What are Additional Local Numbers and how are they used?
Question
What are Additional Local Numbers and what are they used for?
Applies To
- X Series
- Admin Console
- 8x8 Work
- Local Numbers
Answer
Every claimed or ported telephone number on a tenant needs a local number telephone license. These licenses come in two forms:
- A Local Number is included as part of an X Series user license.
- Additional Local Numbers that are purchased separately.
All Local Number licenses are also country-specific.
Telephone numbers can only be claimed or ported if there are sufficient Local Number licenses for the designed country already on the tenant.
For example:
If a 100-number range in the United Kingdom needs to be ported to 8x8 and there are 70 X-series licenses giving 70 included United Kingdom local numbers, then this port will be rejected until 30 additional United Kingdom local number licenses are added to the tenant.
If a 50-number range needs to be claimed in the United States and there are 50 X Series licenses but 25 for the United States, giving 25 United States local numbers, and 25 for Brazil, giving 25 Brazil local numbers, then this claim of United States telephone numbers will fail until 25 additional United States local number licenses are added to the tenant.
Uses of Telephone Numbers
On the 8x8 system a telephone number that can both make and receive calls may be used as
- The primary telephone number for a user (X Series licensing provides a number license for each user).
- An additional telephone number for a user.
- An electronic fax number associated with a user.
- Telephone number, or additional telephone number, for a ring group.
- Telephone number, or additional telephone number, for a call queue.
- Telephone number, or additional telephone number, for an auto-attendant.
- A telephone number for a contact center channel.
- A claimed/ported but unused number that is available for future use.
The 8x8 system does not differentiate between local numbers that are included through X Series licensing or are additional local numbers. Telephone numbers using either available license type will automatically be applied to any of the use cases above.
Note: This means a local number available through use X Series licensing may be used by the system to license a telephone number for a ring group, call queue, or any of the other use cases above. In this scenario, unless additional number licenses are applied, there will be insufficient licenses on the system for all X Series licensed users to have a telephone number.
Where there is a requirement to use a telephone number only as a number to be displayed on outbound calls, and that number is not on the 8x8 tenant, see the Additional Information below for details of a process called spoofing to make that number available without using a license.
How to Check for Included and Additional Local Numbers
Details of included and additional local numbers are shown in Admin Console.
Local Numbers, from X Series licenses:
Additional Local Numbers:
How to Get Additional Local Numbers
Additional local numbers can be purchased by contacting your 8x8 account team or sales.
How to Release Unneeded Numbers
If a telephone number is no longer needed and does not need to be kept as an unused number available for future use then the claimed or ported telephone number can be returned to 8x8 making the telephone number no longer available for use and freeing up the associated local number license. See the Additional Information section below for details on how to return numbers to 8x8.
Toll-Free Numbers
Toll-Free numbers are never included as local number licenses and always need to be added as country-specific additional toll-free numbers (which are licensed separately from tolled additional local numbers).
In Admin Console any toll-free number licenses look like this:
