Norway most telephone-numbers have eight digits. Toll-free numbers all begin with "800", followed by five further digits.
In Pakistan, toll-free numbers have the format "0800-xxxxx".
In Paraguay, the prefix "0800" is used for toll-free numbers, followed by 6 digits.
In the Philippines, the prefix for toll-free numbers is "1800" followed by either one, two, or four digits, and then by either a four- or seven-digit phone number. However, there are restrictions. Toll-free numbers are limited to the telephone network where the toll-free number is being handled. So, subscribers of a different telephone network company will not be able to call a toll-free number handled by a different telephone network. International toll-free numbers can only be accessed if the calling party is a PLDT subscriber.
In Poland, toll-free numbers have the format "800 xxx xxx". There are also split-charge numbers in the format "801 uxx xxx" and "universal numbers" in the format "804 uxx xxx", where the caller is automatically connected to the nearest office.
In Portugal, the prefix is "800" so the 9-digit number is "800 xxx xxx". It is referred as chamada gratuita or as número verde.
In Qatar, toll-free numbers have the format "800' xxxx".
In Romania, toll-free numbers have the format "0800 xxx xxx". The service is referred to as număr verde.
In Russia, the prefix is "8-800", followed by 7 digits.
In Serbia, the prefix "0-800", followed by a 6 or 7 digit number, is used.
In Singapore, the prefix "1800" followed by a 7 digit number is used. Calling from a mobile phone network will be considered a local call and charges vary among service providers.
In Slovakia, the toll-free prefix is "0800", followed by six digits. The local rate prefix is "0850".
In Slovenia, the prefix "080" is used for toll-free numbers, followed by four more digits.
In South Africa, the prefix "080", followed by 7 digits is used. It is referred to as a "toll-free" or "080" number.
In Spain, the "900XXXXXX" or "800XXXXXX" numbers are always toll-free, "909XXXXXX" is used for dial-up Internet service and toll-free dialup Internet service. Also "1002", "1004", "14XX", "15XX" and "16XX" are free and are used for the telecommunication providers call centers.
In Sweden, the prefix is "020" or "0200" for toll-free numbers. These numbers are unreachable from other countries.
In Switzerland, the toll-free prefix is "0800"; it used to be "155". These numbers are called grüne Nummer / numéro vert / numero verde, all meaning "green number".
In Taiwan, the toll-free prefix is 0800-xxx-xxx or 0809-xxx-xxx, but not all Taiwanese mobile numbers can call toll free numbers. A toll-free subscriber can decide to restrict a number due to high per-minute mobile rates. This is cumbersome for the caller, who is told to dial another landline number, usually at the highest toll rate within the country as a mobile to landline call. Some small VOIP operators also cannot call toll free numbers. For example, 0701-xxx-xxx cannot call toll free numbers directly, but can call through a live operator by dialling "123" and have them redirect the call.
In Thailand, for the Call Free, Free Call, Toll-Free, or Free Phone service, the format used is "1800-xxxxxx". Calls are free for all fixed line calls. Mobile carriers AIS and CAT offer 1-800 service for cell phones. DTAC and True mobile providers currently do not, but it is expected they will offer the 1-800 service for subscribers by late 2009.
In Turkey, the prefix for toll-free numbers is "0800".
In the United Kingdom, modern freephone numbers start with 0800 or 0808, followed by a further 7 digits. Some older 0800 numbers still in use have a shorter number length. The former 0500 freephone number range was withdrawn on 5 June 2017.
In Ukraine, toll-free numbers have the "0800" prefix, followed by 2 digits for the carrier code, then 4 digits for the client number - i.e., 0 800 YYXXXX. Before October 2009, the "8800" prefix was used.
In Vietnam, the prefix "1800" followed by a series of numbers, usually from 4 to 9 digits. All "1800" numbers are free of charge, but some of them cannot be dialled from all telephones.
In Kosovo, the toll-free prefix is "0800" followed by 5 digits.