TL;DR
- Format and validate phone numbers from 200+ countries with automatic country detection
- Convert to E.164 international standard format (+[country][number]) optimized for database storage
- Detect carrier information (mobile/landline/VoIP) and identify 6 number types with 95% accuracy
- Process 1,000 numbers in 800ms with bulk formatting support
- 1 point per 100 numbers - ideal for CRM systems, messaging platforms, and contact databases
Global Country Support & Auto-Detection
The Phone Number Formatter supports phone number formatting and validation for over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with intelligent country detection.
What is Global Phone Number Support?
Global phone number support means the tool can parse, validate, and format phone numbers according to each country's specific numbering plan. Every country has different rules for phone number length, area codes, mobile prefixes, and formatting conventions. The API handles all these variations automatically.
How Country Detection Works
Country Code Detection
If the number includes a country code (e.g., +1, +49, +44), the tool automatically identifies the country and applies the correct formatting rules.
Default Country Fallback
For local numbers without country codes, you can specify a default country. The API will attempt to parse the number using that country's rules.
Regional Number Parsing
The API understands regional variations like area codes, trunk prefixes (0 in many countries), and special number ranges (toll-free, premium rate).
Multi-Country Support
Process numbers from multiple countries in a single request. The API automatically detects each number's country and applies the appropriate formatting.
Country Support Features
200+ Countries
Comprehensive support for phone numbers from every country and territory with a defined numbering plan.
Auto Country Detection
Automatically identify the country from international format numbers starting with + or 00.
Country Code Parsing
Extract and validate country codes, including shared codes (e.g., +1 for US/Canada) with region differentiation.
Regional Formatting
Apply country-specific formatting rules including parentheses, hyphens, and spacing conventions.
Country Detection Example
Here's how the tool handles numbers from different countries:
Mixed country phone numbers
Country-specific formatted results
The API automatically detects US (+1), Germany (+49), UK (+44), and Japan (+81) numbers, applying the correct formatting and validation rules for each country.
E.164 International Standard Format
E.164 is the international standard for phone number formatting defined by the ITU-T. It provides a universal format that works across all telecommunication systems and is optimal for database storage.
What is E.164 Format?
E.164 format is the globally recognized standard for representing phone numbers in a consistent, machine-readable format. It consists of a plus sign (+) followed by the country code and subscriber number, with no spaces, hyphens, or parentheses. For example: +14155552671 (US), +493012345678 (Germany), +442071234567 (UK).
Why Use E.164 Format?
Universal Compatibility
E.164 numbers work across all telephone networks, VoIP systems, and messaging platforms worldwide without modification.
Database Optimization
Store phone numbers in a single, consistent format. No need for separate country code fields or format variations.
Easy Comparison
Compare phone numbers reliably without worrying about formatting differences. +14155552671 always matches, regardless of input format.
International Routing
Telecommunication systems use E.164 format for routing calls and messages internationally.
Available Format Options
The API supports multiple output formats to suit different use cases:
E.164
+14155552671Database storage, API integration, international messaging
International
+1 415-555-2671User interface display, internationalized applications
National
(415) 555-2671Local display within the same country
RFC3966
tel:+1-415-555-2671Clickable phone links in web and mobile applications
E.164 Conversion Process
Step Input Normalization
The API accepts phone numbers in any format: (415) 555-2671, 415-555-2671, 4155552671, etc.
Step Country Identification
Automatically detect the country code or use the provided default country for local numbers.
Step Validation
Verify the number follows the country's numbering plan rules for length, prefixes, and valid ranges.
Step E.164 Conversion
Convert to E.164 format: +[country code][subscriber number] with no formatting characters.
Carrier Detection & Lookup
The Phone Number Formatter can identify the telecommunications carrier (network operator) for a phone number, along with detecting the line type (mobile, landline, VoIP) with 95% accuracy for major carriers.
What is Carrier Detection?
Carrier detection identifies which telecommunications company provides service for a specific phone number. This information is determined by analyzing the number's prefix, country code, and comparing against databases of carrier-assigned number ranges. The API also identifies whether the number is mobile, landline, or VoIP-based.
Carrier Detection Capabilities
Carrier Name Lookup
Identify the carrier/network operator name (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2, etc.) for mobile and landline numbers.
Mobile vs. Landline
Distinguish between mobile (cell) numbers and landline (fixed-line) numbers based on number prefixes and carrier databases.
VoIP Detection
Identify Voice over IP (VoIP) numbers used by services like Skype, Google Voice, and virtual phone systems.
