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Where Do Telephone Numbers Come From?

When I moved from Chicago to Denver in 2010, I got myself a Google Voice number as an easy way to have access to a local phone number. Once you have a Google Voice number in most cases you can port it away from Google for a small fee and that can be your new phone number.

When I switched from an Android phone to an iPhone (which doesn’t support Google Voice natively) I figured it was time to port my Google Voice number to my account. I followed all of the steps necessary, but at the end of the day there was some restriction that prevented me from porting my number away.

“What gives?” I thought. So I created another Google Voice number that had a different (less desirable, to my idiosyncratic mind) prefix, but the same last four digits. I was able to port this number away from Google.

Who Controls Phone Numbers?

In the United States, as in most other North American countries, telephone numbers are composed of ten digits. This is known as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP).

The breakdown of a phone number is familiar to pretty much everyone. The first three digits are the area code, which refers to a broad geographic region. The next three digits denote the prefix, which typically corresponds to a smaller area within the area code’s region. With four remaining digits every local exchange has 10,000 possible unique numbers (from 0000 to 9999). This is known as the “line number.”

It seems that almost every telecom provider these days includes free nationwide calling in their plans, but before they did (and any of those that still don’t) prefixes and area codes signified to the PSTN what counted as a local call and what was long distance.

But let’s get back to those blocks of line numbers. When you think about all of the thousands of prefixes across the country that’s a lot of numbers to keep track of. That’s why the FCC utilizes number pooling to manage and reallocate numbers. Now the FCC doesn’t do all of this on their own. Neustar, a technology company, administers the number pooling efforts in the United States.

In order to foster competition within a given area, FCC regulations don’t allow any one company to come in and take all 10,000 numbers attached to a given prefix. Instead, these numbers are divvied up into blocks of one thousand that local exchange carriers can then acquire.

I’ll use my hometown of Rochester, Michigan as a hypothetical example. The area code there is 248, and growing up our prefix was 652. But as you can see from the table below, the last four digits of our phone number depended on our telecom carrier. If we had service with Carrier 3, our only options for a phone number would be from 2000-3999.

Finding the Right Number

As mentioned above, Neustar administers number pooling in the US and you can actually see reports by region that detail which thousand-blocks are available, assigned, and retained throughout the country.

So if you’re looking for a new phone number or a phone number that includes specific digits or a sequence of digits and can’t find an available one that’s most likely because it’s already in use.

Think of phone numbers like web domain names. Sure it’d be great to own the domain name of a big brand, like Apple, or IBM, or Amazon, but those are already taken.

If someone else is already using that phone number or it’s controlled by a different carrier, you may be out of luck.

Porting Numbers

Thanks to the Telecommunications Act (1996), the FCC mandated that all local carriers offer number portability. This was later expanded to include provisions specifically for mobile phones as well.

There are two types of number porting, Local Number Portability (LNP) for fixed lines (i.e. landlines), and Wireless LNP (WLNP) for mobile numbers.

In the U.S. there are three different types of number porting.

• Inter-carrier: transfers control of the number from your incumbent carrier to your new carrier. This is the most common type of porting that end-users experience.
• Intra-carrier: This moves a number from one switch on a carrier’s network to a different one.
• Number Pooling: This is when blocks of 1,000 numbers are assigned to a new carrier.

There may be additional conditions and/or fees associated with porting a number from one carrier to another. But those vary from one carrier to the next.

Porting Issues

In most cases porting numbers is a simple, seamless process. The FCC requires all carriers to allow customers to port their numbers out, but not all carriers can port every number in. Porting a landline to a mobile number, or a number from a pre-paid account to monthly billed account have been known to cause issues.

The reasons for this vary from one carrier to another. However, one reason proffered for the restriction relates to safety. Because an area code and a prefix are linked to a specific geographic area, restricting numbers ported into a given area ensure that help can reach you in the event of an emergency.

Regardless of the reason why, there are some numbers that carriers cannot port in to their system. If you’re switching carriers make sure to check with them beforehand to ensure that your number will port properly.

Creating New Numbers

New phone numbers don’t just fall from the sky. From time to time, an increase of new devices and services in a given region results in using up all of the available prefixes. When this is eminent, Neustar begins the process of creating a new area code to serve that area. Each new area code generates 792 new prefixes (note: prefixes cannot start with 0 or 1), and each prefix has 10,000 lines.

Toll-Free Numbers

Entities that have one or more toll-free number can port those numbers between different carriers as well. This process is more formal and is called a RespOrg, which is shorthand for Responsible Organization. The term is used as both a noun and a verb. How fun!

