HLR Lookup (Mobile Validation)
Our Mobile Validation (HLR lookup) service saves you time and money by removing fake, incorrect or dead numbers from your customer lists - before you ever pick up the phone or send a text.
A Home Location Register (HLR) lookup queries the mobile networks in real time to confirm whether a number is live, which network it belongs to, and whether the handset is currently switched on. It does all of this silently - the phone never rings.
That means you can scrub an entire list of mobiles for connectivity before a campaign, keep your dialler productive, and stop paying to text numbers that no longer exist.
- networkName - the current network
- mcc / mnc - country & network codes
- on - whether the handset is switched on
- Free syntax result as a fallback
Check mobile numbers before you rely on them
A mobile number can have the right format and still be disconnected or no longer useful for your campaign. An HLR lookup checks live mobile-network information without calling the number or sending a text. Use it to assess mobile records before they enter a dialler, an SMS campaign or a customer-contact workflow.
Data Soap supports UK and international mobile validation. You can check an existing list through the portal or add lookups to your own systems through the API.
What can an HLR lookup help you do?
Prepare a calling list
Identify mobile records that need attention before agents spend time dialling them.
Reduce wasted SMS spend
Check an older list before sending messages to numbers that may no longer be in use.
Validate new records
Run a check when a mobile number enters your website, application or CRM.
Review existing data
Assess mobile numbers during a database clean-up or migration.
What does an HLR lookup return?
The results depend on how you run the lookup. If you upload a list through the Data Soap website portal, you can download the results in Excel or CSV format.
Portal upload
A result might look like this:
| Mobile | Network | Mobile Number Live/Dead | Is Switched On | Error Message |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0779060XXX | UK - O2 (UK) Limited | Alive | Yes |
API
If you run checks through the Data Soap API, the result is returned to your application instead. The API's HLR fields include mcc, mnc, networkName and on, alongside a free syntax result. Your team can use those fields to set rules within its own workflow.
{"hlr": {"mcc": 234,"mnc": 20,"networkName": "UK - 3","on": true}}
The lookup also includes a free syntax result, which helps you assess the number's format and provides a standardised version where available. Syntax and HLR answer different questions: a number can be correctly formatted without being confirmed by a live network check.
If you need information about whether a number has moved from its original network, Data Soap offers a separate MNP lookup.
Bulk HLR checks or real-time API?
Check an existing list in bulk
Use the portal when you already have a file of mobile numbers to review. This suits campaign preparation, periodic CRM cleaning and older databases. Check the list, review the returned results and decide which records are ready to use and which need further attention.
Check numbers as they enter your systems
Use the validation API when you want HLR results within your own workflow. For example, you can check a mobile number when someone submits a form or before a new record reaches your CRM or dialler. Your application can then decide what to do with the result.
Both methods let you use HLR validation at the point that makes sense for your team: before using an existing list or as new data arrives.
How should you handle the result?
An HLR lookup gives you information to support a decision about a mobile record. Set rules that fit the way you use the data:
A temporary network failure should not be treated as proof that a number is disconnected. Every paid HLR check includes a syntax result, but a valid syntax result alone does not prove that the number is active. The API documentation explains which error codes are temporary and which are permanent.
Ready to check your mobile numbers?
Start with an existing list in the portal or use the API to build HLR checks into your workflow. Get started with Data Soap and choose the approach that fits your data.
Get started with Data SoapThe payoff
Cut dead numbers
Remove disconnected and invalid mobiles so agents spend time on live conversations.
Save on SMS
Stop paying to message numbers that will never deliver.
UK & international
Validate mobiles in the UK and worldwide, returned in international (E.164) format.
Real-time API
Validate at the point of capture on your forms, or in bulk via the portal.
HLR Lookup (Mobile Validation) - questions
Start with HLR Lookup (Mobile Validation).
£100 of credits for £4.99 (+VAT). New customers, once.