diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 9eb2e1ff..3bd6c568 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.99.0
+1.99.1
diff --git a/examples/service/go.mod b/examples/service/go.mod
index 624c729f..3c41d29b 100644
--- a/examples/service/go.mod
+++ b/examples/service/go.mod
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ toolchain go1.22.5
 replace github.com/Vonage/gosrvlib => ../..
 
 require (
-	github.com/Vonage/gosrvlib v1.99.0
+	github.com/Vonage/gosrvlib v1.99.1
 	github.com/golang/mock v1.6.0
 	github.com/jstemmer/go-junit-report/v2 v2.1.0
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.19.1
diff --git a/pkg/countryphone/countryphone.go b/pkg/countryphone/countryphone.go
index 7c78f56c..30544c2e 100644
--- a/pkg/countryphone/countryphone.go
+++ b/pkg/countryphone/countryphone.go
@@ -189,13 +189,9 @@ func (d *Data) insertPrefix(prefix string, info *NumInfo) {
 	d.trie.Add(prefix, info)
 }
 
-func (d *Data) insertGroups(a2, cc string, data []InPrefixGroup) {
-	if len(data) == 0 {
-		return
-	}
-
-	for _, g := range data {
-		info := &NumInfo{
+func (d *Data) insertGroups(a2 string, cdata *InCountryData) {
+	for _, g := range cdata.Groups {
+		groupInfo := &NumInfo{
 			Type: g.PrefixType,
 			Geo: []*GeoInfo{
 				{
@@ -207,12 +203,12 @@ func (d *Data) insertGroups(a2, cc string, data []InPrefixGroup) {
 		}
 
 		if len(g.Prefixes) == 0 {
-			d.insertPrefix(cc, info)
+			d.insertPrefix(cdata.CC, groupInfo)
 			continue
 		}
 
 		for _, p := range g.Prefixes {
-			d.insertPrefix(p, info)
+			d.insertPrefix(p, groupInfo)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -221,19 +217,27 @@ func (d *Data) insertGroups(a2, cc string, data []InPrefixGroup) {
 func (d *Data) loadData(data InData) {
 	d.trie = numtrie.New[NumInfo]()
 
-	for k, v := range data {
-		info := &NumInfo{
-			Type: 0,
-			Geo: []*GeoInfo{
-				{
-					Alpha2: k,
-					Area:   "",
-					Type:   0,
+	doneRootCC := make(map[string]bool, (26*26)+1) // all possible CCs + 1 for non-geographic
+
+	for a2, cdata := range data {
+		if _, ok := doneRootCC[a2]; !ok {
+			// insert the root node for the country code only once
+			d.insertPrefix(cdata.CC, &NumInfo{
+				Type: 0,
+				Geo: []*GeoInfo{
+					{
+						Alpha2: a2,
+						Area:   "",
+						Type:   0,
+					},
 				},
-			},
+			})
+
+			doneRootCC[a2] = true
 		}
 
-		d.insertPrefix(v.CC, info)
-		d.insertGroups(k, v.CC, v.Groups)
+		if len(cdata.Groups) > 0 {
+			d.insertGroups(a2, cdata)
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/countryphone/countryphone_test.go b/pkg/countryphone/countryphone_test.go
index 1637ff65..cdf4ff0c 100644
--- a/pkg/countryphone/countryphone_test.go
+++ b/pkg/countryphone/countryphone_test.go
@@ -133,7 +133,8 @@ func TestData_NumberInfo(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			require.NoError(t, err)
-			require.EqualExportedValues(t, tt.want, got)
+			require.Equal(t, tt.want.Type, got.Type)
+			require.ElementsMatch(t, tt.want.Geo, got.Geo)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -330,7 +331,8 @@ func TestData_NumberInfo_custom(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			require.NoError(t, err)
-			require.EqualExportedValues(t, tt.want, got)
+			require.Equal(t, tt.want.Type, got.Type)
+			require.ElementsMatch(t, tt.want.Geo, got.Geo)
 		})
 	}
 }