This topic provides answers to frequently asked questions about the Cell Phone Number Service.
Question overview
- What is query accuracy?
- Does retrying after an error code produce the same result?
- What does "unknown" mean?
- What is returned for numbers that are not enabled, not activated, or reported as lost?
- What is functional downtime?
- When is "Operation restricted" returned?
- When is "Carrier restricted" returned?
- What is the difference between "Carrier restricted" and "Operation restricted"?
- Is an actual call required?
- How does billing work?
- Are unused resources in a package refundable?
- Are purchased packages refundable?
How accurate are the queries?
| Carrier | Number prefixes |
| China Telecom | 133, 134, 153, 1700, 1701, 1702, 173, 177, 180, 181, 189, 199, 191. |
| China Unicom | 130, 131, 132, 145, 155, 156, 185, 186, 171, 175, 176, 1704, 1707, 1708, 1709, 166, 167. |
| China Mobile | 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 147, 148, 150, 151, 152, 154, 157, 158, 159, 165, 172, 178, 182, 183, 184, 187, 188, 198, 1703, 1705, 1706. |
| China Broadnet | 192 |
If I retry after an error code, will the result be the same?
The same error code is returned on retry, except for errors related to rate limiting or service activation. If the service is not activated, an error code is returned indicating that the product is not subscribed. After you activate the service and retry, the query will succeed. If the phone number format is incorrect, you can submit the number in the correct format to obtain a successful query result.
What does "unknown" mean?
An "unknown" status means the API query was successful, but the number's current state could not be determined. This may be due to an issue with the number itself or with network equipment.
What is returned for numbers that are not enabled, not activated, or reported as lost?
- Number Status Query: Returns 'nonexistent number' for numbers that are not activated or not enabled. Returns 'suspended' for numbers that are reported as lost.
- Nonexistent Number Detection: The status is predicted by an algorithm. Therefore, the returned result does not necessarily correspond to the scenarios described above.
What is functional downtime?
Partial service suspension means that a single service, such as text messaging or voice service, is suspended.
When is "Operation restricted" returned?
The "Operation restricted" error is returned when the rate limit of 200 queries per second (QPS) is exceeded.
When is "Carrier restricted" returned?
The "Carrier restricted" error is returned when a carrier's rate limit is triggered.
What is the difference between "Carrier restricted" and "Operation restricted"?
"Carrier restricted" indicates a rate limit imposed by the carrier. "Operation restricted" indicates a rate limit for system protection imposed by Alibaba Cloud.
Is an actual call required?
Detection is performed through signaling, so no actual call is required.
How does billing work?
You are charged for each successful query that returns a number's status. You are not charged for queries that return an "unknown" status. For more information about billing, see Billing overview.
Are unused resources in a package refundable?
Refunds are not available for packages that have been used or were purchased more than six months ago. Packages take effect immediately after purchase and expire automatically.
Are purchased packages refundable?
- You can request a refund for a package order within its validity period.
- Packages that have been used are not refundable.
- Packages take effect immediately after purchase. They expire automatically, and any unused quota is forfeited.
Does Cell Phone Number Service support queries for landlines and numbers outside China?
The Cell Phone Number Service does not currently support queries for phone numbers outside China. If you require this feature, please contact us with your feedback.