A responsible organization is any company that manages the registration for toll-free numbers in the U.S. (Note: Plum Voice is one such company.) A company called Somos (formerly SMS/800, Inc.) performs similar administrative duties for toll-free numbers that Neustar does for regular phone numbers.

Of course, the same limitations on number availability exist with toll-free numbers that exist with regular numbers. But as the number of toll free area codes grows, e.g., 800, 888, 877, there may be more opportunities to get the number combination you want.

All toll-free numbers are portable. “ The FCC requires that toll free numbers be portable, meaning that a toll free number subscriber can ‘port’ his or her number to a new provider when changing toll free number service providers .”

If a customer has an outstanding balance on their account, or some other obligation to their incumbent carrier, that company may deny port requests for that customer’s toll-free number(s). But if all obligations are met, carrier resistance can come down to unwillingness or an attempt to retain a customer against their wishes. Of course, neither of these justifications reflect well on a carrier so it is in their best interest to release toll-free numbers for current accounts.

Sometimes I still wonder why I couldn’t port my original Google Voice number. It must have been one of those numbers that was simply unavailable. But I’ve made peace with that fact. Hopefully, you won’t experience that frustration and the information above helps you better understand where phone numbers come from, who controls them, and what options exist for porting numbers from one carrier to another.

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The FCC approved the creation of a reassigned number database that will be a resource for callers to discover whether U.S. telephone numbers have recently been reassigned. Because there is currently no comprehensive database identifying disconnections, callers may not know that a number has been disconnected from one phone subscriber and reassigned to another. As noted below, to encourage the use of this new database, the FCC adopted a safe harbor from TCPA liability for callers using the database in the event of a database error.

Considerations Favoring a Centralized Database

The FCC’s action at its monthly meeting on December 12 was the culmination of proceedings in 2017 and 2018 soliciting comment on the desirability of creating a centralized database of reassigned numbers as a tool to lower the number of calls placed to consumers and customers by mistake. Each year, over 35 million numbers in the U.S. are disconnected and become available for reassignment to new subscribers. There is broad consensus that failure to promptly identify these reassignments poses significant issues, not only to consumers who receive mistaken calls, but also to callers that mistakenly fail to reach the intended recipient of a call. While commercial databases can provide some level of authentication of numbers as being currently assigned to a particular person, the FCC observed that these databases do not contain information on every phone number because voice service providers that assign numbers to their subscribers are not required to report this information.

Carrier Reporting of Number Disconnection to be Mandatory, Caller Use of Database to be Voluntary

This year the FCC sought comment on the policies and practices that might be associated with a reassigned number database. Citing bipartisan congressional support for such a database, the FCC determined that it would move forward with creating a comprehensive database that would include information on permanent disconnection of numbers as reported by all providers of allocated and ported-in numbers. Thus, all providers will be required by FCC rule to report this information. Usage of the database however, will be voluntary. Callers can choose to query the database once it is established, to determine whether a number has been permanently disconnected and is therefore no longer assigned to a party the caller seeks to reach. Because there are a number of technical issues with reporting conventions and process, the FCC referred these to its North American Numbering Council (NANC) and stated an expectation that the agency would solicit competitive bids for a database administrator within the next year.

Safe Harbor from TCPA Liability

The FCC reversed course on a key policy issue since it released its draft Order —one that many commenters had deemed critical to use of a database. Whereas the proposed Order circulated several weeks ago deferred ruling on whether there would be a safe harbor from potential liability for mistaken calls to reassigned numbers when the database is used, comments from the Commissioners at the meeting, and the FCC’s press release on this item, make clear that there will be a safe harbor from TCPA liability for calls to reassigned numbers occasioned by database error. This change is no doubt welcomed by the business community, which in recent years has been plagued by TCPA claims that arise from inadvertent calls to reassigned numbers.

No Real-time Reporting of Number Reassignments

As part of the new framework, the FCC established a minimum “aging” period of 45 days after permanent disconnection before a telephone number will be eligible to be reassigned by a service provider to a new subscriber. The FCC stated that a minimum aging period longer than a month would permit permanent disconnections to be reflected in the new database as providers report this information to the database administrator on a monthly basis. Further, the FCC observed that this minimum aging timing balances the need for timely data with allowing data be updated on a periodic, but not real-time basis. The FCC noted that callers should also benefit from the minimum aging convention because it would allow them to check any calling lists against the database periodically as opposed to querying the database more frequently.

