This free disconnected number checker asks a mobile number's own network whether the line is active, switched off or out of service.
Enter a mobile number with its country code to see whether it is active, switched off or out of service. One check needs no signup.
Pick the country, then enter the number without the country code.
Free & rate-limited. No signup required to try.
To tell whether a phone number is disconnected, ask the network that holds it. 1Lookup's free checker sends a live network query for a mobile number and returns active, temporarily unreachable, no active line or unknown, with the country and ported flag. US and Canadian numbers return assigned or not assigned, because those carriers do not answer live queries.
- Free single-number check
- Live network status
- No call or text is sent
- Mobile numbers worldwide
Page checked
You can check whether a mobile number is disconnected in four steps.
Enter the number with its country code.
Start with + and the country code, such as +44 7700 900123, so the query goes to the right network.
Read the status the network gives.
Active means the SIM is registered and reachable, temporarily unreachable means the phone is off or out of coverage, and no active line means the network has no active subscriber on the number.
Read how the answer was reached.
A live query is the network's own answer. For US and Canadian numbers the answer comes from number records and says the number is assigned.
Check an unreachable number again later.
A phone that is switched off or out of coverage is not a disconnected line, and its status can change within the day.
Need this at scale? HLR Lookup API
Clean a whole list of mobile numbers before a send: each one comes back active, temporarily unreachable, with no active line or unknown, one request per number.
A disconnected number is one its carrier has taken out of service, and only the network that holds it can say whether it still works.
A number is disconnected when the carrier that issued it stops serving it: the customer asked to end the service, the line sat unused, or the carrier cut it off for misuse. Regulators then keep the number out of circulation for a set time before it can go to someone else. In the United States the FCC lets carriers age a residential number for 45 to 90 days and a business number for 45 to 365 days before it goes to a new customer (47 CFR 52.15). Ireland's regulator sets 13 months and Malaysia's sets at least 6 months.
The check asks the network instead of a list. The signalling standards that mobile networks speak give the network separate answers for a number that was never assigned, a number that no longer exists and a subscriber who exists but cannot be reached now (3GPP TS 29.002 and ITU-T Q.850). None of those answers says why a number is out of service: an unassigned number can be spare, held in quarantine or recently disconnected, and the codes do not tell the three apart. This page therefore reports no active line, and never a cause.
A phone that is switched off or out of coverage comes back as temporarily unreachable, which is not the same as disconnected. TRAI, India's telecom regulator, publishes monthly counts that leave between 77.59 and 85.84 million registered mobile subscribers not active on the day of peak activity, from August 2025 to August 2026. US and Canadian carriers do not answer live queries, so for those numbers the check reads number records and says whether the number is assigned.
This free page runs the check on one mobile number at a time and shows the status, how the answer was reached, the country and whether the number was ported. A 7-day free trial adds the current and original carrier, the network codes, the roaming network and whole-list checks by CSV or API, at 5 credits a lookup, and a number the network reports as invalid costs nothing.
Two guides and four free checks go with this one.
For how a live network query differs from a lookup of the person behind a number, read our guide to reverse phone lookup and HLR lookup. For checking a whole list at once, read our guide to bulk phone validation. For the full network query behind this page, with the carrier and the network codes, use our free HLR lookup. To see whether a text can reach a number at all, use our free SMS capable number checker. To see whether a number moved to another network, use our free MNP checker. To check a whole list of numbers from one CSV file, use our free bulk phone number checker.
A disconnected number check returns these fields, and each one answers a different question.
This is an invented result for a made-up number, laid out the way a check comes back. The first four fields are free on this page, and a 7-day free trial opens the rest.
- Network statusActive
- Answer fromLive network query
- CountryUnited Kingdom
- PortedNo
Opens with a free trial
- Current vs original carrierSample Mobile
- MCC / MNC network codes234 / 99
- Roaming carrier & countryNone
- IMSI & network routing detailReturned when the network gives it
Network status
The network's answer: active (registered and reachable), temporarily unreachable (the phone is off or out of coverage), no active line (the network has no active subscriber on the number) or unknown (no usable answer).
Answer from
Whether the answer came from a live query to the number's network or from number records. US and Canadian numbers come from records, and a record says the number is assigned, not that the phone is on.
Country
The country the number belongs to, read from its country code.
Ported
Whether the number has moved to a different network since it was issued.
Current vs original carrier
The network serving the number now, and the network that first issued it. They differ when the number was ported.
MCC / MNC network codes
The mobile country code and mobile network code, which together name one network.
