How to Get a Disconnected Residential Phone Number
By Herman Cruz
Residential phone numbers are also known as land lines. When any given residential phone number is disconnected because of a lack of payment, or because the previous owner simply closed the phone number account, there is a period of 60 to 90 days before the number is available to other customers. If you know about a phone number that is disconnected and you want to get that number for your land line, there are several steps you must take to find out if the number is available to the public and you can get it for yourself.
Determine who is the carrier for the disconnected phone number you want. You can accomplish this by visiting websites that identify phone numbers and display the carrier for any given number. Websites like Fone Finder, Search Bug and Phone Agent Source can helps you with this step cost-free. (See Resources.)
Visit any of the websites just mentioned and enter the disconnected residential phone number you want to get in the "Phone Number" field. Click the "Search," "Verify," or "Search by Number" tab, depending on the website you decided to use, and the results will be displayed on your screen.
Located the section of the search results that says "Phone Company" or "Service Provider." This section of the search results will tell you who the carrier for the disconnected residential phone number is (e.g., Cox, AT&T or Verizon).
Contact the carrier of the disconnected phone number you want to inquire about getting for yourself. If the number is available, you will be able to get a line; however, if the number was just disconnected recently, you may have to wait 60 to 90 days before you can get the phone number and have it assigned to your name. The length of the wait will depend on the carrier that owns the disconnected phone number.
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Writer Bio
Based in Orange County, Calif., Herman Cruz has been writing since 2007. His articles have been published in various content platforms and he also has written for Internet entrepreneurs who need assistance with writing sales letters and articles for their businesses. Cruz is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in integrated composition, improvisation and technology at the University of California in Irvine.