Obtaining business phone numbers in China is far from simple. It’s not just about picking a number; it’s about meeting strict government regulations, securing the right licenses, and navigating regional telecom policies that vary across the country.
For foreign businesses, these challenges go deeper. You can’t directly own geographic numbers in China without a local presence. Technical limitations—especially with 800 numbers—often block access from mobile networks. In a country where most customers rely on mobile phones, that’s a major barrier.
Chinese customers expect businesses to be easy to reach, trustworthy, and mobile-friendly. If your number doesn’t work from a mobile device or drops calls, it creates a poor impression and can cost you opportunities.
That’s where China 400 numbers make a real difference. These numbers are designed to work nationwide, across all devices, including mobile. They solve the accessibility issue, offer call cost-sharing between businesses and customers, and fully comply with China’s telecom regulations.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through:
- China’s Phone Number Landscape
- What is a China 400 Number
- Why 400 Numbers Replaced China Toll-Free (800) Numbers
- Use Cases
- A Few Examples
- How to Choose the Right China Phone Number Provider
China’s Business Phone Number Landscape
China’s large geography and evolving infrastructure have shaped a unique number system, especially for businesses. As a country with a massive internal market, diverse regional economies, and a strong emphasis on both local and international trade, China relies on a range of specialized phone number types.
These numbers serve different purposes, from supporting nationwide customer service to enabling regional accessibility, making them essential for businesses operating in this competitive market.
Below are the number types, each with a specific function:
- Geographic DID Numbers: These are local landline numbers tied to specific cities or provinces (e.g., Beijing, Shanghai). They’re mainly used for regional presence and local calling but often lack national reach.
- Mobile numbers: Deeply integrated into daily life and digital identity across the country. These numbers play a crucial role in business communication in China due to the country’s mobile-first digital environment.
- China 400 numbers: These numbers are a shared-cost alternative to 800 toll-free numbers. These numbers are accessible nationwide and work across mobile and landline networks, making them ideal for modern customer support and sales teams.
- China 800 toll-free numbers: These numbers allow callers to connect without incurring charges. The 800 number in China functions regionally, requiring two separate numbers—for northern and southern China—to ensure full national coverage. They are limited by infrastructure and are not compatible with mobile phone networks in China.
For years, 800 numbers were the standard for businesses in China. But they were built for a landline era, and mobile carriers don’t support them. As a result, mobile users are unable to call your business using an 800 number.
Businesses now use 400 numbers as a reliable, regulation-compliant alternative. Reachable from anywhere in China, they support both landline and mobile calls with a shared-cost model, making them a professional solution for nationwide communication.
What is a China 400 Number?
A China 400 Number is a national shared-cost virtual phone number where the caller and the business (receiver) share the standard local call rate.
Customers can call these numbers from their landlines and mobile phones, covering all of China. So, with a 400 number, you ensure that the majority of China’s mobile users can reach you easily.
These China virtual numbers begin with 400 followed by seven digits (e.g., 0400‑xxx‑xxxx) and work across all Chinese provinces.
How They Work
- The caller pays the local rate charge based on their region.
- Business picks up long-distance charges and any forwarding fees.
Businesses can route incoming calls to a call center, regional office, or even an international location, ensuring nationwide reach and delivering convenience and consistency through a single number.
Beyond domestic reach, China 400 numbers can also be accessed from outside the country, making them ideal for global companies targeting Chinese customers.
To activate this number through a telecom provider like United World Telecom, you may need to provide additional business and end-user information. In some cases, providers can expedite the provisioning process, especially for existing business account holders.
Why 400 Numbers Replaced China Toll-Free (800) Numbers?
China’s communication landscape has positively shifted, leading to the widespread adoption of 400 numbers over 800 numbers. This move is a reflection of broader changes in customer behavior, technology, and operational requirements.