Roaming carrier & country
Whether the phone is registered on a foreign network right now, and which one.
IMSI & network routing detail
The identity of the SIM itself and the routing detail some networks expose. Some networks leave these empty.
The check takes three steps and never calls or texts the number.
Type the number with its country code.
Start with + and the country code, such as +44 7700 900123, so the query goes to the right network on the first try.
1Lookup asks the number's network.
For most countries the query goes to the operator that holds the number and stops before anything is delivered. For US and Canadian numbers it reads number records instead, because those carriers do not answer live queries.
You read the status and how it was reached.
Active, temporarily unreachable, no active line or unknown, with whether the answer was a live query or a record, the country and the ported flag.
A disconnected number check goes to the number's own network and stops before anything reaches the phone.
This is the path one check takes. The answer comes from the network's register of its subscribers, which is why it can say whether anyone is on the number right now.
- You enter the numberIn E.164 format, with the + and the country code.
- 1Lookup asks the networkWith a live query for most countries, and by reading number records for US and Canadian numbers.
- The network answersIts register says whether a subscriber is active, reachable or unknown.No call or text reaches the phone.
- You read the statusActive, temporarily unreachable, no active line or unknown, with how the answer was reached.
Regulators hold a disconnected number out of use for 1 month to 13 months before it can go to a new customer, and the United States allows 45 to 90 days for a residential number.
Each row is the holding period a regulator sets between a number being taken out of service and the same number being issued to a new customer. The United States rule is a permitted range, 45 to 90 days or 45 to 365 days, and each carrier picks its hold inside it. The fourth column restates the shortest hold in days, counting a month as 30 days, so the rows can be compared and drawn. The classes differ by country: the United States splits residential from business numbers, South Africa and India cover mobile numbers only, and the others cover every number the rule names. Ireland's rule lets the previous end-user take the number back during the hold and allows the hold to be waived when both end-users agree in writing. Australia's rule has three exceptions, and a number recalled because of nuisance calls is held for 1 year.
| Country and number class | Shortest hold | Longest hold | Shortest hold, in days | Rule and document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States, residential numbers | 45 days | 90 days | 45 | FCC, 47 CFR 52.15(f)(1)(ii), as published in the eCFR |
| United States, business numbers | 45 days | 365 days | 45 | FCC, 47 CFR 52.15(f)(1)(ii), as published in the eCFR |
| Ireland, all numbers | 13 months | 13 months | 390 | ComReg, Numbering Conditions of Use and Application Process (15/136R4), 3 April 2024, condition 7 |
| Malaysia, all numbers | 6 months | Not stated | 180 | MCMC, Numbering and Electronic Addressing Plan (2023), clause 3.9.4 |
| Australia, recalled numbers | 6 months | Not stated | 180 | ACMA, Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2025, section 92 |
| South Africa, inactive mobile numbers | 1 month | Not stated | 30 | ICASA, Numbering Plan Fourth Amendment Regulations, 2026, Government Gazette 54930 of 1 July 2026, regulation 6A |
| India, mobile numbers | 90 days | Not stated | 90 | TRAI's statement as recorded in the Supreme Court of India's order of 30 October 2023, Writ Petition (Civil) 699 of 2021 |
About 93% of India's registered mobile subscribers were active on the day of peak activity in every month from August 2025 to August 2026, which left 78 to 86 million not active.
TRAI reports each month how many wireless (mobile) subscribers are registered in the operators' subscriber databases and how many were active, meaning present in the visitor register on the date of peak activity in that month. TRAI says a subscriber can be registered but absent from that register because the phone is switched off or out of coverage, so a not-active subscriber is not a disconnected one. The December 2025 total is 70.32 million above November's because one large operator began counting its machine-to-machine connections in its wireless report that month, which TRAI says raised the subscriber base significantly. The share column is comparable across all 13 months. The not-active column is the total minus the active count, our subtraction.
