# Could a cellphone have more than one phone number? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 15, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018 "2011-11-15T16:53:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/1 "2011-11-15T16:53:24Z")
Could you have two (or more) different numbers programmed into your phone, so you could be talking on one line and have Call Waiting or voicemail as to the other(s)? Maybe this is already available, but I’ve never heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/2 "2011-11-15T16:56:17Z")
The answer is YES. Try this link: [Dual SIM - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_SIM) Apparently this has been around since 2007 at least. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/3 "2011-11-15T17:56:02Z")
You can also kind of do it with a Google Voice number. I have my Google Voice number ring through to my cell phone, and I can set it to go directly to voicemail if I want. (Right now I have it set to ask you your name, then I hear who it is and get to answer or send it to voicemail.) ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/4 "2011-11-15T18:05:17Z")
You don’t even need a special phone. Just sign up with any phone company and have a number forwarded to your cell phone. For example, if you wanted to have a local phone number in many cities, you could sign up for a number in each city that would be permanently forwarded to your cell phone. Or if you wanted an 800 number, you could sign up with any carrier that you wanted and have them forward the 800 number to your cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/5 "2011-11-15T18:15:51Z")
I don’t think that having other another number forwarded to your phone is what the OP was asking – you can do that with pretty much any phone in the world so long as the service provide offers it. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/6 "2011-11-15T20:41:03Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Could you have two (or more) different numbers programmed into your phone, so you could be talking on one line and have Call Waiting or voicemail as to the other(s)? Maybe this is already available, but I’ve never heard of it. You do realize that even with a single phone number, any calls received while you are talking will automatically go to call waiting, and then to voice mail if you don’t pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/7 "2011-11-15T21:02:52Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > You do realize that even with a single phone number, any calls received while you are talking will automatically go to call waiting, and then to voice mail if you don’t pick up. Yes, mine does that now. But I was asking about the Type-A personality who wanted to have two or more lines. Dunno what the carrying capacity of a typical cellphone is - is there an upper limit as to how many lines could all ring into the same cell? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/8 "2011-11-15T21:34:54Z")
Yes, I have had phones with more than one SIM card and each card has its own number. Nokia makes a number of phones that have more than one SIM slot, although they seem to be more common overseas than in the US. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/9 "2011-11-16T03:27:33Z")
Out in recruiting, I had a cell that had a local number in my area, and an 800 number. Both would ring in, no matter what line I was on. SFC Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-cellphone-have-more-than-one-phone-number/603018/10 "2011-11-16T03:36:07Z")
Dual SIM card phones are rare in the US but common overseas. If you have an iPhone you can get a service like Line2, which allows you to do VoIP calls for a second phone number.