Know your customer before you connect
One API call returns everything you need to know about a phone number -- line type, carrier, validity, SIM swap status, and more. Make smarter decisions about who you message and who you trust.
One call. Complete phone intelligence.
Send a phone number to the Lookup API and get back a rich metadata object with everything you need for validation, routing, and fraud prevention.
Line Type
Mobile, landline, VoIP
Carrier
Name, MCC, MNC
Validity
Active or disconnected
SIM Swap
Recent swap detection
Deep phone number intelligence
Six data layers to validate, classify, and assess every phone number in your system.
Line Type Intelligence
Classify numbers as mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free, or premium rate. Route messages appropriately and avoid wasting SMS credits on numbers that cannot receive text messages.
Carrier Lookup
Identify the current carrier for any phone number, including Mobile Country Code (MCC) and Mobile Network Code (MNC). Essential for routing optimization and carrier-specific compliance.
Number Validation
Verify that a phone number is correctly formatted, assigned, and currently active on a network. Catch typos, disconnected numbers, and invalid formats before they cost you money.
SIM Swap Detection
Detect whether the SIM card associated with a number was recently replaced. Flag recent swaps as potential fraud indicators for transactions, logins, and sensitive account changes.
Identity Match
Cross-reference a phone number with the subscriber's name and address on file with the carrier. Available for Tanzanian numbers with carrier consent and user authorization.
Portability Status
Check whether a number has been ported from one carrier to another. Ported numbers may have different routing requirements and can indicate changes in the subscriber's account history.
One endpoint, rich data
Query any phone number with a single GET request. Choose which data fields you need -- pay only for the intelligence you use. SDKs available for all major languages.
import { SakuraSMS } from "@sakura-sms/sdk";
const client = new SakuraSMS("sk_live_your_api_key");
const lookup = await client.lookup.get({
phone_number: "+255712345678",
fields: ["line_type", "carrier", "validity", "sim_swap"],
});
console.log(lookup.valid); // true
console.log(lookup.line_type); // "mobile"
console.log(lookup.carrier.name); // "Vodacom Tanzania"
console.log(lookup.sim_swap.swapped); // false
console.log(lookup.sim_swap.last_swap_date); // "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about phone number validation with the Sakura Lookup API.
The Lookup API is a phone number intelligence service that returns detailed metadata about any phone number in a single API call. You provide a phone number, and the API returns its validity, line type (mobile, landline, VoIP), carrier name, SIM swap status, and portability history. It helps you make informed decisions before sending messages or processing transactions.
A standard Lookup response includes: validity (whether the number is active and reachable), line type (mobile, landline, VoIP, toll-free), carrier information (name, MCC, MNC), country code, number formatting (E.164, national, international), and SIM swap detection (whether the SIM was recently swapped and the date of last swap). Additional fields like identity match and portability status are available on higher-tier plans.
Lookup data is sourced directly from MNO network databases and updated in real time. For Tanzanian numbers (Vodacom, Tigo, Airtel, Halotel), accuracy is 99.8% for validity and carrier data. SIM swap detection accuracy depends on the carrier's reporting latency, which is typically under 60 seconds for all four Tanzanian MNOs.
By default, Lookup queries are performed in real time against carrier databases. This ensures the most current data, especially for SIM swap detection and validity checks. For high-volume use cases where real-time accuracy is less critical (such as batch list cleaning), we offer a cached mode that returns results from our database, updated every 24 hours, at a lower per-query price.
Lookup is priced per query. Basic lookups (validity, line type, carrier) are included at one rate. Enhanced lookups (adding SIM swap detection and portability status) are priced at a higher tier. Volume discounts start at 10,000 queries per month. Contact sales for enterprise pricing and custom packages that bundle Lookup with Verify.
When you request SIM swap data, we query the carrier's subscriber database to check whether the SIM card associated with the phone number was recently replaced. The response includes a boolean (swapped/not swapped) and the date of the last SIM change. You can use this to block or flag transactions associated with recently swapped SIMs, which is a common indicator of account takeover fraud.
Lookup provides full coverage for all four Tanzanian mobile network operators: Vodacom Tanzania, Tigo (MIC Tanzania), Airtel Tanzania, and Halotel. Carrier data, validity checks, and SIM swap detection are supported across all four networks. For international numbers, we cover 200+ countries through our global carrier network.
Start validating phone numbers today
Create an account, get your API key, and run your first Lookup query in minutes.