| Month | Registered mobile subscribers, million | Active on the day of peak activity, million | Active share | Not active, million | TRAI press release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2025 | 1,167.03 | 1,086.18 | 93.07% | 80.85 | 104/2025, 6 October 2025 |
| September 2025 | 1,170.44 | 1,088.59 | 93.01% | 81.85 | 120/2025, 27 October 2025 |
| October 2025 | 1,171.87 | 1,094.28 | 93.38% | 77.59 | 141/2025, 28 November 2025 |
| November 2025 | 1,173.88 | 1,090.91 | 92.93% | 82.97 | 156/2025, 31 December 2025 |
| December 2025 | 1,244.20 | 1,162.97 | 93.47% | 81.23 | 19/2026, 10 February 2026 |
| January 2026 | 1,250.89 | 1,172.10 | 93.70% | 78.79 | 39/2026, 19 March 2026 |
| February 2026 | 1,257.29 | 1,177.60 | 93.66% | 79.69 | 46/2026, 1 April 2026 |
| March 2026 | 1,265.73 | 1,185.60 | 93.67% | 80.13 | 53/2026, 22 April 2026 |
| April 2026 | 1,271.90 | 1,193.57 | 93.84% | 78.33 | 63/2026, 26 May 2026 |
| May 2026 | 1,277.00 | 1,195.74 | 93.64% | 81.26 | 78/2026, 25 June 2026 |
| June 2026 | 1,282.38 | 1,201.06 | 93.66% | 81.32 | 104/2026, 28 July 2026 |
| July 2026 | 1,287.92 | 1,204.01 | 93.48% | 83.91 | 116/2026, 28 August 2026 |
| August 2026 | 1,293.43 | 1,207.59 | 93.36% | 85.84 | 125/2026, 28 September 2026 |
India's telecom department reported 34 million mobile connections disconnected by March 2025 and about 56 million by November 2025, and citizen feedback and the connection limit were the two largest reasons.
These are cumulative counts of mobile connections the Department of Telecommunications disconnected, as printed in two releases through the Press Information Bureau: one of 21 March 2025 and the department's 2025 year-end review of 19 December 2025, with data to November 2025. They are not counts for one year, and 1 lakh is 100,000. The second release prints the four reasons without a total, so the total is our sum of 559.5 lakh. The first release words the first reason as the analysis of the department's AI tool (ASTR), and the second as re-verification failures found by the same tool. The same year-end review says the department disconnected about 2 lakh direct inward dialing and landline numbers found involved in unauthorized promotional and illegal activities.
| Reason given for the disconnection | By March 2025, in lakh | By November 2025, in lakh |
|---|---|---|
| Found by the department's AI tool (ASTR) | 78 | 86 |
| Inputs from other stakeholders | 53 | 97.5 |
| Exceeding the individual connection limit | 119 | 182 |
| Citizen feedback (Not My Number and Not Required) | 90 | 194 |
Network signalling standards give separate answers for a number that was never assigned, one that no longer exists and a subscriber who cannot be reached.
When a call or a routing query goes to a mobile network, the network can answer with a standard error or a release cause. This table gives the names and codes as printed in 3GPP TS 29.002, the Mobile Application Part, and in ITU-T Recommendation Q.850. These documents describe signalling outcomes, and none of their codes says that a number was disconnected, or why.
| What the network is saying | 3GPP TS 29.002 error and code | ITU-T Q.850 cause | What the standard says |
|---|---|---|---|
| The number is not assigned | Unknown Subscriber, 1 | 1, Unallocated (unassigned) number | TS 29.002: no such subscription exists. Q.850: the number is in a valid format but is not currently allocated (assigned). |
| The number was changed or removed | Number Changed, 44 | 22, Number changed | TS 29.002: the subscription does not exist for that number any more. Q.850: the number is no longer assigned. |
| The subscriber exists but cannot be reached now | Absent Subscriber, 27 | 20, Subscriber absent | TS 29.002: the subscriber has activated the detach service or the system detects the absence condition. Q.850 uses it when a mobile station has logged off or radio contact is not obtained. |
| The database cannot say whether a subscription exists | Unidentified Subscriber, 5 | Not listed | TS 29.002: the subscriber is not in the database and it has not or cannot be established whether a subscription exists. |
| The destination cannot be reached | Not listed | 27, Destination out of order | Q.850: the interface to the destination is not functioning correctly. |
Each status tells you what the network said, and what to do with the number.
The status is the headline field of every result. These are the answers this page shows, with the value the API returns in connectivity_status for each one.
| What this page says | API value | What the network is saying | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | CONNECTED, from a live query | The SIM is registered on a network and can be reached now | Keep it on your list |
| Assigned | CONNECTED, from number records | A carrier has the number on its record, and the record does not show whether the phone is on | Treat it as a number in use, and check its line type before you text it |
| Temporarily unreachable | ABSENT or ABSENT_SUBSCRIBER | The number has a subscriber, and the phone is switched off or out of coverage | Keep it and check again later |
| No active line | INVALID, INVALID_MSISDN or UNALLOCATED, from a live query | The network has no active subscriber on the number | Take it off the list. The API does not charge for it |
| Invalid or not in service | The same values, from number records | The records have no assigned number like this one | Take it off the list, and check the digits first |
| Unknown | UNDETERMINED | The network gave no usable answer | Treat it as unresolved, never as disconnected, and try again later |
The kind of number and its country decide where the answer comes from.
