H I S T O R Y

O F T O L L F R E E

N U M B E R S

A Brief HistoryThe 1 -800 n u m b e r g o t i ts start in 1967 by AT&T a n d has been used t o

increase sales for business ever since . The idea was t o reduce t h e co l lec t

calls also k n o w n as “reverse charge calls ” or “ l ong -d is tance calls ” a n d t h e

need for t e l ephone operators .

Before the existence of toll free numbers, collect calling was the f irst real way to call long-distance that required ahuman

phone operator to connect to another party.

E A R LY W A Y O F CALL I NG

ENTERPRISE

NUMBER(1930-1950)

A few years later, Zenith number also known as

Enterprise number was introduced. It is a free calling

service that allowed a calling party to connect to

another party at absolutely no cost by requesting the

call from switchboard operator.

I N W A T S

( M A Y 2 , 1967)

After Zenith number, AT&T

introduced a direct-dial option also

known as “Incoming Wide Area

Telephone Service” or 800-number

calling.

It is a long-distance inbound

telephone service in which the

receiver had to pay some fee on a

monthly basis depending upon the

telephone company used,duration

and distance of the calls received.

SINCE AT&T WAS THE SOLE PROVIDER OF LONG-

DISTANCE TELEPHONE SERVICE THROUGHOUT

MOST OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS LED AT&T TO

HAVE ALMOST TOTAL CONTROL OVER

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY WHICH LED TO

ANTITRUST CASE.

AS A RESULT, AT&T WAS SPLIT INTO 7

INDEPENDENT COMPANIES KNOWN AS “THE 7

BABY BELLS” IN 1984

End of Monopoly(1974)

Vanity phone numbers came into existence shortly

after the breakup of AT&T. As they are easy to

remember, vanity numbers are great for companies

who spend a lot of money on display advertising. Users

could choose their own phone number created like 1-

800-BUY-BOOK

MODERN DIRECT DIAL

SYSTEMS (VANITY

NUMBERS -1982)

1990The demand for 800 numbers skyrocketed in 1990s

1996888 numbers were created in 1996

1998-2010877 and 866 numbers came available in 1998 and 1999. 855 debuted in 2010.

While internet and email have drastically changed the businesses

communicates, toll free numbers are still considered one of effective

way to build a professional image for any brand.

Toll Free Numbers Today

About Us

The Real PBX, powered by CloudSpace Technologies LLC, is a global provider of unified cloud communication services such as Hosted PBX, Call center solutions such as VoIP phone system, SIP services and toll free numbers to

consumers and businesses.

For more information, visit: www.therealpbx.com or call at +1-888-892-9646

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