HACKER Q&A
📣 tdfx

How can I buy non-VoIP phone numbers?


I'm looking to set up something related to a service like https://clerk.chat. This would require the ability to obtain phone numbers that can receive SMS codes from banks, government agencies, and tech companies, many of which block VoIP numbers like Twilio, Google Voice, etc.

Anyone ever worked on something like this or have any idea where to start looking for providers? The industry itself seems rather opaque.

  👤 icedchai Accepted Answer ✓
Contact a smaller CLEC, see if they can provide SMS over SIP. These will still be "VOIP" numbers but hopefully that CLEC is not big enough to get flagged like Google, Bandwidth.com, Level3, etc. The phone numbers are flagged as "VOIP" based on the serving carrier (LRN number, I think?)

I originally had an old school copper land line at my house, through the local telco (Verizon.) I ported it out to a VOIP provider that is a Bandwidth.com reseller. My line is now flagged a VOIP since it is now routed through them.

👤 spindle
It varies by jurisdiction and you don't say where you are.