Telephone numbering in Europe
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[edit] European Union
[edit] Single numbering plan (1996 proposal)
Proposed Country Code: 3
In 1996, the European Commission proposed the introduction of a single telephone numbering plan, in which all European Union member states would use the code '3'. Calls between member states would no longer require the use of the international access code '00'. This proposal would have required countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark and others, whose country codes began with the digit '4', to return these to the International Telecommunication Union. For example, to call a number in Berlin, in Germany:
xxxx xxxx (within Berlin) 030 xxxx xxxx (within Germany) 1 4930 xxxx xxxx (within the EU) +3 49 30 xxxx xxxx (outside the EU)
Countries like Ireland, Portugal and Finland, which used codes in the '35x' range, would adopt a different format. For example, to call a number in Dublin, Ireland:
xxxx xxxx (within Dublin) 01 xxxx xxxx (within Ireland) 1 53 1 xxxx xxxx (within the EU) +3 53 1 xxxx xxxx (outside the EU)
A Green Paper on the proposal was published, but it was felt by many in the industry that the disruption and inconvenience of such a scheme would outweigh any advantages.
The EU proposal should not be confused with the European Telephony Numbering Space (ETNS) scheme, which uses the code +388, and is intended to complement, rather than replace, existing national numbering plans.
[edit] Austria
Main article: Area codes in Austria
Country Code: 43
International Call Prefix: 00
There are no standard lengths for either area codes or subscribers' numbers in Austria, meaning that some subscribers' numbers may be as short as three digits. Larger towns have shorter area codes permitting longer subscriber numbers in that area. Some examples:
112 general emergency call 118 directory assistance services 122 fire 133 police 140 mountain rescue 144 medical emergency 147 telephone counseling for children (Rat auf Draht) 15xx generic information services (time, ...) 01 Wien/Vienna 0316 Graz 0463 Klagenfurt 050x virtual private network (VPN) 0512 Innsbruck 0662 Salzburg 0650 cell phones (Telering) 0660 cell phones (Drei) 0664 cell phones (A1) 0676 cell phones (T-Mobile) 0680 cell phones (BoB) 0681 cell phones (Yesss) 0688 cell phones (Tele2) 0699 cell phones (One / Yesss) 0718 internet dial-up numbers 0720 location independent landline numbers VoIP 0732 Linz 0780 national subscriber numbers 0800 national free call 00800 international free call 0804 internet dial-up numbers 08xx service numbers 09xx premium rate
The number-assignment of the cell phones can vary, due to number portability.
- Yesss and Tele2 are using the network-infrastructure of One. Yesss is a discount-offer of One.
- BoB is a discount-offer of A1 and therefor uses it's network-infrastructure.
- Since 2006 Telering is fully owned by and integrated into T-Mobile and therefor uses it's network-infrastructure.
[edit] Denmark
Country Code: 45
International Call Prefix: 00
Denmark uses, in the main, an eight digit numbering plan, with no area codes. Details of the numbering plan may be found (in English) at Denmark's National IT and Telecom Agency at http://itst.dk/.
International prefix: 0 Emergency Services: 112 Other 3 digit short codes are reserved Carrier Select codes: 10xx Service numbers (such as directory enquiries): 18xx Carrier select codes for data: 16xxx
Reserved for a national or standard european prefix: 01-xx-xx-xx to 09-xx-xx-xx A mixture of Mobile and ISDN: 2x-xx-xx-xx - 79-xx-xx-xx, 81-xx-xx-xx - 89-xx-xx-xx, 96-xx-xx-xx - 99-xx-xx-xx Freephone: 80-1x-xx-xx - 80-9x-xx-xx Premium Rate: 90-1x-xx-xx - 90-9x-xx-xx
[edit] France
Country Code: 33
International Call Prefix: 00
In 1996, France changed to a ten-digit numbering scheme, as follows:
01 Paris 02 Northwest France 03 Northeast France 04 Southeast France 05 Southwest France 06 Mobile phone services 08 Special services, including Freephone (numéro vert) and premium rates. 09 Other services (services de communications interpersonnelles), including VoIP (such as Skype), mobile/landline grouped services, internet phone and other new technologies.
