by Lookify Staff Writers
If you've recently conducted a search for a phone number on Lookify, and see a result with the carrier name for the phone number listed as "Multiple OCN Listing" or "Other Multiple OCN Listing", you may be wondering what this carrier type means. Multiple OCN Listing means that there is more than one Operating Company Number associated with the phone number. To understand more about what this means, read on
OCN stands for Operating Company Number. An Operating Company Number is a four digit number, given to only US Phone carrier companies, from the National Exchange Carrier Association. An OCN can be thought of like a unique company code that is used to identify telecommunications service providers.
If a phone number has multiple OCN's it means that multiple carriers or mobile service providers provide service to the phone number. It might be hard to wrap your head around, but consider the following scenario:
There are a few other situations where a phone number carrier might have multiple OCNs.
Mergers and Acquisitions: A telecommunications company or carrier that acquires or merges with other companies may end up managing multiple OCNs, each representing a different entity within the larger organization.
Multiple Service Offerings: A single company offering diverse telecommunications services (like local, long distance, wireless, or internet services) in various geographical regions might operate under multiple OCNs, each for a specific type of service or region.
Administrative Purposes: Different OCNs may be used for administrative or regulatory purposes, to differentiate various operational aspects within the same company.
Hopefully this helps clear up any questions regarding Multiple OCN Listing numbers. If you have any other questions about the results of your phone number lookup, feel free to contact us.