Tag: ITFS

When you consider expanding your business to other countries, one of the biggest concerns to think about is: how will you maintain reliable communication with people in distant parts of the world. Many businesses choose either ITFS numbers or UIFN service.

UIFN Versus ITFS: Defining the Differences

United World Telecom has been a trusted international telecommunications provider since 1996. We provide UIFN service and ITFS numbers.

UIFN

A Universal International Freephone Number — also known as a UIFN Number — is a type of toll free number that works as a single phone number in multiple countries. With UIFN service, your organization can support callers through a universal toll free number in up to 60 different countries.

ITFS Numbers

ITFS can also support global voice communications. Businesses use ITFS numbers to provide a free method for customers to call them in up to 160 countries. Both UIFN and ITFS numbers can help you expand your global voice coverage.

Which Is a Better Number for Your Business?

While UIFN numbers sound good in theory, when deciding what number type works best for your business, one must consider the advantages and disadvantages. You first need to know how these numbers work and how they differ from each other.

UIFN Advantages

UIFN has coverage as a single phone number for multiple countries, including major global economies such as Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, etc. Having a single number makes it easier to manage communications instead of displaying a variety of numbers.

How Does UIFN Work?

Here is a list of the countries where UIFN numbers are available, including information about mobile accessibility:

Country	Mobile Accessibility	Country	Mobile Accessibility
Argentina	No	Macau	Yes
Australia	Yes	Macedonia	Partial
Austria	Yes	Malaysia	No
Belgium	Yes	Malta	Partial
Brazil	Yes	Martinique	Yes
Bulgaria	Yes	Mayotte	Yes
Canada	Yes	Moldova	Yes
China	Partial	Monaco	Yes
Colombia	Yes	Netherlands	Yes
Costa Rica	Yes	New Zealand	Yes
Croatia	Partial	Norway	Yes
Cyprus	Partial	Peru	Partial
Czech Republic	Yes	Philippines	No
Denmark	Yes	Poland	Partial
Estonia	Yes	Portugal	Yes
Finland	Partial	Reunion	Yes
France	Yes	Romania	Partial
French Guiana	Yes	Saint Pierre & Miquelon	Yes
Germany	Yes	Singapore	Yes
Greece	Partial	Slovakia	Yes
Guadeloupe	Yes	Slovenia	No
Hong Kong	Yes	South Africa	Yes
Hungary	Yes	South Korea	Yes
Iceland	Partial	Spain	Yes
Israel	No	Sweden	Partial
Italy	No	Switzerland	Yes
Japan	Yes	Taiwan	Yes
Latvia	Yes	Thailand	Yes
Lithuania	Yes	United Kingdom	Partial
Luxembourg	Yes	Uruguay	Yes

The Downside of UIFN

UIFN is accessible from only 60 countries around the world and not all UIFN participating countries have mobile access. Prefixes vary based on the country. This can lead to confusion and misdialing.

It can also take a few weeks to activate UIFN service and registration fees apply.

ITFS Advantages

ITFS numbers are free to dial from within their country. They are only reachable from within their own country and generally cannot be dialed from other countries.

International toll free numbers are available from more than 160 countries worldwide and are the most cost-effective option for any company wanting to expand globally.

How to Choose the Right Type of Number

Which is better for your business depends on your business’ international reach. If you have customers in only a few select countries, then getting separate ITFS numbers for those regions will be more useful. However, if you have extensive global coverage, you may find UIFN more beneficial. This decision also depends on your budget limits and how much getting multiple ITFNs or one single expensive UIFN will cost you.

You can also inquire about our Toll Free FlexDial solution which can offer global toll-free access to callers in multiple countries through a single phone number. This solution works as an alternative to UIFN since it can cover more countries than UIFN. Chat with us to learn more or browse FlexDial prices.

Get UIFN from United World Telecom

United World Telecom offers both ITFN and UIFN numbers. If you know what you want, sign up for your new number on our homepage today. Or, call us at 1 (877) 898 8646 to discuss your business needs so we can help you make a well-informed decision.