Telegram appears to have incorrectly restricted the Portuguese mobile number range +351 93 belonging to the NOS carrier. For new account sign-ups using this prefix, a paywall is shown, blocking normal registration. When changing an existing account’s number to a +351 93 number, Telegram displays “OTP sent” but no SMS OTP is actually delivered. Voice call verification also fails, with no call received at any stage, even after SMS verification fails. This behavior is consistent across multiple valid NOS numbers, while SMS and call reception work normally for other services. The issue likely results from Telegram’s automated system incorrectly flagging this number range, despite there being no user-side misuse.
Steps to reproduce
Use a valid Portuguese NOS mobile number with prefix +351 93*.
Attempt to create a new Telegram account using this number OR open an existing account and go to Settings → Change Number.
Enter the +351 93* number and confirm.
For new sign-ups, Telegram shows a paywall, blocking normal registration.
For number change, Telegram shows “OTP sent”.
No SMS OTP is received on the device.
Wait for fallback verification.
No voice call is received at any stage.
Repeat the steps with other valid NOS numbers — the behavior is the same.
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