Database Access and Data Use

Citing concerns about data security and minimization, the FCC found that the database need only hold the date of the most recent permanent disconnection of a given number. This would enable a caller to determine that a number has been permanently disconnected by comparing that date to a date provided by the caller. The FCC observed that limiting the information being reported and publicly available strikes a balance between not overly burdening reporting providers, while still offering callers the necessary functionality to determine whether a number has been disconnected such that it is no longer associated with a prior subscriber. The new database will not contain a subscriber’s personal information, but only a number’s most recent date of permanent disconnection of a number. In response to a date specific query by a caller on a particular number the database would provide only three possible responses: “yes” “no” or “no data.”

The FCC concluded that its new data reporting obligation will be imposed on all carriers and voice providers, including wireless, wireline, and interconnected VoIP providers that obtain numbering resources from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA). The FCC found convincing comments that this data must be comprehensive because any exclusions from reporting will leave callers and consumers more vulnerable to misdirected calls. The FCC also will include disconnected toll-free numbers within the new database.

The FCC agreed with comments that callers should be required to certify their purpose in accessing the database, which the agency determined should address any concerns about potential misuse of information. Recognizing that callers of all sizes and levels of sophistication may choose to use the database, the database will be required to offer callers both low-volume access through a website interface as well as high volume access such as batch processing through standardized interfaces. The Order also recognized that callers may want to use third-party contractors as their agents, and the FCC will allow third-party contractors access to the database on request.

Database Administration

Once determining that a single centralized database is the best way to ensure accuracy and integrity of number reassignment data, the FCC also determined that its direct oversight of its administration would enable the agency to monitor its operations and better enable the FCC to address any emerging issues. The FCC stated that another benefit of a single database is that it offers a single point of contact for providers to report reassigned number information and for callers to query, which the FCC believes will lower the overall costs of database use.

In rejecting the use of commercial data aggregators in favor of a single centralized database, the FCC noted that no commenter had explained how decentralized databases would outperform a single comprehensive database to achieve the FCC’s stated goals. Nevertheless, the FCC’s draft Order stressed that the database would not directly compete with commercial data aggregators simply because aggregator services typically include a broader range of information to authenticate identities and other information. This additional information goes well beyond the ability of the new reassigned number database to determine whether a number has been permanently disconnected since the date provided by a caller.

The FCC concluded that it was in the public interest for an independent third-party administrator to be chosen for the role of reassigned number database administrator by a competitive bidding process. The FCC noted, however, that it might try to consolidate the database administrator’s functions with the present NANPA and number pooling administrator functions.

To ensure that data is accurate and comprehensive, FCC rules will require providers to report the date of the most recent permanent disconnection for each number that is allocated to or ported to each provider. The FCC expressed concern that requiring the reporting of additional information could increase the burden of reporting. Additionally, the FCC observed that the collection of more data potentially creates unnecessary security and privacy risks given the limited purpose of the database itself. The FCC will define “permanent disconnection” as occurring when a subscriber permanently has relinquished a number or the provider permanently has reversed its assignment of the number to the subscriber such that the number has been disassociated for active service within the service provider’s records. Reporting of disconnection data to the administrator will occur on the 15th day of each month. Reporting providers will be tasked to keep accurate records on permanent disconnection of their subscribers on a going forward basis regardless of when the database actually is launched. However, recognizing that this recordkeeping requirement is new, the FCC allowed an additional six months for smaller providers to begin maintaining data that will be reported to the database administrator.

The Costs and Benefits of a Database

Once the database is established, the FCC envisions that callers would pay for its use so as to offset the cost of its operation and maintenance. The FCC rejected arguments by some commenters that there should be no cost to use the database. Because the database represents a new resource currently furnished by providers, the FCC reasoned that this resource is not already part of the cost of providing existing phone service that phone users more broadly assume. Providers will be able to recover the costs they pay for creating the database and query functionality and the FCC will require the administrator to set usage charges at a level designed to recover current operating costs and in time, the database creation costs initially paid by providers. The FCC will require the administrator to limit the amount of the offset credited to each provider so that each provider recovers no more than the database creation costs that it paid. Because the FCC believes that providers’ internal costs of tracking and reporting permanent disconnection dates to be minimal, the FCC determined that it would be appropriate for providers to recover these costs in their existing fees and charges for telephone service.

The FCC referred to its NANC the role of advising on the framework of the database, as well as the service providers’ interaction with the database and the scope of coordination necessary and advisable between the administrator and the billing and collection agent. The NANC is to return recommendations to the FCC on all these issues within six months. The FCC further referred to the NANC questions of how the user fee structure should be designed, as well as the additional question about the initial amount of fees. These expected NANC recommendations will be placed on public notice for public comment.

