# TIL: The UK has 20,000 fake phone numbers

When creating test data I always prefer to use known false data for anything related to communications. [https://www.example.com](https://www.example.com) and the `.example` TLD are maintained for fake websites and email addresses, but I only today looked up what the equivalent is for phone numbers.

I found that Ofcom (the UK’s communications regulator) maintains a list of 20,000 fake phone numbers which are intended for use in films, TV, etc. These seem like excellent candidates for creating fake phone numbers in software testing too!

There are 20 ranges of reserved phone numbers which won’t be assigned to anyone, and each range contains 1,000 numbers. The full details are at [https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/phone-numbers/numbers-for-drama](https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/phone-numbers/numbers-for-drama).

If you just want a single fake phone number, you can use these:

> Mobile: 07700 900000
> 
> UK-wide landline: 03069 990000