Matthew Hornsey
Published on: April 17, 2025
What is a mobile phone number? This may initially seem a silly question, but the answer may be more complex than you first think.
We all know what one looks like. In the UK, where I’m based, it’s an 11-digit number starting with 07. In the US, it also begins with a zero followed by ten further digits, the first three of which are an area code, whereas the UK version has no indication of geography. And these small format variations continue across the globe.
But there’s more to a phone number than just the digits. A lot more.
Today, your mobile number — or cellphone number, as it’s called in the US — is a crucial part of your digital identity. Probably the single most important part.
When you enter a digital space, others often see you primarily through those digits and their associations. Yes, facial recognition is becoming common — your iPhone or Android likely knows what you look like. But that doesn’t apply across the online landscape.
In digital spaces, your mobile number is more reflective of who you are than your face, more, even, than your name in many cases. We call it the “digital world” because it’s built on digits. Not faces. Not flesh. Just numbers.
So, what do online services actually “see” in your number to help assess your credibility or trustworthiness?
It all begins the moment that number is created — when that specific sequence of digits is assembled for the first time. It’s issued to a mobile network operator and assigned to a SIM card.
Once assigned, whether through a Pay As You Go SIM or a new contract, it becomes a key part of a user’s digital persona.
Then, as that person begins to use their mobile online — adding it to signup forms, making transactions, data associations start to build. These moments create a footprint, a timeline of digital events: onboarding, payments, logins. Over time, these interactions build a rich behavioural history linked to that number.
This journey continues until something changes. The person may switch numbers, leaving the old one to be reassigned. It might go dormant. Or — worst case — it could be compromised by scammers and used for fraud, triggering security red flags.
Each of these paths adds to the history of that number — a timeline of digital trust or risk. And that’s what organisations look at to assess whether they’re dealing with the real you… Or someone pretending to be you.
At TMT ID, we specialise in analysing this ‘number history’ so our customers can make informed decisions.
Is the number trustworthy? Is it safe? Is there a risk?
We’re not in the business of snooping — we’re here to simplify digital experiences. When you onboard with a business, we want them to know instantly that you’re real. When you’re transferring money, we want to make sure it’s you doing it, not someone hijacking your digital identity.
And if your number has been compromised, we want to raise that red flag before anything is taken from your account, not after.
That’s what we do.
We protect digital identities while keeping the user experience seamless. We want people to be able to make secure purchases without delays or friction.
We don’t care what you’re buying. We just care that it’s safe for you to buy it.
Last updated on April 17, 2025
Verify offers a vast range of data intelligence around a customer’s mobile number. It helps you confirm a customer’s identity to assess the authenticity of a mobile number and identify any suspicious activity
Learn more about Verify"Phone number verification plays a critical role in helping to detect and prevent online fraud. TMT ID’s TeleShield product provides easy access to global mobile data, enabling us to enhance the actionable results of our MaxMind minFraud® services."
"BTS (Business Telecommunications Services) is successfully using TMT’s Velocity and Live services to check the status of mobile numbers. This way we make sure we optimize the performance of the service offered to our customers and ensure the quality of terminating traffic to all countries.”
"Working with TMT’s TeleShield service has expanded our ability to detect fraud and minimise the risk to our business. TeleShield brings peace of mind and the opportunity to stop fraud before it affects our customers’ bottom line or the service."
"LATRO relies on TMT’s TeleShield to provide the most up to date and reliable numbering qualification information within our fraud reporting tools, enabling us to protect our customer’s revenues and empowering them to defend themselves against fraudulent numbers."
"TMT is a valued partner that enables us to manage our routing costs effectively. They proactively and continuously expand their operator and country coverage while delivering exceptional customer service. We can always count on them to achieve high-quality results and look forward to our continued collaboration."
"TMT provides us with the most comprehensive numbering intelligence data through their fast and reliable Velocity and Live services. TMT is a trusted partner for us, their products ensure that we continue to optimise the best performance and service to our customers."
"TeleShield from TMT gives 42com the power to detect and target telephony fraud scams internationally, thereby protecting our company from the financial and customer experience impacts of telecommunications fraud."
"It has been a pleasure to work with the team at TMT. They have become an essential provider of accurate numbering data information and Number Portability services globally."
"Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier uses TMT ID as one of their key suppliers for Mobile Number Portability Data services. Deutsche Telekom Global Carrier uses TMT ID’s Velocity MNP solution. This is an ultra-fast query service that optimises the routing of international voice calls and A2P messaging."
We provide the most comprehensive device, network and mobile numbering data available
Contact us > Chat to an expert >