In deciding to create this single national database, the FCC concluded that the benefits outweigh the anticipated costs. One reason that it was deemed appropriate to create a comprehensive database was the FCC’s judgment that the marketplace is highly unlikely to create the type of comprehensive database that is needed. The agency also cited broad support both from consumer groups and callers for a comprehensive database as demonstrating the public benefit. The FCC estimates that the annual cost of operating the database will be less than $1.2 million, and that the one-time cost of setting up the database will be less than $2 million. 

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How Phone Numbers Work

Phone numbers are so ubiquitous today that you may not even give them a second thought. After all, nearly everyone around the world has one; knowing the right phone number is essential in making sure your phone call or text message reaches the right person. But have you thought about what a phone number means? What does a mobile number mean?

Each “chunk” of a phone number has its own meaning. When put together as a phone number, the entire sequence acts like a map, telling your carrier where to direct your call. In this post, we’ll provide you with a phone number breakdown, including what the first three digits of a phone number means and what the numbers after the area code are called. Are there cell phone prefixes by carrier? We’ll discuss these questions and more.

Let’s take a look at how phone numbers work, both locally and internationally.

The Parts of a Phone Number

Landline phone numbers in the United States are made up of 10 digits, plus a country code. Therefore, a standard number has this format: +1-xxx-xxx-xxxx.

To help you understand how phones call each other, here’s a breakdown of each part of a phone number:

• Country code: The country code is the first thing you dial to place a call. Countries around the world have different country codes based on where they’re located. For example, the United States and Canada have the country code +1, while South and Central America have country codes starting with +5. China’s country code is +86, while Germany’s is +49.
• Area code: The area code immediately follows the country code and is made up of the first three digits of a phone number. The area code represents a more specific geographic location. In lesser-populated states, the area code can cover an entire state. Other states can have multiple area codes. California has the largest number of area codes (36), followed by Texas (27). An area code can also cover several towns or a fraction of a city, depending on the city’s size and its population.
• Prefix: The prefix is made up of the second grouping of three digits in the phone number. This number narrows down your call even further, directing it to phones within a certain portion of the area code.
• Line number: The last four digits make up the line number. You can think of this as your phone’s unique identification number. It’s this final code that sends a call to your specific handset. Incidentally, this means no two phone lines can have the exact same phone number.

What Happens When You Dial a Phone Number?

When you dial a phone number, the phone company connects your call by using the four parts of the number. As mentioned previously, your phone number is much like an address.

First, phone numbers narrow down your call to the country indicated by the country code. Then, they narrow further to the geographic region indicated by the area code and the more specific location indicated by the prefix. Finally, once all this narrowing is done, they send the call directly to your phone using your line number. All of this occurs within a fraction of an instant.

If you’re missing any part of the phone number when you dial, the sequence can’t be completed. In this case, your call may not connect. However, have you ever left out the area code or the country code of an area and were successful in reaching the intended person? This can happen depending upon where you are and who you’re trying to call.

When calling someone with a phone number of the same area code as you, you usually don’t need to dial the country code for the call to work. Similarly, if you’re calling someone with the same prefix as you, you usually don’t need to dial the area code or the country code.

What Do Mobile Numbers Mean?

Cell phone numbers work just like landline phone numbers. Unlike landlines, however, cell phone numbers are assigned based on where the phone was purchased, not necessarily where the phone is now. Today, it’s quite common for individuals to keep the same phone number for years, even though they’ve moved around quite a bit to different states. This allows for phone number continuity, which can be important when everyone these days is inundated with multiple accounts, numbers and passwords. Keeping the same number across state lines is most likely to be done by individuals, not businesses. Businesses, particularly small businesses, rely on number recognition, which adds validity to the business’ operations.

It’s important to understand this difference, since it means that you can’t assume a person’s location based on their phone number’s area code. In fact, 10% of people now have a cell number that is associated with a different state. This number climbs higher in metropolitan areas.

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Did you enjoy this article about phone number meanings and learning how mobile phone numbers work? If so, be sure to check out our other blog posts at The Whiz Cells. From How to Prevent Spam Calls and How to Fix an Unresponsive Touchscreen to How to Use Your Phone as a Webcam, we have some great phone tips and tricks that you can apply in your everyday life.

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Get started: Voice setup guide for admins

Assign voice numbers to users.

Duet AI is now Gemini for Google Workspace.  Learn more

After you assign licenses to users, you can assign them each a Google Voice number or let users choose their Voice number. Each Voice number can only be assigned once and each user can only be assigned one number at a time. It can take up to 48 hours for Voice numbers to become active.

For information about billing, learn how numbers are charged .

Note :  Before Voice for Google Workspace, people in the U.S. could use their work or school account to sign up for Voice. If your users have unmanaged accounts, you must migrate them before number assignment. To learn more, read Migrate users to managed accounts .

