Owners of Unused 1-800 Numbers Urged to Relieve Demand

Posted on July 7, 2008 by smsgov

With the availability of new 1-800 numbers rapidly declining as demand for toll free service skyrockets, industry insiders are urging the owners of unused toll free numbers to release them back into the system.

Experts say if the database of numbers isn’t beefed up soon, the finite supply of toll free numbers could run out. It is estimated that 8,000 numbers are registered each day.

The value of toll free service has become a necessity for any business. The limited availability of new numbers and the limited turnover of used numbers have created an intense and competitive demand for 1-800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers. According to the FCC, popularity of toll free service is increasing for both business and personal use.

When an 800 number is disconnected, it goes into what is referred to as the aging process. At some point it becomes available on the 800 Service Management System (SMS/800) database. Then the race is on to obtain it.

The demand for retired numbers is so great that some companies are charging subscribers thousands of dollars to reserve one. Industry experts say that turnover of claimed numbers is minimal because toll free service is so effective and profitable that businesses, organizations, and non-profits who secure an 800 number tend to keep it.

Toll free numbers were introduced in 1967. By the 1980s, nearly half of all long distance calls would be toll free. Today, 98 percent of adults say they regularly use toll free numbers. Yet, the supply of 800 numbers, including vanity numbers, is at an all-time low with more than two-thirds of the available numbers taken. There are no immediate plans by the FCC to introduce a new pre-fix. In fact, insiders say the reserved 855 numbers may not be launched until 2011.

Advisors say the best way to obtain a toll free number before the supply runs out is to use a reliable toll free service provider that has access to the database of available numbers.

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