“Ever called a number only to hit a dead end? HLR Lookup helps you avoid that awkward silence — and save money.” 📵💸
🔍 What Is HLR Lookup?
HLR Lookup is like calling a phone number without actually calling it — just to check if it exists, where it lives, and if it’s having a good signal day 📶
It stands for Home Location Register, and it helps you find out:
You Want to Know… | HLR Lookup Tells You |
Is this number real? | ✅ Yes / ❌ No (invalid or inactive) |
Is it currently reachable? | ✅ Reachable / ❌ Switched off / Out of service |
Is it ported to another network? | ✅ Original + New Network |
Is it roaming in another country? | 🌍 Yes or No |
Who was the original carrier? | 📱 Vodafone? Orange? Bouygues? etc. |
🔬 Types of Lookups Bitcall Offers
You choose the lookup type on the HLR Lookups > HLR Lookup page. Here is what each one does:
Lookup Type | What It Means |
HLR | Classic lookup: network info, status, portability, roaming |
MNP | Mobile Number Portability: specifically checks if a number was ported |
NT | Number Type: tells you whether a number is mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free or another type |
Each type answers a different question, so pick the one that matches what you need to know.
💡 After you pick the lookup type, choose a route from the Select Route list. Each route shows its price per number, and you pay only for lookups that succeed.
📥 How to Input Numbers (Multiple Options)
Bitcall makes it super easy to submit numbers for HLR lookup — whether it’s 1 or up to 10,000 in one batch.
✅ Option 1: Paste Numbers
Paste them directly into the box. All these formats are accepted:
+33612345678 +33698765432 +33655667788 +33699887766,+33633221100
Bitcall automatically parses:
New lines
Spaces
Commas
Tabs
✅ Option 2: Upload File
Upload your numbers using:
.csv
.txt
Accepted formats:
One number per line
Or multiple numbers per line, separated by comma/space/newline
No header row: every entry must be a phone number
📊 What You’ll Get in the Results
Every lookup gives you detailed info per number:
Column | Description |
MSISDN | The full number you submitted |
Status | Connected / Absent / Invalid / Undetermined |
Ported | Yes / No (shows if number changed networks) |
Original Network | Carrier the number was issued from (e.g. Orange) |
Current Network | Where it is now (e.g. Free Mobile if ported) |
Country | Based on number prefix or network detection |
Roaming | Yes / No + country (if roaming) |
📦 Bulk Processing & History
Once your lookup is complete, your file/report will appear in:
🕓 HLR Lookups → HLR Records
From there you can:
Download results as JSON, CSV or XLSX
View stats (valid, invalid, unreachable)
Keep audit trails for compliance
🔌 Want to Automate? Use the API
Running thousands of lookups a day?
We’ve got a robust HLR API for developers and resellers. With it, you can:
Submit a single number or bulk file
Receive JSON responses instantly
Embed HLR checks into CRMs, call center tools, marketing dashboards
📩 Create your own API key in the panel under Profile > API Keys (if you don’t see it, ask support to enable it). The API docs are at https://docs.bitcall.io/docs/products/hlr.
💡 Real-Life Use Cases
Use Case | How HLR Helps |
SMS Campaigns | Remove unreachable or invalid numbers |
VoIP call filtering | Save $$$ by skipping switched-off numbers |
Lead generation cleanup | Validate phone numbers before storing/selling them |
Reseller dashboards | Add HLR lookup as a service for your clients |
✅ TL;DR Recap
✅ HLR Lookup checks number status, network, roaming, and porting
✅ Input via paste OR upload (CSV, TXT, space/comma/newline accepted)
✅ Supports HLR, MNP and NT (number type) lookups: you choose the type and route
✅ All results saved in your panel (downloadable anytime)
✅ Pay only for successful lookups; volume pricing on request
✅ API available for devs and resellers