Service address for emergency calls

If a user calls an emergency number, Voice sends their service location to emergency services. You add the service address when you assign a user their Voice number. If you let users choose their own phone number, they add their service address when they sign up for Voice.

Additional functionality is also available for inbound and outbound calls, including the dialing of emergency numbers for users using two-way dialing.

Choose how to assign numbers

Open all   |   Close all

This feature is supported in only the U.S. and Canada.

You can let users in your organization choose their phone number and provide their service address when they sign up for Voice.

Before you begin

• For each country/region where you want to assign Voice numbers, add your location .
• To assign numbers outside your home country/region, you need a Premier subscription .

Sign in using your administrator account (does not end in @gmail.com).

• To apply the setting to everyone, leave the top organizational unit selected. Otherwise, select a child organizational unit or a configuration group .
• Check the  Let anyone sign up for Google Voice box.
• Click Save . If you configured an organizational unit or group, you might be able to either  Inherit or Override a parent organizational unit, or Unset a group.

Invite users to sign up

After you turn on user sign-up, you can let users know how to sign up for Voice, choose their own number, and enter their service address.

• Click Users . The Users page shows each user and their Voice number. This page is blank if you haven't yet assigned licenses to your users.
• In the confirmation window, click Send Invites .

Voice sends emails to users with:

• Self sign-up turned on for their organizational unit
• A Voice license and no Voice number

Note : If a user is outside the U.S. or Canada, the email tells them to contact their administrator because self sign-up isn't available.

• If a user doesn't already have a license, they're assigned one.
• If there is an error in license assignment, for example, purchased licenses exhausted, the admin will be notified by email.
• Point to a user you want to assign a number and click Assign number . The number assignment window appears.
• Click Add the service address . A new window opens.
• Search for an existing location to use as a service address.
• Click Enter a new address instead .
• To keep the number, click Assign .
• Click Change .
• Next to a number in the list, click Select .
• Click Assign .

If you have many users, you can assign their numbers all at once from a Google Sheets file. Users that don't have a Voice license are assigned a license during the batch process.

• In the top, click  Batch assign numbers . A window opens with options to make a new list or use an existing one.
• Start New List —Voice creates a spreadsheet with the filename, "Batch Assignment on date ."
• Click the name of the spreadsheet you want to use. To use a spreadsheet that isn't listed, at the top, click Upload .
• Click Select .
• Click the name of the spreadsheet. The file opens in Google Sheets in a new tab of your browser.
• Enter the complete address of each user's location. This address needs to be correct for emergency services.
• If a user already has a phone number, the admin decides whether to unassign their current number, or mark it as failed at the validation step.
• If there are errors, a window opens and you can fix the errors. Learn about verification errors below.
• After Voice verifies all addresses, a window opens showing the user information.
• If a user doesn't already have a license, they're assigned one. If you don't have enough Voice licenses for all users that need one, you get an error message and can't assign numbers.
• If you get the message, "Error processing the request, please try again," one of the users might have a suspended account . Remove the suspended user from the list and submit the list again.

If you get an error, correct it and try to update the address or submit the list of users again.

• Address couldn't be verified —This address can't be verified. Change to a valid address. For details, review About service addresses .
• Already has an assigned number —This user has a Google Voice number. Remove this user from the list.
• Doesn't qualify for Google Voice —This user isn't eligible for a Google Voice number. Remove this user from the list.
• Email format is incorrect —Use the format [email protected] .
• Google Voice isn't available in this country —The service address is in a country or region where Google Voice isn’t available. Update with the correct address or remove this user from the list.
• No email address —Add the email address in the format username @ example.com .
• No service address —Add the service address. For details, review About service addresses .
• No user has this email address —This email address doesn't belong to a user in your organization. Change to a valid email address in the format username @ example.com .
• Service address is incomplete —The address is missing information. Add the complete address. For details, review About service addresses .

User needs to be migrated to managed accounts —This user has an unmanaged Google Voice account. Migrate it to a managed account. To learn more, read  Migrate users to managed accounts .

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Microsoft teams powershell phone number assigning cmdlet change.

Microsoft has sent out an announcement on PowerShell changes for setting and removing phone numbers in Microsoft Teams:

Changes coming to phone number assignment using Teams PowerShell Module cmdlets MC316139 · Published 19 Jan 2022

In summary, these commands are being deprecated “The retirement is planned to begin in early April and be complete by mid-April.” :

Set-CsOnlineVoiceUser Set-CsOnlineApplicationInstance Set-CsOnlineVoiceApplicationInstance

and Set-CSUser can’t be used to allocate phone numbers either. I’d been allocating numbers with the Set-CsOnlineVoiceUser command. The replacement for this is:

Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment and Remove-CsPhoneNumberAssignment

They run under the MicrosoftTeams module for PowerShell, but you also need to make sure you have the latest version. If you don’t have a version that supports this new command, you’ll get the error:

To update, run the command:

Then try the above cmdlet again. If you’re feeling really brave, you can update all your modules with:

Disconnect or restart PowerShell or you’ll get problems running the new cmdlet if you had it connected while updating.

