Can I get a local landline number on my mobile?

How it works

The landline is a virtual number. It isn't tied to a phone line or a building. When someone rings it, it rings your mobile, and you answer as normal. Your mobile shows the caller's number, so you can save them and ring back.

You keep your mobile number, your SIM and your phone. Nothing you've already printed stops working.

A worked example

Colin is a plumber in Croydon. His 07 number is on the van, his website and Google. He wants an 020 number because bigger jobs and letting agents seem to trust a landline more.

1. He gets an 020 number. The provider needs his business details and a UK business address (not a PO box) on file. That's a legal identity check on every UK number.
2. It's set to ring his mobile. A short whisper ("Business call") plays to him before he answers, so he knows it's work. It rings for about 20 seconds.
3. If he doesn't answer, the caller hears a short message and gets a text from his business straight away.
4. He keeps his mobile diverting unanswered calls the same way, so old customers who still have the 07 are covered too. See the divert codes for each network.
5. He updates the van, the website and invoices to the 020 number. On Google he makes the 020 his main number and keeps the 07 as an extra one for a while, rather than swapping it overnight.

The two catches

Ringing back shows your mobile. When Colin calls a customer from his phone, they see his 07, not the 020. Showing the landline on calls out means calling from an app. Most trades don't bother: the landline is for being found and trusted, and the 07 is fine for ringing back.

Landlines can't text. UK 01 and 02 numbers can't send or receive texts on most providers, so texts to customers still come from a mobile number or your business name. A few specialist providers sell text-enabled landlines, but you rarely need one.

Does it have to be in my area?

It should be the area you work in, because that's the point: a Croydon customer sees an 020 and thinks local. Your business address on file doesn't have to be in that area code.

Should I move my number instead?

Only if you already have a landline you want every call handled on, like an office line. Moving a landline takes 4 to 6 weeks, and the number has to stay live with your current provider until then. For a mobile, forwarding is simpler and you keep everything. There's more on that in do you have to change your number?

Sources

• Twilio: UK regulatory requirements for phone numbers
• Twilio: UK SMS guidelines, which UK numbers can text
• Twilio: UK porting guidelines, 4 to 6 weeks for landlines