Can You Inherit a Phone Number? A Chinese Court Says the Right of Use Can Pass On

October 11 (IT Home) — Mobile phone numbers are closely tied to bank cards and all kinds of online accounts, and carry a degree of property interest and data value. Can a mobile number be inherited as part of an estate? CCTV News reported today that a resident of Heilongjiang Province wanted to inherit his mother’s mobile number after she died, and sued his two sisters in court.

Mr Wen, from Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province, wanted to inherit his mother’s mobile number after her death. The number is not a premium “lucky” number; according to the report, Mr Wen simply wanted to keep enjoying the carrier’s discount policy.

IT Home learned from the report that Mr Wen’s mother died in 2025, and that Mr Wen had lived with his mother for a long time. Her mobile number was tied to a great many things, including WeChat, Alipay and the household broadband. For the convenience of daily life, and to keep the broadband discount that came with the old number, Mr Wen wanted to continue using his mother’s number.

The carrier, however, said it needed proof of the right of inheritance. Under the relevant legal provisions, the right to use a mobile number can be inherited. As for how it is inherited, all legal heirs should reach agreement through consultation, or a court should decide through litigation.

Mr Wen and his two sisters all had inheritance rights, but he could not get in touch with one of his sisters and so could not reach agreement, which is why he went to court to seek a solution.

In the end, the court issued a civil mediation document confirming that the right to use the mobile number in question would be inherited by Mr Wen, with his two sisters voluntarily giving up their inheritance of that right of use.

The judge said that inheriting a mobile number means inheriting only the right of use and related interests under the service contract; ownership of the number still belongs to the state. The court deals with the right to use the number, not with that number’s agreements with third-party platforms. Where those agreements contain special provisions or prohibit transfer, the court does not deal with them. For example, if the number is only a login name, money or other interests held in a WeChat account linked to the number are not handled by the court.