The new cmdlet Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment doesn’t work exactly the same way as the old cmdlets. Read the documentation for more details

The options for -PhoneNumberType (required) are DirectRouting, CallingPlan and OperatorConnect.

I’d suggest testing and migrating soon, before you miss the April deadline of the command being dropped.

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Other blog posts, 17 thoughts on “ microsoft teams powershell phone number assigning cmdlet change ”.

Same issue with Telstra in Australia for me Adam – 24/01/2022 – I thought I was going nuts with licences until I read the first part of your post.

Hi Ben, I’ve had Microsoft confirm it’s a bug, hopefully fixed soon :)

Yes it is fixed now. I have try it today and able to assign the phone number.

Yes it’s now fixed :)

Hi Ben & Adam, First of all thank you for this post, it was very helpful. I am also located in Australia and use Telstra / Teams Phone in my organisation. Have either of you experienced issues assigning a phone number to a new user in both the Teams Admin portal & PowerShell over the last couple of weeks? I cannot assign a number to one specific new user (other new users created since have no problem) and the date I first noticed this issue seems to coincide with this post/Cmdlet Change (late Jan 2022).

In Teams Admin portal I get the error “We can’t save changes for number +61 X XXXX XXXX right now. Try again later.” when assigning a number to this user.

And in PowerShell I get the following result using the updated Cmdlet above:

Code Message —- ——- BadRequest The user ” is not found

I have tried multiple unassigned user numbers we have, even ones from completely different ranges. I have confirmed licencing (including removing and re-adding the licence), I’ve confirmed the user’s TenantID and ObjectID is matching. I’ve compared the output of Get-CsOnlineVoiceUser against another working user and all the details match (including SIPDomain, DataCenter, TenantId, LicenceState, PSTNConnectivity = True, UsageLocation and EnterpriseVoiceEnabled = True). Confirmed a valid emergency location is set (the same as our other 180 users). Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary and it’s driving me nuts.

I have an open case with MS Support but nothing has been resolved and they aren’t giving me much info and is exacerbated by the time zone difference (going on a week now). So I am desperately trying to find info anywhere (which is what led me to this post).

I understand this is not a support forum, so apologies if this is inappropriate. Please delete, or let me know to delete it if so. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. We use a Hybrid environment if that helps.

I’ve seen the “We can’t save changes for number +61 X XXXX XXXX right now. Try again later.” problem which was a problem in the portal itself, but PowerShell command did work. Does the get-csuser and get-teamuser commands work? Can also come along to the WinAdmins discord for a better way of troubleshooting this vs comments here (although if we get a fix should post it here!) https://discord.com/invite/winadmins

Sorry all, so is Set-CSUser working for you? The updated commands do work but old arent at all now and MS support are confused too.

When the new command wasn’t working, I failed back to the old commands successfully. They should be working up until April. What error are you getting when trying?

Its just not assigning the number. I have changed our setup scripts to be as below for a direct routed user. There are some slight adjustments needs for an online user, as you now have to set the emergency location at the same time. For a direct routing user you cant run the -EnterpriseVoice switch and the -PhoneNumber switch at the same time either. I am still shouting at Microsoft on a dialy basis until I hear back from the product team:

Get-PSSession | Remove-PSSession Connect-MicrosoftTeams Import-Module Microsoftteams $CSV = Import-CSV “c:\SkypeScripts\Template.csv”

Write-Host “Enabline users in Teams”

#Enable for VoiceEnterprise

ForEach ($u in $csv) {

Write-Host “Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -EnterpriseVoiceEnabled `$true ” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity $u.SipAddress -EnterpriseVoiceEnabled $true

#Set Phone Number

Write-Host “Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -PhoneNumber $($u.LineURI) -PhoneNumberType DirectRouting” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity $u.SipAddress -PhoneNumber $u.LineURI -PhoneNumberType DirectRouting

#Enable VoiceMail

Write-Host “Set-CsOnlineVoicemailUserSettings -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -VoicemailEnabled `$true” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Set-CsOnlineVoicemailUserSettings -Identity $u.SipAddress -VoicemailEnabled $true

