Contents
- - What happens to landline numbers when not being used?
- - What happens to mobile numbers when not being used?
- - The period for a mobile number to be assigned to a new user
- - Why is keeping your existing number important?
What happens to landline numbers when not being used?
When a landline number is not being used and is inactive for some time the number can be recycled as the term indicates the number once was assigned to a user or a company can be reassigned to its new user. This is the terminology used in the industry to indicate the numbers are being reused not become obsolete. Number deactivation may occur in many ways, companies no longer actively operating or ceased operation, deceased person's phone numbers, and number changes due to relocation are some of the most common reasons. In recent years landlines and their usage have decreased a lot due to mobile phones being the main communication channel for the public and companies switching to the VoIP phone and internet lines.
What happens to mobile numbers when not being used?
However, the common usage of mobile phones and lines has brought some issues in the way that some account access verification issues. The mobile phone numbers have also become a key to verifying access to our mail accounts, bank accounts, and some applications we use daily. Since the mobile numbers we use are commonly used as an identification key in our acts on the phone and the internet's main issue is what happens if the line gets disconnected or inactive for a long period of time due to a reason or extraordinary incidents, we basically lose the connection key to our accounts, SMS code factor authorizations for purchases, app verifications to access data or access codes will not be possible to obtain, in short definition, this would be a nightmare for anyone. As it can happen, we asked the question what happens to old mobile numbers in the UK?
Ofcom states that there are various issues in the industry about old mobile numbers, sims that have assigned phone numbers and have never been activated stay dormant, a high amount of numbers are dormant in the mobile phone data, there are also numbers inactive for a period of time and also there are numbers which are being reassigned to new users due to inactivity. Unused mobile numbers are being recycled with beneficial intentions but does that mean we can be leaving a footstep to a stranger when we change our mobile number, the answer is a bit disconcerting.
The period for a mobile number to be assigned to a new user
The period for a mobile number to be assigned to a new user changes between 90 days to 12 months depending on the network provider. Sometimes we check the WhatsApp contact list on our smartphone we will see some profile photos not match the accompanied contact description we added or are very irrelevant, this is probably due to a number change.
We unintentionally have a desire to back up all the information in our hands in this digital age and this may lead to such complications if we change our number or get a new line. There are over 5 billion mobile numbers in the world that are actively in use. Mobile phone numbers in the UK start with the 07 prefixes and since there is a huge pressure on the network providers to issue numbers for the increasing demand and the finite number of combinations available for 11 digits, the phone number recycling is inevitable. The regulation of the recycling of phone numbers is conducted by Ofcom in the UK.
To ensure efficient use of the phone numbers Ofcom maintained a strict use it or lose it policy for Pay As You Go (PAYG) numbers which enables network providers to reassign the numbers to a new user when the number is inactive or suspended. Alternatively, if you use a number that can be also Pay Monthly contract you can request a Service Termination Authorization Code and disconnect the number. Disconnected and terminated numbers reach the recycling pool to be assigned to a new user similar to PAYG numbers procedure.
Why is keeping your existing number important?
It is believed that the best option to protect your data is keeping your mobile number unchanged and active unless a real necessity occurs, as the numbers in recycling pool will end up in a new subscribers usage and if some Apps are used with the number previously and the details have not been changed on the App before changing the new number, the person who has the number will be able to view data associated with the mobile number for some Apps or accounts. Even an email login is associated with a mobile number for ID verification and if you change your mobile number before changing these details on the mail account this can lead to serious recovery process before you can make the necessary amendments.
Overall if you are terminating or disconnecting your number, it would be ideal to change all of your mobile number details in Apps and accounts to prevent verification problems in the future as all old mobile numbers are being recycled at one stage in the UK, waiting to be assigned to a new subscriber.