Number Portability
Support for countries with Mobile Number Portability (MNP), though carrier information may be based on original assignment.
Detection Accuracy
Carrier detection accuracy varies by country and number type:
Major Carriers
95%
High accuracy for large carriers in well-documented countries (US, UK, Germany, etc.)
Mobile Numbers
90%
Mobile numbers typically have dedicated prefixes making detection more reliable
Landline Numbers
85%
Landline carrier detection depends on area code and prefix databases
VoIP Numbers
80%
VoIP detection based on known VoIP provider number ranges
Carrier Detection Use Cases
SMS Routing Optimization
Choose the most cost-effective SMS gateway based on the recipient's carrier network.
Fraud Prevention
Detect VoIP numbers or unusual carriers that may indicate fraudulent accounts or temporary numbers.
Contact Enrichment
Add carrier metadata to CRM contact records for better customer profiling and segmentation.
Network Analytics
Analyze customer distribution across different carriers for marketing and business intelligence.
Important Limitations
Number Portability
In countries with Mobile Number Portability (MNP), users can keep their number when switching carriers. Carrier detection shows the original carrier, not the current one.
Coverage Varies
Carrier detection accuracy is higher in countries with centralized numbering databases and lower in countries with less documentation.
Not Real-Time
Carrier information is based on known number allocations and may not reflect recent changes or new carrier assignments.
Number Type Identification
Beyond basic mobile/landline detection, the Phone Number Formatter classifies phone numbers into 6 specific categories based on their service type and billing characteristics.
Mobile
Cell phone numbers for mobile devices. These numbers can receive SMS/MMS and typically have higher messaging costs.
+1-415-555-0100 (US mobile)
Supports SMS, mobile data, typically personal use
Landline
Fixed-line telephone numbers for residential or business locations. Cannot receive SMS in most countries.
+1-212-555-1000 (US landline)
Voice only, no SMS, tied to physical location
Toll-Free
Free-to-call numbers where the recipient pays for incoming calls. Common for customer service and support lines.
+1-800-555-1000 (US toll-free)
Free for callers, commonly used by businesses
Premium Rate
High-cost numbers that charge callers premium fees, often used for entertainment, voting, or premium services.
+1-900-555-1000 (US premium)
High cost per minute, restricted usage
VoIP
Voice over IP numbers provided by internet-based phone services like Skype, Google Voice, or virtual phone systems.
+1-650-555-1000 (VoIP provider)
Internet-based, often virtual/temporary
Pager
Legacy pager numbers, still used in some industries like healthcare. Can receive numeric or text messages.
+1-917-555-1000 (pager)
Receive-only, limited message capacity
How Type Detection Works
Number type identification analyzes the number's prefix, country code, and number range to determine its service classification. Each country assigns specific prefixes to different service types.
Prefix Analysis
Examine the number's prefix to identify service type indicators (e.g., 800/888 for toll-free in US, 900 for premium).
Range Lookup
Compare the number against known mobile, landline, VoIP, and special service number ranges for the country.
Pattern Matching
Apply country-specific rules for number classification based on numbering plan documentation.
Type Classification
Return the identified number type with confidence level based on match quality.
Business Applications
SMS Campaign Targeting
Only send SMS to mobile numbers, avoiding wasted messages to landlines that can't receive texts.
Cost Optimization
Avoid calling premium-rate numbers or identify toll-free numbers to reduce telephony costs.
Fraud Detection
Flag VoIP or temporary numbers during account registration to reduce fraud and fake accounts.
Contact Validation
Verify contact quality by identifying and removing pager numbers or invalid number types from databases.
Compliance
Ensure compliance with regulations that restrict calling certain number types (e.g., premium rate, toll-free).
Type Detection Accuracy
Number type detection accuracy depends on the country's numbering plan clarity:
- • Mobile/Landline: 95% accuracy in countries with distinct mobile prefixes
- • Toll-Free: 99% accuracy (well-defined prefixes like 800, 888, 0800)
- • Premium Rate: 98% accuracy (regulated prefixes like 900, 0900)
- • VoIP: 85% accuracy (depends on VoIP provider database coverage)
- • Pager: 90% accuracy in countries where pagers are still documented
Implementation Guide
Integrate phone number formatting into your application with these practical examples covering basic formatting, bulk processing with carrier detection, and international validation.
Basic Phone Number Formatting
Format a single phone number to E.164 standard format with validation.
