Are Cell Phone Numbers Going Public?
Fortunately, for many cell phone customers, a 411 directory proposed by the major cell phone carriers has been postponed indefinitely. However, this hasn’t prevented many people from registering with the national “Do not call” list as a way to head off any future public 411 listing and the avalanche of telemarketing calls that would be sure to follow.
So why haven’t the cell companies gone ahead with their plan? Well, the simple answer is that while most of us are still paying a “per call” rate, it would be irresponsible and possibly illegal to publish your cell number so that telemarketers could phone you at will – all on your dime.
However, as cell time becomes cheaper, we could see a situation in the not too distant future where most phone plans will be billed per month regardless of use (just like your home phone). Once this happens, you could see a cellular 411 list that contains the exact information you can get for a land line through The White Pages today. Of course, it would be up to the individual to take the extra step and get a private listing.
For the time being, however, if you want details about a cell number such as the owner’s name and address, you have to use a service like this one. For a small fee, they will provide you with up-to-date, accurate information about any cell number you wish – all straight from the cell phone company.
Free Cell Phone Number Lookup
In this day and age, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a free cell phone number lookup. After all, most things are available online if you take the time to look – Right?
Wrong.
While many websites advertise free cell phone number lookups, the actual free information is sparse and really of no use.
If you are determined to check out these free reverse cell phone services, you can expect one of two things:
1. You find a site that advertises a free reverse cell phone lookup so you enter the number only to find that they only provide you with the cell carrier’s name and the city that the number resides in – nothing more. By the way, this information is free through the White Pages website.
On the so called “results” page, you will notice they indicate that the person’s name and address are also available – “Click here for more details.”
Upon clicking the link, you are redirected to a real reverse cell phone number lookup. This is usually a premium service that buys its data directly from the cell phone companies. You are then provided with an option to purchase real information about the cell phone customer including name, address, and more.
While this service is undoubtedly top notch, it is not free. How can this be? Didn’t that first web site promise free information? Yes, it did – and you received it – The name of the cell company and the city that the number is assigned to. You got some free information – just not what you would call usable or practical.
2. You find a web site that promises a free cell phone number lookup. Upon entering the number, you are asked for your own cell number, name and address. You are then asked to agree to their terms of service.
The information you get back after all this (if any) seems vague and incomplete. Can you guess how this works?
First, they likely get their information from free public records, if available (Google search). Second, they might have information available on their own servers from other people that have tried their service. Remember, you gave them your information before they would give you any. By agreeing to their terms of service, you probably acknowledged that they are not obligated to provide any information at all, while you agree to allow them to store your own private info for future users. Sounds like a good system, huh? Well, it is – For them!
There are no free cell phone number lookup services at present. You could get lucky and get some useful information from the many “free” services, but the chances are slim. At present, cell companies do not release this information free – period. They will, however, sell the details to companies that provide a real reverse cell phone lookup service for their customers.
For a small fee, you can get timely, accurate, organised, and in-depth details on any cell number you wish.
Real information delivered quickly – there’s nothing like it.
Reverse Cell Phone Number Look Up
Have you ever tried performing a reverse cell phone number look up in one of the usual reverse phone number lookup web sites? If the answer is yes, then you have likely been disappointed at the lack of information available.
In fact, the only information you will receive is the name of the cell carrier and the city or town where the number originates from. Oh… and you’ll also get the message that the number is unpublished or unavailable.
Anything more than that and you will have to try your luck and hope that the owner has given permission for the number to be published, and that it is listed in one of the “free” cell phone directories. As a last resort, you could try to Google the phone number as it might be listed on a web site somewhere.
In any case, you need to be extremely lucky to find out any information on a cell phone number – for free, that is.
One very quick and easy solution to finding out who belongs to that mysterious cell phone number is to access a database that buys its information from all the major cell carriers.
The advantage of going with a professional service will be obvious as soon as you enter the cell phone number. In most cases you will be provided with as much information as you would receive if you looked up a landline phone number through the White Pages web site. In many cases, even more.
The bottom line is that if you need to perform a reverse cell phone number lookup, you should seek out a reputable company that buys all the latest data straight from the cell phone carriers themselves. The small price you will pay for this service is well worth it.
Free Reverse Cell Phone Directory. Too Good To Be True?
The information that is attached to your land line home phone number is made available to whoever wishes to view it. It is classified as public domain. As such, anyone can look up your phone number on a number of free reverse phone number sites to get your name and address. One of the most popular is The White Pages directory.
When it comes to cell phones, things are entirely different. The information that is attached to each cell number is not as readily available. This data is held by the major carriers who are reluctant to release it for public viewing due to the fact that the number could be used by telemarketers and other services.
That’s not to say that the information is not available, it’s just that it is not listed as freely as land line number information.
While searching for a free reverse cell phone directory, you will undoubtedly come across some, so called, “free” directories. The information you get from these sites is usually nothing more than information about the actual carrier.
If you are lucky, you may come across a site that does actually offer free cell phone reverse look ups, but the information will be hit and miss. These services rely on the fact that the cell number information is already in the public domain. Usually this is because the user has agreed to have their name and address made public. Save yourself some time and just do a Google search of the phone number – it amounts to the same thing.
Websites like this will almost always ask you for your name, cell number, and address before they are willing to do a reverse cell number lookup for you. Guess what they do with this information?
It’s added to their own database and combined with the public information they already have. I suppose there is a chance that you could request some information about a cell user and have them return something significant – but not likely.
If you are looking for precise, factual, detailed, and up to date information on a cell phone number, you will save a lot of time and trouble by contacting a service that buys real information directly from the cell carriers themselves. Though you will pay a small fee for this service, it is the only way you can really get quick, reliable information about a cell phone number.
Reverse Cell Phone Directory
If you’ve ever tried looking on the net for a reverse cell phone directory, you know how disappointing it can be once you discover that there is no cell phone equivalent to services such as the White Pages.
The reason for this is simple: Landline phone number information (at least those that have not been made private) is available for all to see and can easily be accessed via the numerous online and offline directories. In other words, it is public information.
Cell phone information is not as straight forward. Personal details such as the owner’s name and address are kept by each of the major cell carriers and do not appear in free directories such as the White Pages.
No matter how sophisticated your caller Id is, you will never know anything about a cell phone caller except for their number.
Though reverse cell phone directories exist, they are not the same as the free land line directories. The major difference is that you will have to go through a company that specializes in buying and providing personal details from the cell phone carriers. They buy the rights to access the information and charge a small fee to anyone that wishes to use their service to do a reverse cell phone lookup.