Signs Indicate There May Not Be Much Time Left to Reserve an 800 Number

More than two-thirds of the available supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are taken and millions of new subscribers are registering every year. Business owners who wait much longer to obtain a number might find themselves out of luck. In a competitive market, a toll free number is a valuable commodity for every business.

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Industry Insiders Request Unused 1-800 Numbers be Released

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.

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Supply of U.S. 1-800s Running Out

Industry insiders are recommending that anyone wishing to obtain a toll free number secure one immediately. There are an average of 8,000 new toll free numbers registered each day. With a limited number of numerical possibilities, the finite supply is nearly expended.

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1-800 Supply at Record Low

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. Meanwhile, the supply of 800, 888, 877, and 866 numbers are at an all-time low. More than two-thirds of the available numbers are taken and there are no immediate plans by the Federal Communications Commission to introduce a new pre-fix.

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Number Brokering: Part of the Toll Free Black Market

As “public resources” that cannot be bought or sold, the FCC deemed the practice of selling specific vanity numbers or numerical sequences illegal. Opponents say this practice hurts the industry because it limits the best use and most practical assignments of specific numbers. Still, the FCC has held fast, cracking down on illegal sales and regulating the assignment of numbers on a first-come, first –served basis from the main database of available numbers maintained by 800 Services Management System (SMS/800).

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Number Hoarding: Part of the Toll Free Black Market

The FCC began investigating hoarding of 800 numbers as far back as 1995, but despite the subsequent release of 888, 877, and 866 pre-fixes, the practice continues to grow along with the skyrocketing popularity of toll free service. The FCC has the 855 pre-fix reserved to alleviate the shortage but has not yet announced plans to release those numbers.

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Toll Free Service Finds Enthusiasm in Home Market

Personal use of toll free phone service has skyrocketed in the past five years. Adults are now routinely providing elderly parents on a fixed income with an 800 number. Parents are hooking their kids up with toll free service so they can keep in constant communication. And experts say this trend is not a passing fancy. Toll free service for personal use is here to stay.

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Supplies Of Toll Free Numbers Nearly Exhausted

Government officials and telecommunications insiders agree that say something must be done to offset the problem of depleted supplies of available toll free numbers. But will this mean a possible rationing program and a tougher crackdown on the burgeoning black market? Attempts to profit from the illegal sale of 800, 888, 877 and 866 numbers are in response to rapidly dwindling supplies. As with any commodity in high demand, a black market for toll free numbers has emerged. Some feel that rationing may just make the problem worse.

What to Expect When Obtaining Toll Free Service

Subscribers will never encounter any surprise costs and hidden fees with toll free numbers obtained through a reputable service provider. Subscribers can choose from a list of specific services and products not available through regular phone service. With toll free service, they never pay for options they don’t need and won’t use.

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Toll Free Service Now Available through Fiber-Optic Lines

Some companies such use exclusively fiber optic technology. Other toll free number service providers still use the less reliable VoIP, which does not provide the consistent connections of fiber optics. In fact, in some circumstances with VoIP, if the power fails, phone calls cannot be transmitted at all.

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