Code:
blogPhoneFormatter.implementation.examples.basic.codeThis example formats a US phone number with parentheses and hyphens into E.164 format (+14155552671). The API validates the number and identifies it as a mobile number.
Bulk Formatting with Carrier Detection
Process multiple phone numbers from different countries with carrier information lookup.
Code:
blogPhoneFormatter.implementation.examples.bulk.codeProcess 4 phone numbers from different countries (US, Germany, UK, Japan) in a single request. The API formats each number to E.164 and includes carrier information for SMS routing optimization.
International Number Validation
Validate phone numbers from multiple countries and get detailed formatting information.
Code:
blogPhoneFormatter.implementation.examples.validation.codeValidate a German phone number and receive all available formats (E.164, international, national, RFC3966) plus geographic location and timezone information.
API Parameters
phone_number
stringThe phone number to format/validate in any format
Required: true
default_country
stringISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g., 'US', 'DE', 'GB') for numbers without country codes
Required: false
output_format
stringDesired output format: 'E164', 'INTERNATIONAL', 'NATIONAL', 'RFC3966' (default: 'E164')
Required: false
include_carrier
booleanInclude carrier detection information (default: false)
Required: false
check_validity
booleanPerform strict validation checks (default: true)
Required: false
Real-World Example: CRM Phone Number Standardization
The Challenge
GlobalConnect CRM
A multinational CRM platform managing 500,000 customer phone numbers from 50 countries faced major data quality issues. Numbers were stored in inconsistent formats - some with country codes, others without, varying use of parentheses, hyphens, and spaces. This caused:
- • 12% SMS delivery failure rate due to incorrectly formatted numbers
- • Duplicate contact detection failing because the same number appeared in different formats
- • Unable to route SMS messages through optimal carriers, wasting $3,000/month
- • Customer support agents manually reformatting numbers before calling
The Solution
GlobalConnect integrated the Phone Number Formatter to standardize their entire contact database and validate new numbers on entry.
Implementation:
- Database Migration: Processed all 500,000 existing phone numbers in batches of 1,000 using the bulk formatting endpoint with carrier detection enabled
- E.164 Standardization: Converted all numbers to E.164 format for database storage, with additional columns for national format (UI display) and carrier information
- Real-Time Validation: Integrated API validation into contact forms to format and validate numbers as users enter them, preventing bad data from entering the system
- Carrier-Based Routing: Used carrier detection to route SMS messages through the most cost-effective gateways for each network
The Results
Processing Time
15 minutes
Formatted and validated 500,000 phone numbers in 500 batches (1,000 numbers each)
Success Rate
98.5%
Successfully formatted 492,500 numbers to E.164. 7,500 numbers (1.5%) were invalid and flagged for manual review
Carrier Detection
87%
Successfully identified carriers for 435,000 numbers, enabling optimized SMS routing
SMS Delivery Improvement
83% reduction
SMS delivery failures dropped from 12% to 2%, saving thousands of failed messages per month
Cost Savings
$3,000/month
Carrier-based SMS routing reduced messaging costs by routing to the most cost-effective gateways
Duplicate Detection
15,000 duplicates found
E.164 standardization enabled exact matching, identifying 15,000 duplicate contacts previously missed
Total API Cost: 5,000 points
500,000 numbers ÷ 100 numbers per point = 5,000 points ($50)
ROI: First-month savings of $3,000 vs. $50 API cost = 60x ROI
Technical Implementation
Batch Processing
Processed numbers in batches of 1,000 to optimize API usage (1 point per 100 numbers = 10 points per batch)
Database Schema
Added columns: phone_e164 (indexed, unique), phone_national (display), carrier_name, number_type, country_code
Error Handling
Invalid numbers flagged in separate table for manual review with original format preserved
Real-Time Validation
Contact form validates numbers on blur, showing formatted preview before submission
Key Takeaways
- E.164 standardization eliminates format-related issues and enables reliable duplicate detection
- Carrier detection unlocks significant cost savings through intelligent SMS routing
- Bulk processing (1,000 numbers per request) is cost-effective for large datasets
- Real-time validation at point of entry prevents bad data from entering the system
- Return on investment is achieved within the first month through reduced failures and cost savings
Error Handling
Handle common phone number formatting errors gracefully with proper validation and user feedback.
INVALID_NUMBER
The phone number is invalid according to the country's numbering plan (wrong length, invalid prefix, etc.)
Input: '+1-123' (too short for US number)
Solution:
Display error message asking user to verify the number. Show expected format for the country (e.g., 'US numbers should be 10 digits').
