How to register a phone number: The complete guide for business owners

Protecting the trustworthiness of your business calls is more important than ever.

As phone-based scams and fraudulent activity continue to grow worldwide, consumers are becoming more cautious about answering calls from unknown numbers. To protect consumers, carriers, regulators and device makers have introduced protections such as spam labels to alert call recipients of potential unwanted calls.

Businesses should be aware of these protections so they can align their calls with consumer expectations and legal standards. Despite the rise in voice fraud, phone calls remain a key communication channel between businesses and their customers.

When you adopt responsible and transparent calling practices, you don’t just improve the odds of reaching your audience — you build lasting trust, increase engagement, and protect your brand reputation from being damaged by association with spam or fraud.

The first step to making sure your calls engage your customers? Register your business phone numbers. Here's everything you need to know about how to register a phone number, what it means, and why it matters for your business.

What does it mean to register a phone number?

Phone number registration is the process of establishing your business as a legitimate caller to the carriers that deliver your calls. While registering your business numbers doesn't change the caller ID display or guarantee you'll never be labeled as spam, it is an important first step that establishes you as a legitimate caller.

Why do legitimate businesses get labeled as spam? There are several reasons:

• Customer reactions: Recipients hanging up quickly or reporting calls as spam.
• Unknown caller identity: Carriers don’t know whether you’re a business making legitimate calls or a bad actor pretending to be a business.  
• Minimal call history and data: Numbers have little call history or a history of fraudulent reports.
• Calling practices: High volumes of calls to a wide array of unrelated numbers, especially if done in a short time frame, can signal invasive or aggressive behavior. So can excessive repeated calls to the same contact, or calling outside of normal hours, such as too late at night or too early in the morning.  

Learn more about customer-friendly calling practices with Hiya’s 10 Tips for a Positive Call Reputation.

Carriers use sophisticated spam analytics systems that analyze these factors in real-time. These systems are dynamic, and analyze not just the phone number but a variety of factors surrounding the entire context of a call.

Keep in mind that callers can get flagged if they make phone calls that frustrate customers, or if their calls look similar to those that do. The 10 tips guide above helps businesses understand good calling practices to help make their calls to not frustrate users and to not accidentally mimic scammer practices.

The importance of phone number registration

For businesses of all sizes looking to protect the integrity of their call reputation, phone number registration is a great first step. 

What number registration does (and doesn't) do

Hiya Number Registration WILL:

• Establish you as a legitimate caller to carriers
• Reduce your risk of spam labeling on customer-friendly calls
• Provide transparency into your registration status
• Work globally across 40+ countries

Hiya Number Registration WON'T:

• Guarantee your calls never be labeled as spam
• Change your caller ID display name
• Automatically make your calls customer-friendly
• Work if you don't follow good calling practices

How to register your phone numbers with Hiya

Step 1: Create your free account

Visit the Hiya Number Registration page, to learn how to create your free account. Your business information will be verified during setup.

Step 2: Submit your numbers

Upload your phone numbers in the self-service console.

Step 3: Manage your registration

Log into the console anytime to:

• Add new numbers
• Remove old numbers
• Confirm registration status

What’s the difference between Hiya Number Registration and Free Caller Registry?

You may have heard of a similar service called Free Caller Registry, which is available to businesses in the United States. Here are the key differences between the two services:

Hiya Number Registration

Hiya Number Registration provides:

• Global coverage: Works in 40+ countries including US, UK, and Canada
• Self-service console: Register numbers and confirm registration status anytime
• Complete transparency: See exactly which numbers are registered
• Always free: No hidden fees or subscription costs

Free Caller Registry

Free Caller Registry is the industry standard for US businesses. However, it has significant limitations:

• US-only coverage: Doesn't work for international calls
• No visibility: Can't see registration status of your numbers
• No self-service: Limited control over managing your numbers
• Expires: You have to consistently re-register your numbers

For businesses making calls outside the US or wanting better control over their registration, Hiya is the clear choice. Hiya Number Registration works wherever you make calls. Whether you're reaching customers in London, Toronto, or Sydney, your registration follows you. This global approach is especially important for:

• International businesses expanding their reach
• Remote teams calling from different countries
• Growing companies planning global expansion
• Any business that doesn't want geographic limitations

Remember: Number registration is your right as a business, and with Hiya, it's always free. Don't let spam labels hurt your customer relationships when the solution is this simple and free.

Ready to reduce your spam labeling risk? Register your business numbers for free today →