Line types

The line_type field tells you what kind of telephony line a number belongs to. We use Google's libphonenumber classification, normalized to lowercase strings. Use this field to route, score, or filter numbers.

All possible values

Value	Meaning
`mobile`	Mobile / cell phone (real SIM in the wild)
`fixed_line`	Landline
`fixed_line_or_mobile`	Country numbering plan doesn't distinguish (US, BR, …) — could be either
`voip`	VoIP / internet-based phone (Google Voice, TextNow, Twilio, …)
`toll_free`	Toll-free number (1-800, 0800, …)
`premium_rate`	Premium-rate / surcharged number (paid hotline)
`shared_cost`	Shared-cost number (split between caller and callee)
`personal_number`	Personal redirect number (UAN-like)
`pager`	Pager (legacy)
`uan`	Universal Access Number (corporate switchboard)
`voicemail`	Voicemail-only line
`unknown`	Type couldn't be determined (numbering plan ambiguity, partial data)

How to use it in production

Reject or flag types known for throw-away accounts:

RISKY_TYPES = {"voip", "personal_number", "pager", "voicemail", "unknown"}

if result["line_type"] in RISKY_TYPES or result["is_disposable"]:
    flag_for_review(user)
elif result["line_type"] in {"mobile", "fixed_line"} and result["confidence"] == "verified":
    auto_approve(user)

SMS / 2FA routing

Only mobile numbers can receive SMS reliably:

if result["line_type"] != "mobile":
    fallback_to_email_2fa()

Cost-aware outreach

Avoid calling premium-rate or international fixed-line numbers from your auto-dialer:

if result["line_type"] in {"premium_rate", "shared_cost"}:
    skip_call()

Note on `fixed_line_or_mobile`

In some countries (notably US, Canada, Brazil, India), the numbering plan doesn't separate mobile from landline. We return fixed_line_or_mobile rather than guessing. If you absolutely need to know whether a US number is mobile, you'd need an HLR lookup (coming soon as a paid tier — see pricing).

Carrier vs line_type

These are related but distinct:

line_type = the kind of line (mobile vs landline vs VoIP).
carrier = the operator name (SFR, Orange, Twilio, …).

A mobile number with carrier: "Twilio" is mobile-typed but VoIP-issued (programmable phone) — flagged is_disposable=true by us. Use both fields together for accurate scoring.