INVALID_COUNTRY_CODE
The country code is not recognized or doesn't exist (e.g., +999)
Input: '+999-1234567890'
Solution:
Ask user to verify the country code. Provide dropdown of valid country codes or auto-detect from IP location.
COUNTRY_CODE_REQUIRED
No country code provided and no default_country specified, making it impossible to parse the number
Input: '4155552671' with no default_country parameter
Solution:
Either include country code in the number (+14155552671) or specify default_country parameter based on user location or profile.
CARRIER_UNAVAILABLE
Carrier information is not available for this number (country not supported or number type doesn't have carrier info)
Input: '+1-800-555-1000' (toll-free number, no carrier)
Solution:
This is expected for certain number types (toll-free, premium). Proceed with formatting but don't rely on carrier data.
Error Handling Best Practices
Always Validate
Use check_validity: true parameter to catch invalid numbers before attempting to use them for calls or SMS.
Preserve Original Input
Store both the original user input and the formatted E.164 version. If formatting fails, you still have the original.
Provide Clear Feedback
Show users exactly what's wrong ('Number too short for US phone number, should be 10 digits') rather than generic errors.
Suggest Corrections
When possible, suggest the correct format or auto-correct minor issues (e.g., removing leading zeros).
Best Practices
Store in E.164 Format
Always store phone numbers in E.164 format in your database. This provides a consistent, searchable format and makes numbers portable across systems. Keep a separate column for display format if needed.
Impact: Enables reliable duplicate detection, sorting, and searching
Validate at Point of Entry
Integrate phone number validation into forms and APIs as users enter data. Real-time validation prevents bad data from entering your system and provides immediate user feedback.
Impact: Reduces data quality issues by 90%+
Use Bulk Processing for Large Datasets
When processing thousands of numbers (database migration, import), use the bulk endpoint with batches of 1,000 numbers. This is 10x more cost-effective than individual requests.
Impact: 1,000 numbers costs 10 points (bulk) vs 1,000 points (individual)
Enable Carrier Detection for SMS
If you send SMS messages, enable carrier detection to identify mobile vs landline numbers. This prevents wasted messages to landlines and enables carrier-based routing optimization.
Impact: Reduces SMS failures and can save 20-40% on messaging costs
Set Appropriate Default Country
For local numbers without country codes, set default_country based on user location (IP geolocation), profile, or form selection. This improves parsing accuracy for local format numbers.
Impact: Increases successful parsing from 60% to 95% for local numbers
Handle Number Portability
Remember that carrier detection shows the original carrier assignment, not the current carrier (due to number portability). Use carrier info for analytics, not real-time routing decisions.
Impact: Prevents routing errors in MNP-enabled countries
Display Numbers in Local Format
While storing in E.164, display numbers in national or international format for user interfaces. Users find local format (+1 (415) 555-2671) more readable than E.164 (+14155552671).
Impact: Improves user experience and reduces confusion
Filter by Number Type
Use number type identification to filter contacts appropriately: only send SMS to mobile numbers, avoid calling premium-rate numbers, flag VoIP numbers for fraud checks.
Impact: Reduces costs, improves deliverability, enhances security
Next Steps
Get Your API Token
Sign up for an AppHighway account and generate your API token from the dashboard. Start with 100 free points to test phone number formatting.
Visit apphighway.com/signup
Test with Your Data
Upload a sample of your phone numbers (CSV or JSON) using the bulk formatting endpoint. Review the results to see validation success rate and carrier detection coverage.
Use the /format-bulk endpoint with a test batch
Integrate into Your Application
Add phone number validation to your sign-up forms, contact management system, or CRM. Use real-time validation to format numbers as users enter them.
Follow the implementation examples above
Optimize Your Workflow
Migrate existing database to E.164 format, set up carrier-based SMS routing, and implement number type filtering for improved deliverability and cost savings.
Use bulk processing for database migration
Conclusion
The Phone Number Formatter provides enterprise-grade phone number standardization, validation, and enrichment for 200+ countries. With E.164 formatting, carrier detection, and number type identification, you can transform messy contact data into clean, actionable information. Whether you're migrating a legacy database, building a new CRM system, or optimizing SMS delivery, the tool handles the complexity of global phone number formats so you can focus on your core product. At just 1 point per 100 numbers, the tool delivers exceptional value - most companies achieve ROI within the first month through improved deliverability and cost savings. Start standardizing your phone numbers today with 100 free points at apphighway.com.