A live query reaches the number's own network for most countries. This is what to expect for each kind of number, so an assigned result or an unknown status is not mistaken for a disconnected line.
| Number or country | Where the answer comes from | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile number outside the US and Canada | The number's own network, queried live | Active, temporarily unreachable, no active line or unknown, with the country and the ported flag |
| Mobile number in the US or Canada | Number records, because those carriers do not answer live queries | Assigned or not assigned, which does not show whether the phone is on |
| Landline or VoIP number | None, because only mobile lines have an entry in a Home Location Register | No status, so use a line type check for the type, carrier and country |
| A network that does not answer | The operator gives no usable reply | Unknown, which is unresolved and not disconnected |
A disconnected number check costs 5 credits, about $24.75 per 1,000 lookups on Starter and $9.99 on Enterprise.
These are the monthly plans on the pricing page. A number the network reports as invalid is not charged, every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, and the same credits pay for every other 1Lookup check.
| Plan | About per 1,000 lookups | Monthly price | Lookups included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $24.75 | $99 | 4,000 |
| Growth | $17.60 | $299 | 17,000 |
| Professional | $16.00 | $799 | 50,000 |
| Enterprise | $9.99 | $1,999 | 200,000 |
The HLR lookup API returns the status and how it was reached as JSON from one request.
Send the number in E.164 format to the HLR endpoint with your API key. Each lookup costs 5 credits, a number the network reports as invalid is not charged, each API key can send up to 1,000 requests a minute, and each account can make up to 1,000 requests a minute in total across all its keys. The status is in classification.connectivity_status, and insights.hlr_result.data_source says where the answer came from: LIVE_HLR is a live network query and MNP_DB is number records. The response below is for an invented number.
curl -X POST https://app.1lookup.io/api/v1/hlr-lookup \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"phone_number": "+447700900123"}'import requests
response = requests.post(
"https://app.1lookup.io/api/v1/hlr-lookup",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
json={"phone_number": "+447700900123"},
)
data = response.json()["data"]
print(data["classification"]["connectivity_status"])const response = await fetch('https://app.1lookup.io/api/v1/hlr-lookup', {
method: 'POST',
headers: {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
},
body: JSON.stringify({ phone_number: '+447700900123' })
})
const { data } = await response.json()
console.log(data.classification.connectivity_status)Response
{
"success": true,
"data": {
"request": { "type": "hlr_lookup", "input": "+447700900123" },
"classification": {
"connectivity_status": "CONNECTED",
"is_valid": true,
"is_ported": false,
"is_roaming": false
},
"insights": {
"hlr_result": {
"connectivity_status": "CONNECTED",
"current_carrier": "Sample Mobile",
"original_carrier": "Sample Mobile",
"country": "United Kingdom",
"is_ported": false,
"is_roaming": false,
"data_source": "LIVE_HLR"
}
},
"recommendations": { "primary_action": "APPROVE" },
"metadata": { "credits_used": 5, "credits_remaining": 9995 }
}
}To run the same check on every signup or on a whole list, see our HLR lookup API.
It asks the network, not a stale list.
A live query shows the state at the moment you ask, so it can separate a number that works from one the network no longer has a subscriber on.
It keeps switched off apart from disconnected.
A phone that is off or out of coverage comes back temporarily unreachable, so a real customer is not dropped as a dead number.
It says how each answer was reached.
Every result names whether it came from a live network query or from number records, so an assigned number is never read as a phone that is switched on.
It never calls or texts the number.
The query stops before delivery, so the owner is not contacted and does not know the number was checked.
Who uses this tool
Clean a list before a call or text campaign.
Drop the numbers that come back with no active line and hold the unreachable ones for a retry, so spend goes to numbers that work.
Check a number before you send a verification code.
A number with no active line cannot receive the code, so catching it first saves a failed signup.
Review an old contact before a rep dials it.
A number can be given to a new customer once its holding period ends, so check that the number still has an active line first.
Add a signal to fraud review.
A new signup on a number with no active line is a reason to look harder before the account is approved.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check if a phone number is disconnected?
