What is a virtual number?
It is an ordinary ten-digit North American number that your contacts dial like any other. The difference is the technology: calls and texts travel over the internet (voice over IP, or VoIP) instead of the cellular network. The number is tied to your account with the provider, and you use it in an app on your phone or in your browser.
You keep your mobile and its number: the virtual number is added on top. It works over Wi‑Fi or your mobile data.
What it is useful for
- Keeping work and personal life apart without carrying two phones.
- Posting a classified ad, selling online or using a dating app without giving out your personal number.
- Giving a small business or a freelancer a local number that also works from a computer.
- Having a number in another city, for example to be reachable locally by clients in another region.
- Staying reachable on a Canadian number while travelling, wherever there is internet.
Choosing the area code
A local number reassures your contacts and spares them long-distance charges. In Québec, for example, Montréal numbers start with 514, 438, 263, Québec City numbers with 418, 581, 367, and Gatineau and Outaouais numbers with 819, 873, 468. Pick the area code of the region where most of your callers are.
Phone numbers are a limited resource. In busy regions, some area codes may be harder to get at a given time. A good service shows you the numbers that are actually free and tells you clearly when it offers a neighbouring area code.
Criteria for comparing services
- Texts: check that the number can send and receive texts, not only calls.
- Limits: minutes, texts and countries included should be written clearly, before you pay.
- What happens to the number: some free services take back inactive numbers. Know the conditions under which your number stays yours.
- Leaving: ask whether you can transfer the number elsewhere if you leave one day.
- 9-1-1: the service should ask for your address and explain the limits of 9-1-1 over the internet.
- Privacy: where your data is kept, who can access it and how you consent. In Québec, Law 25 covers these questions.
- Language and support: service in French, terms in French and a clear path if you have a complaint.
Limits to know
Without an internet connection, a virtual number can't make or receive calls. Quality depends on your network: weak Wi‑Fi or an unstable data signal shows during the call. When roaming, calls use mobile data; check your data plan.
Some sites, such as banks or online platforms, refuse to send verification codes to internet phone numbers. Before using a virtual number for an important account, make sure it is accepted.
Finally, 9-1-1 works differently than on a mobile. Read our guide to 9-1-1 and internet phone service before making it your only number.
How a virtual number works, technically
A Canadian phone number is assigned to a telecommunications service provider, which registers it in the phone network's databases. When someone dials the number, the network knows which provider to route the call to. With a classic number, that provider rings a landline or a SIM card. With a virtual number, it turns the call into data and sends it over the internet to an app, on your mobile or your computer.
In practice, the incoming call reaches the provider, which wakes your app with a notification, then sets up the voice connection over the internet. Your voice is compressed by a codec, cut into small packets and sent in real time. Texts follow a similar path: the provider receives them, then delivers them to the app. For your contacts, nothing changes: they dial an ordinary number, and your number shows up when you call them.
This explains the strengths and limits of a virtual number. It works anywhere there is a connection, on several devices at once, with no SIM card. But quality depends on your connection, the app must be able to receive its notifications, and 9-1-1 needs a registered address, because the network can't tell where you are.
A real number versus an app handle
Some messaging apps only give you a handle or a username: people can reach you only from the same app. A virtual number is part of the North American numbering plan: any phone can call or text it. Always check that the service gives you a real ten-digit number, that you can port it to another provider if you leave, and that the terms say clearly what happens to the number if the account becomes inactive.
With MIMT
MIMT's Free plan lets you call and text other MIMT users, without a phone number. For a real Canadian number, the Essential plan costs $12.99 a month before taxes, and the number stays yours as long as the plan is paid. The number picker shows free numbers live; the one you choose is held for 10 minutes while you create your account. Compare the plans or see the virtual number page.