Note that the 09 prefix was introduced in September 2006 (http://www.art-telecom.fr/uploads/tx_gsavis/06-0866.pdf) and older number such as 08 7X XX XX XX are replaced by 09 5X XX XX XX (telephone service offered by Internet Provider "Free").
[edit] Germany
Country Code: 49
International Call Prefix: 00
There are no standard lengths for either area codes or subscribers' numbers in Germany, meaning that some subscribers' numbers may be as short as three digits. Larger towns have shorter area codes permitting longer subscriber numbers in that area. Some examples:
00800 toll free (international) 010xxx dial-around-services (Call by Call - alternative carrier) 011xx service numbers 012xx "innovative services", Unified Messaging & non-geographical VoIP 0137x televoting & TV call-in-shows 0138 teledialog (radio and TV stations) 015x cell phone (not longer assignable to certain operator due to number portability) 016x pagers & cell phone (not longer assignable to certain operator due to number portability) 017x cell phone (not longer assignable to certain operator due to number portability) 0180x shared-cost-service (partly more expensive than national calls) 0181x virtual private network (VPN) 01888 government numbers (departments in Berlin or the former capital Bonn) 0190x premium rate until December 31st, 2005 (migrated to 0900) 0192x internet dial-up numbers 0201 Essen 0211 Düsseldorf 0221 Köln/Cologne 0228 Bonn 0231 Dortmund 030 Berlin 0310 announcement of current carrier for long-distance calls 0311 announcement of current carrier for local calls 032x non-geographical VoIP 0341 Leipzig 040 Hamburg 0421 Bremen 0511 Hannover 0611 Wiesbaden 0621 Mannheim 06221 Heidelberg 069 Frankfurt 0700 lifetime personal numbers (non-geographical) 0711 Stuttgart 0800 toll free (within Germany) 089 München/Munich 09001 premium rate (information services) 09003 premium rate (entertainment services) 09005 premium rate (adult services) 09009 premium rate (internet premium dial-up services) 0911 Nürnberg/Nuremberg 0941 Regensburg 110 police 112 fire & ambulance 116116 blocking service (report loss of credit cards, SIM card etc.) 118xx directory assistance services 19222 medical emergency operator (only in some regions) 19449 local public transportation information (only in some regions)
The default length for newly assigned numbers (area code without 0 + subscriber number) is 10 or 11 digits, but there are older shorter numbers in use. Although these have not been lengthened to fit in with newer numbers, they are not reassigned if they fall into disuse. The area codes are, if not counting the national trunk prefix '0', from 2 digits (only for Berlin +49 30, Hamburg +49 40, Frankfurt +49 69 and Munich +49 89) to 5 digits long (for smaller towns in the former East German states +49 3xxxx).
The former East German states were integrated into the Federal Republic's numbering system at 03xxx because Berlin's 030 was the only 03 area code before. They used range is from 0331 (Potsdam) to 039999 (small village Tutow in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). Due to limited number range also 5-digit area codes are used there, whereas in the old Federal Republic only 4-digit area codes (without the leading 0) are used.
Callers from the U.S. & Canada need to dial 01149 for Germany and the area code without the "0" prefix and then the local number, like 01149-69-123456789 (example).
Emergency numbers in Germany are 110 for police and 112 for fire and ambulance. In some states, the non-prioritised number 19222 is used for ambulance services, though this is heavily lobbied against and expected to be phased out in the future.
[edit] Ireland
Country Code: 353
International Call Prefix: 00
Telephone numbers in Ireland are similar in format to those in the United Kingdom, with only the subscriber's number being required for local dialing. The trunk prefix is '0' followed by an area code, the first digit indicating the geographical area.
01 Dublin 02 Cork (021) and South 04 Drogheda (041) and East 05 Waterford (051) and South East 06 Limerick (061) and South West 07 Sligo (071) and North West 09 Galway (091) and West
Area codes have varied in length, between one and three digits, and subscribers' numbers between five and seven digits but a migration to a standard format, as follows, is in process:
(0xx) xxx xxxx
Dublin numbers are currently seven digits, but may change to eight digits in the future, although breaking the city into separate area codes would match the rest of the national system.