Enter the mobile number with its country code in the box above. The check asks the number's network and returns active, temporarily unreachable, no active line or unknown. No active line means the network reports no active subscriber on the number.
What does a disconnected number mean?
It is a number its carrier has stopped serving. The number is then held out of use for a set time before it can go to a new customer: 45 to 90 days for a US residential number and 13 months in Ireland, for example.
Is a switched-off phone the same as a disconnected number?
No. A phone that is switched off or out of coverage still has a subscription, and the network answers temporarily unreachable. Only a number with no active subscriber behind it comes back as no active line.
Can I check whether a US or Canadian number is disconnected?
Yes, with a different kind of answer. US and Canadian carriers do not answer live queries, so for those numbers the check reads number records and says the number is assigned. An assigned number is in use on a carrier's record, and the record does not show whether the phone is switched on.
Can I check whether a landline is disconnected?
Not with a live query. Only mobile lines have an entry in a Home Location Register, so a landline and most VoIP numbers return no status. A line type check still shows what kind of line the number is, and its country.
How long is a disconnected number held before someone else can get it?
It depends on the country. The United States lets carriers hold a residential number for 45 to 90 days and a business number for 45 to 365 days, Ireland sets 13 months, Malaysia at least 6 months, Australia 6 months for a recalled number, South Africa 1 month for an inactive mobile number and India at least 90 days for a mobile number. The first table above has each rule and where it comes from.
Can a disconnected number be given to someone else?
Yes, once its holding period ends. That is why a number collected years ago can belong to a stranger now, and why an old number is worth a fresh check before a call or text.
Can the check say why a number was disconnected?
No. The codes a network can answer with name a number that is not assigned, one that was changed or removed and a subscriber who cannot be reached, and none of them means a customer request, a cut-off or inactivity (3GPP TS 29.002 and ITU-T Q.850).
What does unknown mean in a result?
The network gave no usable answer. Treat the number as unresolved, never as disconnected, and run the check again later.
Does the check call or text the number?
No. The query goes to the network's register and stops before anything is delivered, so the phone never rings and no message is sent.
Does the number's owner know I checked?
No. The owner is not contacted and nothing appears on their phone.
Is the disconnected number checker really free?
Yes. One check needs no signup, and the page is rate limited for fair use. The carrier, the network codes, the roaming network and whole-list checks come with a 7-day free trial.
How much does a disconnected number check cost per 1,000 numbers?
A check costs 5 credits. That is about $24.75 per 1,000 lookups on the Starter plan, $17.60 on Growth, $16.00 on Professional and $9.99 on Enterprise. A number the network reports as invalid is not charged, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.
Can I check a whole list of numbers?
Yes. With an account, upload a CSV file or call the HLR lookup API. Each lookup costs 5 credits, a number the network reports as invalid is not charged, each API key can send up to 1,000 requests a minute, and each account can make up to 1,000 requests a minute in total across all its keys.
How many registered mobile numbers are not active?
In India, TRAI's counts leave 85.84 million registered mobile subscribers not active on the day of peak activity in August 2026, which is 6.64% of 1,293.43 million. Phones that are switched off or out of coverage count as not active, so the figure is not a count of disconnected lines.
How current is the status?
A live query shows the state at the moment you ask, and a phone's state changes through the day, so check again right before a send. The country and the ported flag change rarely.
These pages answer the question that comes after a disconnected number check.
- HLR lookupThe full live network query, with the carrier and the network codes behind the status.
- SMS capable number checkerWhether a number is a line a text can reach.
- MNP checkerWhether the number moved to another network.
- Bulk phone number checkerOne CSV file checks a whole list for line type, carrier and Do Not Call status.
The first three digits of a US number tell you where it was assigned.
Every area code has its own page with the places it covers, the local time there, and what to do when a call from it looks spoofed. These are the codes people look up most.
- 213Los Angeles
- 646New York City
- 917New York City
- 202Washington
- 404Atlanta
- 702Las Vegas
- 786Miami
- 415San Francisco
- 206Seattle
- 954Fort Lauderdale
- 323Los Angeles
- 929New York City
Area code 213, downtown Los Angeles, also has a page for each of its 786 prefixes, with the company NANPA lists as the holder.
New area codes catch people out, because a number from one looks unfamiliar even when it is local. These are the newest working codes.
- 465New York, since Jun 2026
- 483Alabama, since Feb 2026
- 471Mississippi, since Jan 2026
- 679Michigan, since Nov 2025
- 457Louisiana, since Sep 2025
- 729Tennessee, since Sep 2025