It is fairly easy to trace a cell phone number using the reverse directories. All you need to do is type in a number like this: 121-222-2222 and click on the search button. After you provide the number the engine will gear up for a search to see what it comes up with. If any information is available it will match your number to that information.
You have a choice of free services and paid reverse services that enable you to trace a cell phone number. When you think your mate is cheating, or that your child is doing something wrong, you can use the free services to trace a phone number, but with the free services you will only get information on landline phones.
Paid vs. Free reverse services
Free services do not spend their time compiling and organizing a database filled with information, since most of their details come up from random searches that you can do online at Google's per se. You can go to Google's search engine and type in a phone number and probably get more information from there than you would using the free reverse cell phone directories. On the other hand, the paid services do spend a lot of time and money to compile and organize their databases. If you type in a number at Google's search engine, you will get the name of the person who owns the phone, and the phone number as well as the address. But, if you use the free services, you will only get the carrier information. The problem is the information I came up with on Google's search is outdated. Landline numbers will come up on the free services. You type in the number, and what appears is the phone type, who is the licensed company that issued the phone, where it is located, and so forth. This search says the phone number I typed in is a cell phone, this is not true, it is a landline number, and the company that issued the phone is incorrect also. So, the free services may give you false information.
If you use Yahoo to locate a number, what comes up is outdated information. You may get names of various people who associate with the number, as well as the address. The address may still be active, but the phone number may be in someone else's name. So we see that free services rely on Google and Yahoo for information and if these sources have not updated their database, well then you will get outdated information. The paid services on the other hand, get their information from reliable sources.