How to generate One Million Random Phone Numbers using Excel

Suppose you want to send a random SMS to more than One million numbers and you wanted to use Excel to generate random unique numbers (Pardon me if bulk SMS is done under license in your territory)

(Download the WorkBook with 1,000,000 Numbers here )
More often marketers are confronted with the cost of buying phone number databases when charting new markets or introducing new products. This post will help you generate random numbers (unverified).

Step 1: Identify your preferred prefix (Telco) and the Country Code (for example +254-722 for Safaricom Kenya).

Step 2: Use the RandBetween Formula in Excel to randomize the remaining 6 characters including the changing last number (i.e 07YY XXX XXX) - The changing prefix character is YY, while the phone number that is randomized between 0 and 9 is the XXX XXX is the Suffix (Individual Phone Number)

Step 3: Enter the Country Code, the Prefix and the Suffix in individual cells (as seen in here)

Step 4: Enter the RandomBetween Formula in the cells in each suffix with the following syntax =RANDBETWEEN(0,9). This essentially generates random numbers between 0 and 9 in the target cells (You can use F9 to r-generate the numbers). Use the =CONCATENATE to combine the numbers (country code, suffix and prefix - to get the number in Col. O.


Step 5: Pull down the numbers to the extent possible that you may require ( I have 20,000 plus numbers in my excel sheet that can be downloaded here)

Step 6: Now check for duplicates by going to Data > Remove Duplicates

Step 7: Now you can send out as many SMS as possible - may be you will need me for a bulk SMS tool!

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Please check with your regulatory authority for bulk SMS licenses and how it is governed.