Log in Create an account
  1. Captain Verify ›
  2. Mobile Number Verification

HLR Lookup service

: Check the validity of your mobile numbers

Optimize the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns by first consolidating your mobile phone number database. This crucial step helps eliminate obsolete numbers, thereby ensuring better reach and interaction with your customers, while reducing unnecessary costs. An updated database is synonymous with targeted communications and strengthened customer relationships.
Create an account Learn more
Reviews
4.5/5 basé sur 65+ avis vérifiés sur Trustpilot et Capterra
HLR Lookup: Check validity and identify mobile phone numbers

What is HLR lookup?

The HLR Lookup service (Home Location Register) lets you know if a mobile phone number exists and which Telecom operator is attached to the corresponding subscriber. It allows companies to check if a SIM card is active, blocked, suspended or if there has been a change of operator. Indeed, this feature allows you to know the Telecom operator associated with a subscriber, which is very useful for updating your SMS/Marketing Call lists and deleting duplicates and unattained numbers.

Check a mobile phone number

The regulatory authority for electronic communications and positions defines the rules applicable to mobile phone numbers.

Captain Verify performs HLR research and control on the mobile network and identifies the formats of mobiles numbers. We complete the information of the numbers sought, we inform their availability (valid, invalid, unknown) and their telecom operator.

Avoid unnecessary costs

Optimize your lists and save money! Captain Verify weeds out invalid, unassigned, duplicate numbers and keeps your client files up-to-date. With targeted data, reach your audience more effectively. More relevance equals more engagement. Want to qualify your mobile database?

Looking to remove obsolete numbers from your files? Our service ensures that each prospect is verified and reachable to maximize your results.

Data Security is Our Priority

At Captain Verify, we take data security seriously.

Our HLR Lookup service incorporates advanced security measures to protect your information.

With data encryption, GDPR compliance, and strict access controls, we ensure the confidentiality and integrity of each number processed. We offer you a reliable and secure platform.

The report will inform you of the following points

Mobile number verification

Determine if a number is active, disabled or if it has never been registered.

MCC & MNC

Find out which network is saved on a number.

Roaming

Check if one of your subscribers is roaming (connected to another network).

Ported

Knowing if a user has changed operators while keeping their phone number.

Eliminate duplicates

Choose to keep or remove duplicate numbers: deduplication.

Number verification API

Fast and secure API for easy integration and intuitive use with your existing tools.

How does HLR Lookup work?

From the network query to the verification report: understanding each step of the real-time process
How does HLR Lookup work?

1 - Sending the SS7 request to the telecom infrastructure

When a mobile phone number is submitted to Captain Verify's HLR Lookup service, a request is transmitted via the SS7 (Signaling System 7) protocol, the universal signaling protocol used by all telecom operators worldwide. This request directly reaches the signaling nodes of the GSM, UMTS or LTE network of the originating operator, with no visible interaction on the subscriber's end. No SMS is sent, no notification triggered. The request is silent, instantaneous and compliant with telecommunications regulatory standards.

2 - Querying the HLR register and identifying the subscriber

The Home Location Register (HLR) is the centralized database of each telecom operator. It contains the status of each SIM card: activation status, IMSI identifier, active or terminated subscription, originating operator (MCC: Mobile Country Code, MNC: Mobile Network Code). Captain Verify queries this register in real time for each submitted number. If the SIM is active, the HLR returns a positive response with the subscriber's associated metadata. If the card is deactivated, suspended or never registered, the register returns an invalid or unknown status.

3 - Detecting number portability and identifying the actual operator

In France as in the majority of covered countries, a subscriber can keep their mobile phone number when switching operators — this is known as number portability (MNP, Mobile Number Portability). Captain Verify's HLR Lookup queries portability databases to identify both the originating operator (the one to which the number was initially assigned) and the current operator (the one actually managing the line today). A number initially assigned to one carrier and ported to another will be correctly identified at both levels. This level of precision is essential for SMS campaigns with operator-differentiated pricing and for call centers routing their traffic based on the destination network.

4 - Checking roaming status and network location

Roaming (or international roaming) refers to the situation where a subscriber is connected to a foreign partner network rather than their home network. This information is particularly useful for businesses whose customer databases include active international numbers, or for any use case requiring a distinction between local subscribers and those roaming abroad. Note: this detection identifies the network country, not the precise geographic location of the device.

5 - Generating the report and enriching the customer file

The entire process, from sending the SS7 request to receiving the HLR response, executes in under one second per number. For a file of 1,000 mobile numbers, Captain Verify returns a complete report in 10 to 15 minutes on average. Each line of the file is enriched with: the number status (valid, invalid, unknown), the current telecom operator (MCC & MNC), the portability status, the roaming status and duplicate detection. The resulting file is available for download in your dashboard or directly via the HLR Lookup API for integration into your CRM tools, SMS sending platforms or contact management systems.
HLR Lookup : Who is this service for?