The 08 numbering range was previously used for calls to Northern Ireland, but following the UK's renumbering of Northern Ireland in 2000, this changed, so to call a number in Belfast from the Republic:
Before 2000: (080) 1232 xxx xxx After 2000: (048) 90xx xxxx; or via the UK numbering plan; 00 44 28 90xx xxxx
Calls to Northern Ireland landlines are, unlike calls to the rest of the UK, charged at national rates.
The 03 numbering range was originally used for calls to Great Britain, but this was discontinued in 1992, when the international access code changed from 16 to 00. For a short period in the early 1990's 0300 was used for premium rate services (see below)
Before 1992: 030 xxx xxx xxx After 1992: 00 44 xxx xxx xxx
The prefixes 151x, 1530, 1540, 1550 (Initially 0300), 1559, 1560, 1570 and 1580 are for premium rate Services which are more expensive than other telephone calls. These numbers provide a range of services from weather forecasting to adult dating. Regtel an independent body monitors the premium rate services industry.
Mobile phones use the prefixes 083, 085, 086 and 087. 088 was previously issued to the Eircell analogue service. While mobile numbers are portable between operators, all new numbers are issued in an operators own allocation - 083 for 3, 085 for Meteor Mobile Communications, 086 for O2 and 087 for Vodafone. Due to number portability, the full number must be dialed even if it has the same prefix as the caller's number.
Freephone services use the prefix 1800, while shared cost (Lo-Call) numbers use the prefix 1850. 1890 (local rate) and 0818 (national rate, or slightly higher) are issued to non-geographic services. One disadvantage of this arrangement is that Irish freephone numbers are inaccessible from outside the Republic (unlike for example UK freefone numbers which can be accessed by dialing 0044800).
Dial-up Internet providers are entitled, but not required, to use numbers in the 189x range. 1891 numbers cost slightly below local call rate, and are often provided for subscription dialup packages. 1892 numbers are used for full local rate dialup, and 1893 for variable-rate dialup.
A new area was introduced in 2005, using the 076 access code. This is allocated to VOIP providers, and is treated as either a national or local call by individual telecoms operators.
The 13xx code is used for accessing third party long distance/International service providers and some internet services
[edit] Luxembourg
Country Code: 352
Luxembourg uses a closed dialing plan: all numbers are dialed in the same format whether from within the country or from abroad. There is no trunk "0".
The majority of the country also employs a closed numbering plan, where a two-digit area identifier is followed by a four-digit subscriber number. This varies in Luxembourg City, where numbers typically begin with the digits "2" or "4".
79 xxxx (example number in Consdorf) +352 79 xxxx (when dialed from outside Luxembourg)
4 xxxx xxxxx (example number in Luxembourg City) +352 4 xxxx xxxxx (when dialed from outside Luxembourg)
Mobile telephone numbers always carry a three-digit network code, in the format "6x1", which is followed by six digits. The leading "6" of these numbers is not omitted when dialing from abroad.
6x1 xxx xxx (within Luxembourg) +352 6x1 xxx xxx (outside Luxembourg)
These codes were introduced on the 1st of September 2006, replacing codes in the format "0x1". Existing numbers were converted to the new format.
The mobile network codes are:
621 LuxGSM 661 VOXmobile 691 Tango
[edit] Netherlands
Country Code: 31
International Call Prefix: 00
In the Netherlands, the area codes are — excluding the leading '0' — two or three digits long. Since renumbering in 1996, all regular telephone numbers have ten digits including area code and the leading 0. Larger towns and cities have two digit area codes permitting a larger number of local telephone numbers.
010: Rotterdam 015: Delft 020: Amsterdam 023: Haarlem 030: Utrecht 040: Eindhoven 050: Groningen 06: mobile phone number 066: mobile pagers 0676: internet access number 070: The Hague 071: Leiden 072: Alkmaar 073: 's-Hertogenbosch 074: Hengelo 075: Zaandam 076: Breda 077: Venlo 078: Dordrecht 079: Zoetermeer 0800: toll free number 084: location independent (used mostly for fax-to-email and voicemail services) 087: location independent 0878: location independent (voice over IP) 0900: premium rate, information 0906: premium rate, erotic 0909: premium rate, entertainment 112: emergency services number
066, 084 and 087 are often used by scammers, because they are easy and cheap to register and make identification very hard.
