Core Viewpoint - The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has announced a pilot program for a number protection service, utilizing a dedicated 700 number range to enhance user privacy during communications [3][4]. Group 1: Number Protection Service Overview - The 700 number range will be used specifically for number protection services, with a total length of 15 digits for usage [3]. - This service aims to replace real phone numbers with temporary numbers (referred to as "intermediate numbers" or "privacy numbers") to reduce the risk of personal phone number leakage [3][4]. - Current daily order volume for number protection services in China is at least 350 million, indicating a significant demand for such services [4]. Group 2: Implementation Phases - The pilot program consists of three phases: a three-month preparation phase, a three-month transition phase, and a two-year formal pilot phase [4]. - After the transition phase, all number protection services will exclusively use the 700 dedicated numbers [4]. Group 3: Responsibilities and Regulations - The notification outlines responsibilities for various stakeholders, including application platform providers, basic platform providers, and service users [4][5][6]. - Application platform providers must manage number resources responsibly and are prohibited from using them for commercial marketing calls or messages [4][6]. - Basic platform providers are tasked with ensuring smooth communication and centralized management of the dedicated number range [5]. - Service users are not allowed to illegally buy, sell, or rent number resources and must obtain user consent before providing number protection services [6].