Write-Host “Sleeping 10 secs then granting voice policy to users” Start-Sleep 10

Write-Host “Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -PolicyName $($u.VoicePolicy)” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Grant-CsOnlineVoiceRoutingPolicy -Identity $u.SipAddress -PolicyName $u.VoicePolicy

Write-Host “Sleeping 10 secs then granting dial plan to users” Start-Sleep 10

Write-Host “Grant-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -PolicyName $($u.TenantDialPlan)” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Grant-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity $u.SipAddress -PolicyName $u.TenantDialPlan

Write-Host “Switching Users to Teams Only”

Write-Host ” Grant-CsTeamsUpgradePolicy -Identity $($u.SipAddress) -PolicyName UpgradeToTeams” -ForegroundColor Cyan

Grant-CsTeamsUpgradePolicy -Identity $u.SipAddress -PolicyName UpgradeToTeams

Hi Jon, Can you please share an example template file together with the updates PowerShell script pls? Thanks for sharing this very useful article

The “template file” is just a CSV with the headings below: UserPrincipalName,SipAddress,LineURI,EnterpriseVoiceEnabled,VoicePolicy,TenantDialPlan

I dont think the script has changed to the one above.

Morning from the UK.

Could you share your PS? We have online users too as well as direct routed and I had to change our PS to use the new cmdlet. I have a catchup with our Microsoft engineer too this morning.

Just checking though as I noticed another change in the portal. Have you assigned a calling plan before trying to allocate a number or is this a direct routing user?

Hi Jon, I’m doing these three commands for a new user:

Grant-CsTenantDialPlan -Identity %username% -PolicyName %physicalDeliveryOfficeName% Set-CsOnlineVoiceUser -Identity %username% -TelephoneNumber %Phone% Set-CsPhoneNumberAssignment -Identity %username% -Phonenumber %Phone% -Phonenumbertype CallingPlan

See above Adam F

So final response for Microsoft is that the product team upgraded some tenancies (by mistake) ahead of the April cut over of the SET-CSUSER command. They are sorry – that is all.

Haha oops, did they fix it?

They cant, so we have the all of the new features too (such as Cortana in the meeting room devices).

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Managing phone numbers

As an account owner or admin, you can obtain phone numbers and assign them to phone users. When you assign a Zoom Phone license to a user , they're automatically assigned an extension number. Follow this article to assign a direct phone number to a user, in addition to their extension.

• If you need unique phone numbers such as vanity toll-free numbers, you have to request those phone numbers .
• If you are attempting to order sequential phone numbers, follow the Advanced option in the How to obtain phone numbers section when adding phone numbers to your account.
• By default, phone users automatically receive an email notification when they are assigned a direct phone number. You can enable or disable the email notification in your account-level settings .
• You can also manage the main company number .
• If you are adding phone numbers for Zoom Phone Local Survivability refer to this article .

This article covers:

View ported phone numbers

View reserved phone numbers, how to obtain phone numbers, how to assign a phone number, how to unbind or delete a phone number, how to re-assign a phone number, prerequisites for managing zoom phone numbers.

• Pro, Business, or Education account
• Account owner or admin privileges
• Zoom Phone license
• Zoom Phone toll-free license to obtain a toll-free phone number
• User assigned a calling package to be assigned a phone number

How to port phone numbers

If you have existing phone numbers that you want to port (move over) to Zoom Phone from another service, see the articles about porting numbers .

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal .
• In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management , then  Phone Numbers .
• Click the Ported tab. Note : You can only see the porting status of numbers in US and Canada.

If you ported phone numbers using the reserved numbers feature, you can view your reserved phone numbers and an overview of the charges for holding the reserved numbers.

• Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
• Click the Reserved tab. You will see an overview of the reserved numbers by country/region and the charges incurred for the specified month and year.

You must obtain phone numbers before assigning them to users.

• Click  Add .
• Target Site (only visible if you have multiple sites ): Select the site you want to obtain phone numbers for.
• Emergency Addresses (only visible if you don't have multiple sites ): Select an emergency address to apply to the phone numbers, or click Add to add a new address. The emergency address associated with the site will be applied to the phone numbers.
• Country/Region : Select the country or region to search for available phone numbers.
• Select the type of phone number you want to obtain: Toll or Toll-free . Note : You need the toll-free license to obtain toll-free numbers.
• Select Reserved Numbers Only if you've ported reserved numbers and only want to search your reserved numbers .
• State/Province/Territory : Select the state, province, or territory from the drop-down menu to view associated area codes.
• Area Code - City : Enter an area code or city to search area codes or cities in the selected state/province/territory. Alternatively, select an area code or city using the drop-down menu.
• Check Sequential to sort available numbers sequentially.
• Use the text box beside the area code to search available numbers by prefix. The prefix contains numbers after the area code. You can also enter letters to search for a vanity phone number that spells out a brand, word, or phrase. For example, if you search for the letters YKI , it will search for numbers with the prefix 954 .
• Click Search Numbers .
• (Optional) If there are no phone numbers available for the area, click Create Ticket to submit a request to obtain phone numbers for that area. You can also request a vanity toll-free number .
• Select the phone numbers you want to obtain, or click the Select All check box to select all phone numbers in the search results.
• Click Confirm .