Previously, 06-0, 06-1000 and 06-4 were used for toll-free numbers, 06-8 for shared cost, 06-9 for premium rate, and other 06 for mobile numbers. 09 was used as the international access code before this changed to 00. The emergency number used to be 06-11.
[edit] Portugal
Country Code: 351
International Call Prefix: 00
Portugal changed to a closed numbering plan in 1999. Previously, the trunk prefix was '0', but this was dropped, and the area code, prefixed by the digit '2' was incorporated into the subscriber's number, so that a nine-digit number was used for all calls, eg:
xxx xxxx (within Lisbon) (01) xxx xxxx (within Portugal) +351 1 xxx xxxx (outside Portugal) 21x xxx xxx (after 1999, within Portugal) +351 21x xxx xxx (after 1999, outside Portugal)
Mobiles similarly changed, with the digits '96' replacing the prefix '0936':
0936 xxx xxx (within Portugal) +351 936 xxx xxxx (outside Portugal) +351 96 xxx xxxx (after 1999)
Other new number ranges include:
10xx Carrier selection codes 700 xxx xxx Personal numbering 8xx xxx xxx Geographic expansion 800 xxx xxx Freephone 80x xxx xxx Shared cost
[edit] Spain
Country Code: 34
International Call Prefix: 00
Spain changed to a closed numbering plan in 1998. Previously, the trunk prefix was '9', but this was incorporated into the subscriber's number, so that a nine-digit number was used for all calls, eg:
xxx xxxx (within Madrid before 1998) 91 xxx xxxx (within Spain, Madrid included, after 1998) +34 1 xxx xxxx (outside Spain before 1998) +34 91x xxx xxx (after 1998)
Mobiles similarly changed, prefixed with the digit '6':
909 xxx xxx (within Spain before 1998) +34 09 xxx xxx (outside Spain before 1998) +34 609 xxx xxx (after 1998)
New numbering ranges have also since been introduced:
10xx Carrier selection codes 700 xxx xxx Personal numbering 8xx xxx xxx Geographic expansion 800 xxx xxx Freephone 900 xxx xxx Freephone 80x xxx xxx Shared cost 90x xxx xxx Shared cost
Spain's international access code also changed from 07 to 00, but this did not affect dialing arrangements for calls to Gibraltar, in which the provincial code 9567 was used instead of the international code 350, eg:
9567 xxxxx (Gibraltar from Spain) +350 xxxxx (Gibraltar from all other countries) +34 9567 xxxxx (Gibraltar via Spain)
This arrangement was discontinued on 10th February 2007 when Spain adopted the international 00350 prefix for all calls to Gibraltar. See Gibraltar telecom dispute.
[edit] United Kingdom
Country Code: 44
International Call Prefix: 00
Since April 28, 2001, almost all normal geographic numbers and most non-geographic numbers are 9 or 10 digit (excluding the 0 prefix but including the rest of the area code) the overall structure of the UK's National Numbering Plan is:
01 Geographic area codes. 02 Geographic area codes (introduced in 2000). 03 Nationwide non-geographic code, charged to caller at geographic area code rates (introduced 2007). 04 Reserved. 05 corporate numbering and VoIP services (note: some voip services use 08 or geographic numbers). 06 Reserved for possible use by Personal Numbering instead of 070 following consumer confusion with mobile phones. 07 Personal Numbering on 070, Pagers on 076, and mobile phones on 077, 078, and 079. 08 Freephone (toll free) on 080, and Special Services (formerly local and national rate) on 084 and 087. 09 Premium Rate services.
A short list of examples, set out in the officially approved (Ofcom) number groups:
(029) xxxx xxxx: Cardiff (0131) xxx xxxx: Edinburgh (01382) xxx xxx: Dundee (015396) xxxxx: Sedbergh (01386) xxxxxx: Evesham (016977) xxxx: Brampton
In the United Kingdom, area codes are — excluding the leading '0' which is dropped when calling UK numbers from overseas — two, three, four or five digits long, with larger towns and cities having shorter area codes permitting a larger number of telephone numbers in the ten or eleven digits used. The traditional UK term for American "area code" was 'STD (code)' (subscriber trunk dialling) code, however, the term 'STD' — or more fully 'STD code' — are now dated, and have given way to the more common placed term 'dialling code' in the UK.
