Etymology

premium-rate telephone number

Today it means: A telephone number for which an extra charge is assessed to the caller, part of which is returned to the owner of the number. Full definition →

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The story

In the original North American Numbering Plan, telephone numbers with the 800 area code were designated as toll-free, whereby the recipient of the call assumed all associated charges. Subsequently, telephone companies introduced 900 numbers, enabling the subscriber to impose additional fees on callers.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.