A virtual phone number is a real, dialable number that is not wired to a specific SIM card, handset, or building. It lives in your provider’s network, and you decide where calls to it should land. That single idea is what makes it possible to hold a London number while sitting in Warsaw, or to run one support line answered by a team spread across three countries.
How does a virtual phone number work?
Nothing physical reaches you. When someone dials your virtual number, the call arrives at the provider’s platform, which looks up the routing rule you configured and delivers the call to the destination you chose. That destination can be a mobile, a landline, a SIP app on your laptop, or a phone system in your office.
Because the rule is just configuration, you can change it whenever you like. Calls can ring one place during business hours and another at night, try a mobile if the desk phone does not answer, or go to voicemail on weekends. The caller never sees any of this: they dial a normal number in their own country and pay their normal local rate.
Virtual number vs a SIM card
The clearest way to understand a virtual number is to compare it with the thing everyone already knows.
| SIM card number | Virtual number | |
|---|---|---|
| Tied to | A physical card in one device | An account, not a device |
| Where you must be | In the network’s coverage area | Anywhere with internet or a forwarding target |
| Country of the number | Where you bought the SIM | Any country the provider covers |
| Who can answer | Whoever holds the phone | Any teammate you route the call to |
| Changing the destination | Swap the card or the device | Edit a setting |
| Several numbers at once | One per slot | As many as you need, all in one place |
What types of virtual numbers are there?
Not every virtual number does the same job, and picking the wrong type is the most common mistake. Broadly there are four:
- Local numbers carry the area code of a specific city or country and are what you want for a local presence in a market. These are also called DID numbers.
- Toll-free numbers are free for the caller and paid for by you, which suits nationwide customer service lines.
- SMS numbers receive text messages rather than calls, which is what most sign-up and verification flows need.
- Disposable numbers exist for a single one-time code and are then discarded, so they are not meant to be used as a contact number.
If you want a number that stays with your business for years, rather than one that expires, that is a permanent virtual number.
At telnum.net we are offering virtual numbers including multichannel ones (where is possible), toll free numbers, and virtual sms numbers. Virtual pbx may help you to combine some of these services in one, although you will need a virtual local number most of the time. You can select where do you want your calls to be transferred. It could be absolutely free for you if you select SiP. In other cases, you can check your cost on our site in “forwarding cost”.
What do you need to use one?
Less than most people expect. You need somewhere for calls to arrive, which can simply be your existing mobile number, and in some countries you need documents confirming the address of the business or its representative before the number can be activated. Requirements vary by country and are shown on each country page before you order.
Choosing where calls are delivered
Virtual local numbers are still not as widely used as a mobile or landline phones. But recent trends in global economy are making people think about expansion of their business and moving to other countries in search for a cheaper life. The idea behind a virtual local number is purchasing a landline number in the country where you plan to receive a majority of phone calls and forwarding it to the place where you intending to stay most of the time. This would allow people who want to reach you the ability to call you at a local rate. Besides that, you will be able to choose where to redirect incoming calls. It could be VoiP, mobile number, or even a toll free number.
Customers can choose a complex forwarding, in cases when one of their lines was busy, they would still get a call forwarded to a mobile number. Telnum offers this as call forwarding to any destination, and you can add an IVR voice menu so callers reach the right department on their own.
Additional Virtual Phone Services
At Telnum.net we are offering you all inclusive virtual phone services at $65 per month. It includes all possible telecommunication services, and it is cheaper to get the entire package than to pay for each service separately. Our virtual office phone service will let your office turn into professional business unit with complete phone answering and directing capabilities. This way you will be able even at times you are not there to capture all the phone calls. The best part about all of it is its price of $65 a month and no need for secretary or any other personal.
If you wanted to add more capabilities to your virtual local number, you will have a choice of virtual local office at a price of $65 per a month. This would add such options as black and white list, multi-lines expansion, conferencing and many other. You can also order one or more of the additional services separately.
Where can you get a virtual number?
Telnum covers more than 90 countries and 6500 cities. The busiest markets among our customers are the United States, China, Turkey, Germany, India and Singapore. Each country page lists the cities available, the price, and any documents required before activation.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need internet for a virtual number to work?
Only if you want calls delivered to an app. If you forward the number to an ordinary mobile or landline, the call arrives over the normal phone network and works with no internet at all on your side.
Can I keep the number if I move to another country?
Yes. The number stays with your account regardless of where you are, which is one of the main reasons people choose one. You simply change the destination it forwards to.
Will callers know it is a virtual number?
No. It looks and behaves like any other number in that country, and callers pay their usual local rate for dialing it.
Can I make outgoing calls, not just receive them?
Yes, with a SIP account activated on your number, and you can show your virtual number as the caller ID. Outgoing calls are charged separately from the number rental; the current call rates are listed on the site.
Is a virtual number the same as a VoIP number?
They overlap but are not identical. VoIP describes the technology carrying the call over the internet. Virtual describes the fact that the number is not bound to a physical line. Most virtual numbers use VoIP somewhere along the path, but a virtual number forwarded to a mobile finishes its journey on the ordinary phone network.