It is very common to see the + notation being misused — +44 (0)xxx xxx xxxx is not an uncommon occurrence even in official documents. For international callers the number between the brackets is dropped. For callers within the United Kingdom the +44 is dropped and the number between the brackets used. Calling +44 0xxx xxx xxxx will not work from most operators, and the +44 (0)xxx notation is incorrect and should not be used. The correct usage of the + notation in this example of the three-digit geographic code is +44 xxx xxx xxxx.
The code allocated to the largest population is (020) for London. The code allocated to the largest area is (028) for all of Northern Ireland.
The UK Numbering Plan also applies to three UK Crown Dependencies- Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man even though they are not part of the UK itself.
[edit] Czech Republic
Country Code: 420
Following the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the successor states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, continued to share the 42 country code, until 1997, with the Czech Republic adopting 420 and Slovakia adopting 421.
On September 22, 2002, the Czech Republic adopted a closed numbering plan, with nine-digit numbers used for local and national calls, and the dropping of the trunk code 0.[1]
Before the change, the following arrangements would have been made for calls to Brno:
Local call: xx xx xx xx National call: 05/xx xx xx xx International call: +420 (0)5/xx xx xx xx
After the change, the dialing arrangements for calls to Brno were as follows:
Within Czech Republic: 5xx xxx xxx Outside Czech Republic: +420 5xx xxx xxx
In the case of mobile numbers, which had to be dialed in full, the only change was that the 0 was no longer used:
Within Czech Republic: 602 xxx xxx Outside Czech Republic: +420 602 xxx xxx
[edit] Slovakia
Country Code: 421
[edit] Hungary
Country Code: 36
Standard lengths for area codes is one (Budapest only) to two digits and 8 or 9 (cell phone numbers beginning with 20, 30 and 70 and corporate network numbers starting with 71) for subscribers' numbers in Hungary.
1 area code for Budapest 104 emergency operator (medical) 105 emergency operator (fire) 107 emergency operator (police) 112 emergency operator (general) 20 cell phone network of Pannon 22 area code for Székesfehérvár 23 area code for Biatorbágy 24 area code for Szigetszentmiklós 25 area code for Dunaújváros 26 area code for Szentendre 27 area code for Vác 28 area code for Gödöllo 29 area code for Monor 30 cell phone networks of T-Mobile 32 area code for Salgótarján 33 area code for Esztergom 34 area code for Tatabánya 35 area code for Balassagyarmat 36 area code for Eger 37 area code for Gyöngyös 40 Shared-cost service (national) 42 area code for Nyíregyháza 44 area code for Mátészalka 45 area code for Kisvárda 46 area code for Miskolc 47 area code for Szerencs 48 area code for Ózd 49 area code for Mezokövesd 52 area code for Debrecen 53 area code for Cegléd 54 area code for Berettyóújfalu 55 Test number 56 area code for Szolnok 57 area code for Jászberény 59 area code for Karcag 62 area code for Szeged 63 area code for Szentes 66 area code for Békéscsaba 68 area code for Orosháza 69 area code for Mohács 70 cell phone network of Vodafone 71 corporate networks 72 area code for Pécs 73 area code for Szigetvár 74 area code for Szekszárd 75 area code for Paks 76 area code for Kecskemét 77 area code for Kiskunhalas 78 area code for Kiskorös 79 area code for Baja 80 freephone service (national) 81 IN 82 area code for Kaposvár 83 area code for Keszthely 84 area code for Siófok 85 area code for Marcali 87 area code for Tapolca 88 area code for Veszprém 89 area code for Pápa 90 Premium-rate service (national) 91 IP VPN 92 area code for Zalaegerszeg 93 area code for Nagykanizsa 94 area code for Szombathely 95 area code for Szombathely 96 area code for Gyor 99 area code for Sopron
[edit] Latvia
Country Code: 371
International Call Prefix: 00
[edit] Lithuania
Country Code: 370
City code consists of 2 digits for the towns with 6-digit numbering, smaller towns contain 3 digit code and 5-digit phone number, Vilnius has 7-digit number and one digit city code. Total national number's length is always 8 digits.