After obtaining a phone number , you can assign it, allowing callers to directly dial a number to reach a phone user , call queue , auto receptionist , common area phone , or Zoom Rooms .

Note : You can also batch assign phone numbers .

• In the navigation menu, click Phone System Management  then  Phone Numbers .
• Click the  Unassigned  tab.
• Click Assign To next to the number you want to assign.
• User Note : The phone user may receive an email notification with their phone number and a link to update their  emergency address . You can enable or disable email notifications .
• Common Area Phone
• Shared Line Group
• Auto Receptionist
• Emergency Number Pool
• Company Location
• Use the text box to search extensions.

After assigning a phone number, you can remove it if you don't want it to be assigned to anyone. You can re-assign the phone number to move it from one extension to another.

Note : Deleting a phone number will free up a phone number license, allowing you to obtain a new phone number.

• Click the Assigned tab.
• Click the number you want to remove from a phone user , call queue , or auto receptionist , common area phone , or Zoom Room .
• Click Unbind to remove the selected phone number from the phone user, call queue, or auto receptionist it's been assigned to.
• Click Unbind to confirm. The number will appear the Unassigned tab.
• (Optional) If you want to delete the number and free up a phone number license, go to the Unassigned tab and click Delete next the unassigned phone number.

After assigning a phone number, you can re-assign it to another extension.

• Click the number you want to re-assign.
• Next to Assigned To , click Edit .

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Phone numbers for Audio Conferencing in Microsoft Teams

• 19 contributors
• Applies to: Microsoft Teams

When you're setting up Audio Conferencing for Microsoft Teams, dial-in phone numbers are automatically assigned to your organization. To see the phone numbers that are assigned to your audio conferencing bridge, in the Microsoft Teams admin center, go to Meetings > Conference bridges . For more information, go to See a list of Audio Conferencing numbers .

Audio Conferencing coverage and pricing

For a complete list of all the countries/regions and cities where Audio Conferencing is available, see Country and region availability for Audio Conferencing and Calling Plans . For pricing information, see Pricing for Audio Conferencing .

Dial-in phone numbers in a meeting invite

To manage phone numbers that are included When a Microsoft Teams user schedules a meeting in Outlook or the Outlook Web App, see Set the phone numbers included on invites in Microsoft Teams .

Dial-in phone numbers set on an audio conferencing bridge

There are two types of audio conferencing phone numbers that can be assigned to your conferencing bridge: Shared and Dedicated . Any caller can use both types of these numbers to join audio meetings that are being held in your organization.

Dedicated phone numbers are those phone numbers that are only available to users within your organization. You can change the languages that are used when someone calls in to one of these numbers.

Shared phone numbers are those phone numbers that can be shared with other Microsoft 365 or Office 365. You can't change the languages that are used when someone calls in to one of these numbers.

The organizer's default audio conferencing number is included in the meeting invite, but callers can use any assigned phone number to join the meeting. The list of phone numbers that can be used to join a meeting is available using the Find a local number link that is included on every meeting invite.

Automatically assigned audio conferencing phone numbers

Shared audio conferencing phone numbers are automatically assigned to organizations when they're enabled for audio conferencing. When the phone numbers are assigned, a phone number is assigned as the default phone number of the conferencing bridge. The phone number assigned as the default number of the bridge is one from the country/region of the organization.

To see a list of those countries/regions that have phone numbers automatically assigned to organizations, see Country and region availability for Audio Conferencing and Calling Plans .

The country or region location of your organization can be found by signing in to the Microsoft 365 admin center and looking under Organization Profile .

Due to limited availability of toll phone numbers in Venezuela, Indonesia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE), organizations from these countries/regions won't have an Audio Conferencing toll number automatically assigned to them. Toll-free numbers from these locations are available depending on available inventory.

What else should you know?

To see the list of supported languages for audio conferencing, see Audio Conferencing supported languages .

You can set up to four languages for each audio conferencing phone number - one primary and three secondary. And you can also set languages on a dedicated audio conferencing phone number.

To set the dial-in phone number for a user, see Set the phone numbers included on invites .

Related topics

• Try or purchase Audio Conferencing in Microsoft 365 or Office 365

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