Toll-free telephone number Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
A toll-free telephone number is a special telephone number, in which the calling party is not charged for the call by the telephone company. Generally, the called party pays all of the charges for the call, which is otherwise long distance. The called party may possibly charge the calling party directly, such as for technical support calls.Toll-free numbers in the North American Numbering Plan (known as WATS lines), and also originally Australia, are sometimes called "800 numbers" after the original area code which was used to dial them. In the NANP, easily-recognizable codes 800, 888, 877 and 866 indicate a toll-free call, with 855, 844, 833, and 822 reserved for later expansion. Other "8xx" numbers are regular long-distance area codes.
In Australia now, the prefix is "1800" for toll free (or free call) numbers.
A universal international freephone number (UIFN) is a worldwide toll-free "800 number" issued by the ITU. Like the 800 area code issued for the NANP in the U.S and Canada, the call is free for the caller, and the receiver pays the charges. UIFN uses ITU country code 800, so that no matter where the caller is, only the international access code (IAC) and the 8-digit UIFN need to be dialed. Currently, about 30 countries participate in the UIFN programme.
See also: collect call, 900 number