Dealing rules:
Emergency calls: 112-main, 01-fire, 02-police, 03-medical, 04-gas Special local services: 1xxx Local callings: xxxxx, xxxxxx, xxxxxxx National calls: 8~xxxxxxxx (trunk code "8" is planned for replacing with "0" in the future) International calls prefix: 00
Numbering plan:
2xx x xx xx reserved for future use 31x x xx xx landline numbers for district of Alytus 34x x xx xx landline numbers for district of Kaunas 35x x xx xx reserved for future use 36x x xx xx reserved for future use 37 xx xx xx landline numbers for city of Kaunas 42x x xx xx landline numbers for district of Siauliai 44x x xx xx landline numbers for district of Klaipeda 45x x xx xx landline numbers for district of Panevezys 46 xx xx xx landline numbers for city of Klaipeda 52 xx xx xx landline numbers for city of Vilnius (except 528 xx xxx) 6xx xx xxx mobile numbers 700 xx xxx universal landline numbers 800 xx xxx toll-free numbers 9xx xx xxx premium rate numbers
National area codes:
Akmenė: 425 Alytus: 315 Anykščiai: 381 Birštonas: 319 Biržai: 450 Druskininkai: 313 Elektrėnai: 528 Ignalina: 386 Jonava: 349 Joniškis: 426 Jurbarkas: 447 Kaišiadorys: 346 Kaunas: 37 Kelmė: 427 Kėdainiai: 347 Klaipėda: 46 Kretinga: 445 Kupiškis: 459 Lazdijai: 318 Marijampolė: 343 Mažeikiai: 443 Molėtai: 383 Neringa: 469 Pakruojis: 421 Palanga: 460 Panevėžys: 45 Pasvalys: 451 Plungė: 448 Prienai: 319 Radviliškis: 422 Raseiniai: 428 Rokiškis: 458 Skuodas: 440 Šakiai: 345 Šalčininkai: 380 Šiauliai: 41 Šilalė: 449 Šilutė: 441 Širvintos: 382 Švenčionys: 387 Tauragė: 446 Telšiai: 444 Trakai: 528 Ukmergė: 340 Utena: 389 Varėna: 310 Vilkaviškis: 342 Vilnius: 5 Visaginas: 386 Zarasai: 385
Example:
When you need to call in Vilnius to number 2102222: Inside Vilnius: 2102222 From other place of Lithuania: 8~5 2102222 From other country: + 370 5 2102222
[edit] Poland
Country Code: 48
Polish phone numbers since 5th December 2005 : 10 digits, starting with a 0.
0 xx xxx xx xx (within Poland) +48 xx xxx xx xx (outside Poland)
National area code
Kraków 012 Krosno 013 Tarnów 014 Tarnobrzeg 015 Przemyśl 016 Rzeszów 017 Nowy Sącz 018 Warszawa 022 Ciechanów 023 Płock 024 Siedlce 025 Ostrołęka 029 Katowice 032 Bielsko-Biała 033 Częstochowa 034 Kielce 041 Łódż 042 Sieradz 043 Piotrków Trybunalski 044 Skierniewice 046 Radom 048 Bydgoszcz 052 Włocławek 054 Elbląg 055 Toruń 056 Gdańsk 058 Słupsk 059 Poznań 061 Kalisz 062 Konin 063 Leszno 065 Piła 067 Zielona Góra 068 Wrocław 071 Wałbrzych 074 Jelenia Góra 075 Legnica 076 Opole 077 Lublin 081 Chełm 082 Biała Podlaska 083 Zamość 084 Białystok 085 Łomża 086 Suwałki 087 Olsztyn 089 Szczecin 091 Koszalin 094 Gorzów Wielkopolski 095
Polish mobile number: 10 digits, starting with 05, 06, 07 and 08.
