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 62 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 look at 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 | Country | Mobile |
| Argentina | No | Latvia | No |
| Australia | Yes | Luxembourg | No |
| Austria | Yes | Macau | Yes |
| Belarus | Partial | Malaysia | Partial |
| Belgium | No | Netherlands | Partial |
| Brazil | Yes | New Zealand | Yes |
| Bulgaria | Partial | Norway | Yes |
| Canada | Yes | Philippines | No |
| China | No | Poland | Yes |
| Colombia | Yes | Portugal | Yes |
| Costa Rica | No | Russia | Partial |
| Cyprus | Yes | Singapore | Partial |
| Czech Rep | No | Slovenia | No |
| Denmark | Yes | South Africa | Yes |
| Finland | Yes | South Korea | Yes |
| France | Yes | Spain | No |
| Germany | Yes | Sweden | No |
| Hong Kong | Yes | Switzerland | Yes |
| Hungary | Yes | Taiwan | Partial |
| Ireland | Yes | Thailand | Yes |
| Israel | No | U.K | Yes |
| Italy | No | Uruguay | Partial |
| Japan | Partial |
The Downside of UIFN
UIFN is accessible from only 62 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.
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.