Who is this service for?

You have a small or medium-sized business, a medical office, a store, a hotel/restaurant, or you work in event planning? The HLR cleaning service from Captain Verify allows you to check the validity of your mobile phone numbers. Thus, not only are your costs significantly reduced, but you can finally communicate effectively and quickly with your customers/contacts. HLR is not just a tool; it's your strategic partner for navigating the digital communication era with confidence and agility. Every phone number counts, and with our solution, no client, patient, or partner will be out of reach. Want to know if a mobile phone number is still in service? It's easy. Sign up at Captain Verify and check each of your mobile numbers.

Why check the validity of a mobile phone number?

For a more targeted and efficient campaign, it is imperative to use a reliable database. Any badly formatted, invalid or unreachable number is a waste of time and money. Starting from this observation, our CaptainVerify expert service offers you to optimize your customer, contact or prospect relationship management, thanks to a clean database, in which each listed number belongs to a valid operator. In addition to a simple pricing and a proven high-performance service, CaptainVerify is the most affordable low-level web tool on the market. A HLR documentation is available to help you start.

How to check a mobile phone number?

Knowing the telephone numbers of your database allows you to better control your contact list, to control the validity of the information provided by sending it in the form of a file or using the API HLR lookup, to save time and optimize your sending. Notable advantages that you can benefit from with the Verification service for mobile phone numbers offered by CaptainVerify. Please note the numbers must be in international format E.164. Here is a guide on How you can format the international telephone numbers for CaptainVerify.

What is the coverage of the Captain Verify HLR lookup service?

Captain Verify's HLR Lookup service covers 96 countries, with more than 300 operators available for verification. The list is available on our HLR Documentation.

Prices

Our pricing model is simple.

1 000
Lookups
5 000
Lookups
10 000
Lookups
25 000
Lookups
50 000
Lookups
75 000
Lookups
100 000
Lookups
250 000
Lookups
500 000
Lookups
1 000 000
Lookups
On demand
excl tax
the cheking process .
No obligation and no hidden costs .
Create an account
More than 1,000,000 mobile numbers to verify? Contact us.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

HLR Lookup (Home Location Register) is a service that queries the central telecom operators' database in real time to check whether a mobile phone number is valid, active, and which operator it is assigned to. It enables businesses to clean their mobile number databases before sending SMS campaigns or making calls.

Verifying a file of mobile numbers takes an average of 10 to 15 minutes for 1,000 numbers. For larger volumes, processing can take up to a few hours depending on the size of the list.

For each verified number, Captain Verify returns: the number status (valid, invalid, unknown), the associated telecom operator (MCC & MNC), the portability status if the number has changed operators, and the roaming status if the subscriber is connected to a foreign network. More information in the documentation.

Yes. Captain Verify's HLR Lookup service is fully GDPR compliant. Submitted numbers are encrypted via SSL, are never shared with third parties, and data is processed solely for the purpose of the requested verification.

No. HLR Lookup only identifies the country the number is assigned to and the associated operator. It does not allow precise location of the device or its user. Precise geolocation would be illegal under privacy protection laws.

It is recommended to verify your mobile number database at least every 6 months. Indeed, between cancellations, operator changes, and unassigned numbers, a database can degrade by 20 to 30% per year. Regular verification ensures optimal ROI on your SMS campaigns.

The benefits of using Marketing SMS

The benefits of using Marketing SMS

The Marketing SMS has notable advantages. First of all, it allows you to consolidate the link with your customer by sending him important information related to a product, a site or even a shop. If you set up a special offer, if you have to confirm an order, recall an appointment, etc. The customer will be immediately notified on his mobile phone. Indeed, the SMS has a high opening rate of 97% (against 20% on average), you are sure that your target will receive the desired message and read it. Using SMS as a marketing tool allows you to improve the user experience and establish a real relationship with the latter.

The quality of your mobile contact list will have a direct impact on the success of your campaign. The more safe and reliable this list, the more important your king will be. CaptainverFy and its HLR Lookup service offer you to clean your databases by deleting duplicates, nonexistent numbers, checking the portability of numbers, etc ...

Marketing SMS is a booming tool and becomes almost essential for any online and/or physical business. With a return rate among the highest compared to other media, SMS marketing is a simple and quick levié to set up but also relatively economical compared to other digital marketing media.

Discover a complete, quality and confidence service for your unit or mass professional SMS sending! An optimized solution for all your SMS sending needs. Simple, fast and efficient communication! SMS Marketing, SMS Alert, SMS survey ...

Want to check cell phone numbers?
Create an account
100 free email credits