To understand why businesses moved from 800 toll-free numbers to 400 numbers, let’s break down the key reasons behind this shift:
• Nationwide Consistency
Businesses using 800 numbers often need to acquire separate numbers for different regions, such as one for North China and another for South China. A single China 400 number, on the other hand, offers nationwide coverage, an easy mode of communication, and a single point of contact for customers across the nation.
• Sustainable Cost Structure
Unlike 800 numbers, where the business pays the full cost, 400 numbers split call charges between the caller and the business. This cost-sharing method allows companies to handle high call volumes without incurring unsustainable expenses, especially for nationwide customer service.
• Centralized Network Compatibility
With China 400 numbers, you tap into a single nationwide network. Centralize call management and support operations more effectively by eliminating the difficulties associated with maintaining different regional numbers and their corresponding network requirements.
• Broader Accessibility
Since 800 numbers are only usable from landlines, mobile users—who make up the majority of China’s digital ecosystem—cannot utilize them. On the contrary, 400 numbers are completely reachable from landlines and mobile devices, ensuring customers can always get in touch with you from any device or location.
• Regulatory Alignment and Long-Term Viability
Telecom providers widely accept 400 numbers, and they meet China’s current telecom regulations. They are now the industry standard for business communication in China, which is mobile-friendly, scalable, and professional due to their increasing use.
When Should Businesses Use a 400 Number?
Businesses in China that require reliable, nationwide communication must use a 400 number.
Display your 400 number across advertisements, websites, and offline media accelerates customer response in large-scale marketing campaigns. Use advanced features like smart call routing, IVR, AI Call Insights, etc., to support high call volumes, analyze call content, and ensure no missed opportunities.
400 numbers for in-country customer service ensure that all users, whether landline or mobile, can reach your team without any limitations. This is especially essential for hotlines and post-sales service, where availability directly impacts trust. Customers expect quick, hassle-free help. If they can’t reach you, they’ll lose faith and may abandon their purchase. A 400 number eliminates these barriers, ensuring every call is answered and your support remains open, reliable, and responsive.
For B2B sales teams, a 400 number provides a consistent, professional point of contact across regions. Sales reps can connect with clients anywhere in China, reinforcing brand presence. Similarly, companies with distributed teams or call centers can route incoming calls through one central 400 number to different service centers, making management simpler and service more consistent.
Industries like those in the travel sector, 400 numbers assist with bookings, schedules, and service issues through a single, reliable contact point. In e-commerce, these numbers handle order inquiries and post-sale concerns. Fintech companies use them for customer verification, secure support, and service via mobile and landlines.
How Top Brands Use 400 Numbers (Examples)
In China, a 400 number does more than connect calls; it shows your business is credible, established, and easy to reach. Widely adopted by companies, these numbers reflect a business’s commitment to accessibility and trust.
Businesses strategically integrate 400 numbers across various customer touchpoints to reach the pinnacle in the world of business. They place these numbers on marketing materials—flyers, websites, ads—and include them on product packaging to offer direct, on-the-spot support. This targeted placement and functional use across industries highlight how 400 numbers are key tools for delivering consistent, global communication in the Chinese market.
Here are real-world examples that show how 400 numbers help businesses strengthen their presence and customer relationships in China:
Note: This information is current at the time of writing and is subject to change.
1. Huawei (Enterprise & Consumer Support)
Huawei advertises its 400‑822‑9999 nationwide hotline across websites, packaging, and service portals for enterprise and consumer users. They use it in VIP customer care, service center hotlines, and technical support to make sure clients from any network—landline or mobile—can connect with ease. By managing after-sales inquiries through a single central number, Huawei is able to increase operational efficiency and confidence.
2. Lenovo (Tech & Retail Support)
Lenovo also uses a 400 number as the primary contact for product support in China. Lenovo lists similar 400 numbers across its service and support pages for Chinese customers. This shows the company’s commitment to offering accessible local support for its PCs, smart devices, and enterprise solutions.
