GTM Hub
What is Telesign Phone ID?
Telesign Phone ID is a global phone number intelligence API that cleanses numbers to international dialing standards, returns line type and carrier, and optionally layers fraud and identity signals such as SIM swap, porting history, contact match, subscriber status, breach checks, and age verification. Coverage spans 230+ countries and ties into Telesign Verify and SMS products for signup, KYC, deliverability, and account takeover prevention.
Key features
Number Cleansing
Returns separate call and SMS cleansing metadata with E.164-style formatting for global numbering plans.
Line Type and Carrier
Identifies mobile, fixed-line, VoIP, and other types plus telecom carrier name for channel routing.
Location Metadata
City, region, postal, timezone, and coordinates when available from numbering and carrier data.
Delivery Optimization
Routes voice versus SMS based on phone type to reduce failed attempts and wasted message spend.
Fraud and ATO Add-Ons
Optional SIM swap risk, porting status/history, call forwarding, number deactivation, and breach signals.
Identity Add-Ons
Contact match scores, subscriber status, Phone ID Live reachability, and carrier contact data where permitted.
Developer Tooling
REST POST /v1/phoneid endpoints, API Explorer, SDKs in seven languages, and free trial test credits.
Telesign Phone ID pricing
Telesign Identity products use pay-as-you-go with no monthly minimum on standard tiers plus volume discounts for committed use. Free trial accounts include complimentary test credits for Phone ID, Phone ID Contact, and Intelligence without a credit card. Premium per-transaction add-on rates vary by country and attribute; enterprise packaging is sales-led.
| Plan | Price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 | API key, Customer ID, and test credits for Phone ID and related identity APIs |
| Pay-as-you-go | Per transaction | No contracts or time-based monthly fees on identity pricing page |
| Committed volume | Custom | Preferred pricing and tailored packaging via Telesign sales |
Pros & cons
Pros
- + Deep fraud signals beyond format validation—SIM swap, porting, breach
- + Global coverage for international GTM and marketplace signups
- + Pairs with Telesign SMS and Verify in one trust vendor
- + Improves SMS and voice routing to cut undelivered OTP and campaigns
- + Blocklist and cleansing metadata aid list hygiene before sends
- + Mature enterprise docs and consortium-scale identity dataset
- + Configurable add-ons let teams start basic and layer risk later
Cons
- − Premium attributes cost extra and coverage varies by country
- − Per-lookup pricing opaque without account or sales engagement
- − Overkill for simple US format-only or carrier-free validation
- − Some identity attributes may require explicit end-user consent
- − Not a CRM dedupe or bulk list cleansing platform
- − Higher unit cost than numverify-style numbering-plan APIs
- − Best economics usually require volume commits
Who is Telesign Phone ID best for?
- • Fraud and trust teams hardening account creation and login
- • Fintech and marketplaces needing SIM swap and porting signals
- • Engineers validating international phones at signup
- • MarTech and support teams optimizing SMS deliverability
- • Teams already on Telesign for OTP and wanting one identity stack
- • Enterprises with multi-country onboarding and compliance needs
- • Risk modelers augmenting scores with carrier and subscriber metadata
Frequently asked questions
What does basic Phone ID return?
Cleansed number, line type, carrier, location, and blocklist status without optional add-ons in the request.
Is there a free trial?
Yes—trial accounts include test credits for Phone ID, Phone ID Contact, and Intelligence with no credit card.
Does Phone ID confirm a line is currently active?
Phone ID Live and subscriber status add-ons address reachability and account state beyond format checks.
