What is a Landline Number?

A landline number is a telephone number traditionally associated with the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and delivered over a physical, fixed-line connection. The terms "landline" and "fixed-line" originate from the historical reality that these numbers were tied to a specific geographic location, like a home or an office, through a network of physical, over-land copper wires.

However, with the rise of modern technologies like VoIP (Voice over IP) and SIP Trunking, this physical limitation has been removed. While the term "landline number" is still widely used, these numbers are no longer permanently fixed to a single address.

Today, a business can port its existing landline numbers to a cloud phone system or purchase new ones and assign them to users or services. This allows an employee to make and receive calls on their "office landline number" from anywhere in the world using a softphone app on their laptop or a mobile app on their smartphone.

In essence, the name has outlasted the original technology. A "landline number" now simply refers to a standard, non-mobile phone number that can be used with incredible flexibility in a modern, digital communications environment.