3. China Minsheng Bank
China Minsheng Bank efficiently optimizes client service across many sectors by using 400 numbers. For example, the bank uses 400 68 95568 as the corporate service hotline, offering corporate clients help with account queries, business consultations, electronic banking, and complaint resolution. Meanwhile, 400 86 95568 is dedicated to small and micro businesses, assisting with finance, loan consultations, and other business-related services.
By using separate 400 numbers for each customer group, the bank ensures targeted, efficient, and professional service nationwide, showcasing the flexibility and scalability of 400 numbers in meeting diverse business needs.
4. HSBC China
HSBC China strategically uses 400 numbers to simplify customer support across different common queries and requests. 400-920-0828 helps with international education financial services, guiding students and parents on banking needs abroad. 400-820-3090 answers questions on opening personal accounts, ensuring a smooth onboarding process. 400-820-4335 helps with home mortgage loans, guiding applications, and repayment.
Employees benefit from dedicated banking solutions via 400-821-3168. 400-920-3827 offers personalized support for customers in the Greater Bay Area. Lastly, 400-820-1177 supports retail business clients through HSBC Fusion, offering banking solutions for small businesses.
Each number ensures customers reach the right team directly, reducing wait times and improving service efficiency across China.
5. BMW China
BMW China uses 400 numbers to offer reliable customer service for its various operations, namely Customer service, Financial services, and Leasing services. This structured system helps them sort support by the kind of help needed, leading to quicker solutions, happier customers, and steady communication all over the country.
Customers can reach the 24/7 BMW Customer Service Center at 400-800-6666 for queries like test drives, product info, or after-sales help. For financial and leasing concerns, 400-800-6886 handles BMW Finance-related inquiries and complaints, while 400-995-6618 is dedicated to BMW Leasing customers. This organized use of 400 numbers allows BMW to provide support by service type, ensuring faster resolution, greater customer satisfaction, and consistent communication nationwide.
Choose the Right China Phone Number Provider
When expanding your business presence in China, choosing the right China phone number provider can make all the difference in delivering a seamless customer experience. Not all providers offer the same quality of service or compliance support, especially in complex markets like China.
Here’s what to look for in a 400 number provider:
• In-Country Routing
Ensure that your provider offers in-country routing for China 400 numbers. This means calls are handled locally, reducing latency and improving call quality for customers across China.
• 24/7 Support with a Dedicated Team
Look for providers that offer 24/7 customer service with access to dedicated account managers or technical teams. This ensures that any problems are fixed quickly, causing the least amount of inconvenience to your business operations.
• Essential Call Management Features
Look for features like call forwarding, IVR menus, call recording, and advanced analytics to monitor and manage operations effectively. These features enhance customer experience, optimize call center efficiency, and provide valuable insights into communication patterns.
• Regulatory Compliance and Documentation Support
Regulatory compliance in China can be complex, especially when it comes to registering and using China virtual numbers. Choose a provider that offers hands-on support for documentation and knows how to navigate local telecom regulations with ease.
Related: China SIP Trunking
Stay Compliant, Accessible, and Ready to Grow With China 400 Numbers
For businesses aiming to succeed in China’s evolving market, 400 numbers provide a modern, scalable, and mobile-friendly alternative to the limited and outdated 800 numbers. This evolution reflects China’s shift to a mobile-first communication culture, where 400 numbers provide an important nationwide consistency and simplified network compatibility that China toll-free numbers simply cannot match.
With their shared-cost model, 400 numbers balance affordability for customers with sustainable operational costs for businesses, making them the most practical solution for complete customer engagement, sales, and support.
With decades of experience, wide international coverage, and flexible support, United World Telecom helps businesses build reliable communication networks in markets like China and beyond, without unnecessary complexity.
Ready to modernize your business communication in China? A 400 number is a great place to start. Chat with our experts to learn more or browse through our inventory online!