Are cell phone numbers less expensive than landline phone numbers?

Cell phone numbers and landline phone numbers cost exactly the same. Phone numbers are allocated by an international organization called the North American Numbering Plan Administration. NANPA's costs are paid in the United States by telecommunications companies as a portion of their revenue.

All phone numbers come from the same single pool of numbers, and telecommunications companies are charged based on revenues. The cost per number is the same regardless of whether it is for a landline phone, fax, pager, virtual phone or other technology. The NANPA costs appear bundled with other items on customer bills as a line item called the "cost recovery fee."