HLR Lookup

Overview

What it does: Performs a Home Location Register (HLR) lookup to verify the real-time status of a mobile phone number. It determines if the number is currently active, identifies the current carrier (even if ported), and checks if it’s reachable.

When to use it: When you need the most accurate, real-time verification for mobile numbers, need to clean your database of inactive numbers, or need to route SMS/calls based on carrier information.

Business value: drastically reduces SMS delivery failures, improves call connection rates, and saves money by preventing outreach to disconnected or invalid numbers.

Quick Setup

Input Fields

• Phone number: The number to check.
• Default country: The country code to use if the input number doesn’t include one.

Output Fields

The action returns a rich set of data about the phone number. Here are the available fields:

• Live Status: The reachability status of the number.

  • LIVE: Active and reachable.
  • DEAD: Confirmed disconnected/invalid.
  • ABSENT_SUBSCRIBER: Active SIM but currently unreachable (off/out of coverage).
  • NO_TELESERVICE_PROVISIONED: Number exists but cannot receive SMS.
  • NO_COVERAGE: Cannot currently detect status for this network.
  • UNKNOWN: Status could not be determined.

• Is Callable: Boolean (true/false). Derived from Live Status. Returns true if status is LIVE.

• Phone Number E164: The standardized E.164 format (e.g., +14155552671).

• Line Type: The type of line detected.

  • MOBILE: Mobile/Cellular number.
  • LANDLINE: Fixed line.
  • VOIP: Voice over IP.
  • TOLL_FREE: Freephone number.
  • PREMIUM: Premium rate number.
  • PAGER: Pager device.

• Is Mobile: Boolean (true/false). Returns true if Line Type is MOBILE.

• Is Ported: Indicates if the number has moved carriers.

  • YES: Ported from original network.
  • NO: Still on original network.
  • UNKNOWN: Porting status unknown.

• Current Carrier: Name of the current network provider (e.g., Verizon, O2 (UK)). Useful for ported numbers.

• Original Carrier: Name of the network that originally owned the number range.

• Country Name: Full name of the country (e.g., United States).

• Country Code: ISO 3-letter country code (e.g., USA, GBR).

• Country Prefix: International dialing prefix (e.g., 1, 44).

• MCCMNC: Mobile Country Code and Mobile Network Code concatenated (e.g., 310410).

• Disposable Number: Boolean (true/false). Indicates if the number belongs to a temporary or disposable service.

• Confidence Score: Integer (0-100). A weighted score summarizing overall phone number quality based on live status, line type, carrier info, ported status, and disposable flag. Higher = better. Returns 0 for invalid formats. Blank when the lookup fails due to API errors.

Automatic Property Updates

When this action runs, it automatically updates the following Clean Dial properties on your contact record:

1. HLR Status (hlr_status): A dropdown indicating the detailed status (LIVE, DEAD, ABSENT_SUBSCRIBER, etc.).
2. Phone Line Type (phone_line_type): A dropdown indicating the line type (MOBILE, LANDLINE, VOIP, etc.).
3. Phone Carrier (phone_carrier): Text field containing the name of the current carrier.
4. Last HLR Query (last_hlr_query): Timestamp of when this check was performed.
5. Phone Syntax Valid (phone_syntax_valid): true if the number format is valid (parseable), false if not.
6. Phone Is Ported (phone_is_ported): Dropdown (YES/NO/UNKNOWN) indicating if the number has been ported.
7. Phone Carrier MCCMNC (phone_carrier_mccmnc): Text field for the carrier’s unique network code.
8. Phone Is Disposable (phone_is_disposable): Checkbox indicating if the number is disposable.
9. Phone Confidence Score (phone_confidence_score): A 0-100 score summarizing overall phone quality.

Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: SMS List Cleaning

Scenario: You have a list of 10,000 mobile numbers for an SMS campaign. Action: Run HLR Lookup to filter for HLR Status = LIVE and Phone Line Type = MOBILE. Result: You remove 1,500 landlines and 800 disconnected numbers, saving cost and improving delivery rates.

Use Case 2: Routing by Carrier

Scenario: You need to route support calls differently based on the customer’s carrier to optimize cost. Action: Use the Current Carrier output field to branch logic in your workflow. Result: Calls are routed via the most cost-effective gateway for that specific network.

Use Case 3: Fraud Prevention

Scenario: A new user signs up with a phone number. Action: Check Phone Line Type. Result: Reject registrations using VOIP numbers to prevent spam/bot accounts.

Use Case 4: Tiered Lead Routing

Scenario: You want to prioritize sales outreach based on phone data quality. Action: Use the Confidence Score output to branch your workflow:

• Score 80+: Route to priority sales queue, call immediately
• Score 50-79: Add to standard queue, send email first
• Score below 50: Marketing nurture only, no direct calls Result: Sales reps spend time on high-quality leads while lower-confidence contacts get appropriate email-first treatment.

How It Works

1. Select the Clean Dial: HLR Lookup action in your workflow.
2. Map your contact’s Phone Number property.
3. (Optional) Set a Default Country.
4. Run the workflow! The action will query the global HLR network in real-time.

Storing Results

To save specific output fields (like Carrier Name or Line Type) to your own custom properties:

1. Add a Copy property value action after the HLR Lookup.
2. Select “Action output” as the source.
3. Choose the specific HLR Lookup field (e.g., Current Carrier).
4. Select your target contact property.