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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Noelley123 (talk | contribs) at 22:10, 7 July 2022 (Updating accurate 3 uses of Mobile Dial Codes, emphasizing the use of #codes as marketing tools). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A mobile dial code (MDC) is a phone number that includes between one to seven digits, preceded by a #, ##, *, or **. A mobile dial code combines a toll-free number, a web address and a short code into one simplified number.

In the United States, each wireless network controls how their MDCs will be used. As such, when wireless customers call a MDC, they're call is routed to the end user that their carrier selects.

Years ago, MDCs were used exclusively for diagnosing repairs, and other repair related purposes by landline and wireless carriers. Other names used to identify MDCs are Abbreviated Dialing Codes, Poundcodes, and Hashtagcodes[1].

MDCs are used by each wireless carrier for ones of three following purposes:

1. As instant, automated courtesy tools for their customers, for things like, customer service, and paying phones bills; and,

2. To assist cell phone technicians with diagnosing problems with and making repairs, to unlock or lock cell phones[2].

3. The final use of MDCs by individual wireless carriers, is to provision them to companies, of that wireless carrier, for use as a vanity telephone number[3].


This article relates to the third, and most evocative and dynamic uses of MDCs, that being their use as adjunct marketing tools. In this context, we understand that businesses, using one of the very few MDCs (that work on all major wireless carriers, in all 50 States) as "vanity phone numbers," are uniquely positioned to develop a brand.

This is very much like the businesspeople that first recognized the utility of spelling words with vanity toll free numbers, and businesses that recognized the value of licensing great genetic .com domain names.


that represents intriguing opportunity and privilege to businesses that have the right to use MDCs to both brand as well as generate new leads.


or a MDC to be used as a vanity telephone number, it must be provisioned to its user by all of the major wireless carriers, which as of the date of this article are: Verizon Wireless[4], AT&T[5], and T-Mobile[6].



  1. because each major wireless carrier, controls whether or not a specific MDC their MDCcontrolled by

Ab


MDCs are dialed just like a regular telephone number. The caller can be presented with any one of a variety of responses that an MDC user defines. Most MDC users choose to use their MDC as a direct dial to their call center, to get live representative to connect with callers as quickly as possible. Other uses of MDCs include, routing them to an IVR call, or to connect the caller witha video or audio clip, a mobile coupon, game or an application.

Since calls to MDCs are made from cell phones, businesses can also send an automated text message to the caller, using a ten digit tracking number. Importantly, consumers cannot send to or received text messages from MDCs, and similarly businesses cannot receive text messages on MDCs orsend text messages from MDCs.


A type of mobile dial codes are USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) codes, which can be used for communicating with the service provider's computers (i.e. for WAP browsing, prepaid callback service, mobile-money services, location-based content services, menu-based information services, and as part of configuring the phone on the network).

A mobile dial code is not the same as an abbreviated dial code which only supports voice calls, basically abbreviating a standard phone number and connecting the caller to a person or machine (interactive voice response system or voicemail system) that answers the call.[citation needed]

A mobile dial code is not the same as a 2D bar code which must be photographed or scanned by a mobile phone camera prior to presenting the caller with a response.

Many of the 4-alphanumeric mobile dial codes have been allocated or collected by cybersquatters[7]

StarStar Mobile operates the National StarStar Registry in the United States leasing StarStar Numbers available through AT&T and Verizon as of July 2010.[8] Sprint and T-Mobile partnerships were announced in March 2011. An example of a StarStar number[9] is **TAXI (**8294) which allows a mobile phone user to connect to a local taxi company.

#250 (pound two-fifty) is the only MDC that is activated on all significant mobile carriers in the US and Canada: US: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, cSpire, and most small regional mobile carriers; Canada: Rogers, Bell Mobility, Telus, Eastlink, Freedom Mobile, Sasktel, Fido, and Videotron. It is an abbreviated dialing option commonly used in radio marketing. In 2015, #250 brokered a nationwide agreement with iHeartRadio Los Angeles, Sirius XM and Premiere Networks.[10] Callers are prompted to say a brand keyword, which corresponds to an advertiser or non-profit (e.g. "Hope" causes a connection to Food For The Poor).[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ The terms Poundcodes and Hashtagcodes are pending service marks at the United States Payment and Trademark Office. See, hashtagcodes.com and poundcodes.com.
  2. ^ "Unlock phone", Wikipedia, 2010-05-11, retrieved 2022-07-07
  3. ^ "Unlock phone", Wikipedia, 2010-05-11, retrieved 2022-07-07
  4. ^ "Verizon: Wireless, Internet, TV and Phone Services | Official Site". www.verizon.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  5. ^ "AT&T Official Site - Unlimited Data Plans, Internet Service, & TV". AT&T. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  6. ^ "T-Mobile & Sprint merged to create America's 5G leader in coverage". www.t-mobile.com. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  7. ^ "About #Codes - Welcome to Hashtagcodes.com". Hashtag Dialing Codes. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. ^ Wauters, Robin. "Zoove Raises $15 Million, Offers 'StarStar' Vanity Phone Numbers For Brands". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2013-11-13.
  9. ^ "Why a mobile vanity phone number may be the new 'Star-Star' of marketing - The Business Journals". The Business Journals. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  10. ^ "A Four-Digit Success Story". Radio Ink. Retrieved 2019-09-03.
  11. ^ Robinet, Dave (Spring–Summer 2017). "The Incredible Shrinking Phone Number". The CCA Voice. Naylor. Retrieved 2017-07-18.


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