What is a VoIP number?
A VoIP number is a phone number assigned to a user or a business instead of a physical phone line. Calls to it are delivered over the internet, so it rings on any device that runs the provider's app or a compatible desk phone.
How it works
Phone numbers are allocated to carriers, who lease them to VoIP providers. The provider points the number at its cloud platform instead of at a copper line or a SIM card.
When someone dials the number, the call reaches the provider over the telephone network and is passed to your app or desk phone over the internet. Outbound calls show the same number as caller ID.
Because the number is not tied to a place, it can ring several people at once, follow you between devices and come from a different city or country than the one you are in.
Why it matters
01Separate work and personal
A business number on your existing phone, without a second SIM or a second device.
02Local presence where you choose
Take a number in a city or country where your customers are, even if your team is elsewhere.
03Shared lines
One number can ring a whole team, so no call depends on a single person picking up.
Allo and VoIP number
Allo gives you VoIP numbers in 50+ countries, local, mobile or toll-free depending on the country, that ring your whole team on desktop and mobile.
Related terms
The terms that usually come up in the same conversation.
All glossary terms
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It is a standard number that anyone can call from a landline or a mobile. The difference is how it is delivered, over the internet instead of a line or a SIM.
Many can. In the US, business texting from a local number requires A2P 10DLC registration; toll-free numbers go through toll-free verification instead.
Yes, VoIP numbers can be ported like any other number, as long as the account is active and the details on the request match the current provider's records.