050 xxx xx xx 051 xxx xx xx 060 xxx xx xx 066 xxx xx xx 069 xxx xx xx 072 xxx xx xx 078 xxx xx xx 079 xxx xx xx 088 xxx xx xx
Mobile Virtual Network Operators 0699 xx xx xx
Premium Rate services:
030 xxx xx xx 040 xxx xx xx 070 xxx xx xx
Shared cost numbers:
0801 xx xx xx
Free (for the caller in Poland):
0800 xx xx xx
"UTR VSAT, Tekstofon, Fixed SMS"
0 802 xxx xxx
"UAN (universal number)" 0 804 xxx xxx
VPN 0 806 xxx xxx VCC 0 808 xxx xxx VoIP 0 39x xxx xxx NDSI 0 20 xx xx
call box 0 xx 801 xx xx 0 xx 802 xx xx 0 xx 803 xx xx 0 xx 804 xx xx 0 xx 805 xx xx
[edit] Cyprus
Country Code: 357
[edit] Greece
Country Code: 30
International Call Prefix: 00
During 2001-2002, Greece moved to a closed ten-digit numbering scheme in two stages, with the result that subscribers' numbers changed twice. For example, before the change, a number in Athens would have been dialed as follows:
xxx xxxx (within Athens) (01) xxx xxxx (within Greece) +30 1 xxx xxxx (outside Greece)
In 2001, a '0' was added after the area code, which was incorporated into the subscriber's number:
010 xxx xxxx (within Greece, including Athens) +30 10 xxx xxxx (outside Greece)
Finally, in 2002, the leading '0' was changed to a '2' (for geographic numbers) :
210 xxx xxxx (within Greece, including Athens) +30 210 xxx xxxx (outside Greece)
Mobile phone numbers were similarly prefixed with the digit '6'.
[edit] Italy
Country Code: 39
International Call Prefix: 00
Italy changed to a closed numbering plan in 1998. The plan which had originally been advertised in early 1998 was to merge the trunk code '0' into subscribers' landline numbers effective June 19, 1998, and then to replace that leading '0' with a '4' starting from December 29, 2000. As a result of this change, all landline numbers would begin with a '4', and mobile phone numbers with a '3'. Other initial digits had been reserved for different special purposes. In practice, the switch was not completed as originally announced, and landline numbers still begin with a '0', unlike in the closed numbering plans of other countries. E.g. a number in Rome:
06 xxx xxxx (within Rome - after 1999) 06 xxx xxxx (within Italy) +39 06 xxx xxx (outside Italy - after 1998)
Calls to mobile phone numbers within Italy were also affected, deleting the previously used trunk code '0'. International calls to Italian mobile phone numbers were not affected. E.g. for former Omnitel, now Vodafone provider in Italy:
0347 xxx xxx (within Italy - before 1999) 347 xxx xxx (within Italy - after 1999) +39 347 xxx xxx (outside Italy - both before and after 1999)
Until 1996, San Marino was part of the Italian numbering plan, using the Italian area code 0549 but in that year it adopted its own international code 378. However, instead of using international dialing codes, dialing arrangements between San Marino and Italy continued as before. In 1998, San Marino incorporated the 0549 area code into its subscribers' numbers, following the Italian format:
0549 xxx xxx (San Marino from Italy) +378 0549 xxx xxx (San Marino from rest of the world) +39 0549 xxx xxx (San Marino via Italy)
Mobile phone number in Italy: without a zero, started with a 3.
3xx xxx xxx (within Italy and San Marino) +39 3xx xxx xxx (from the rest of the world)
This is the actual national telephone numbers plan (Delibera no. 9/03/CIR of 3 July 2003 Piano di numerazione nel settore delle telecomunicazioni e disciplina attuativa):
00- international access code (+) 00800- toll free (international) 0- geographical (local and national) phone numbers 010- Genoa 011- Turin 0131- Alessandria 015- Biella 0165- Aosta 0187- La Spezia 019- Savona 02- Milan 030- Brescia 031- Como 0321- Novara 035- Bergamo 0369- mass calls phone number (polls, television programs, etc.), geographical rate 0376- Mantua 039- Monza 040- Trieste 041- Venice 0425- Rovigo 0432- Udine 045- Verona 0461- Trento 0471- Bolzano 049- Padova 050- Pisa 051- Bologna 0532- Ferrara 0541- Rimini 0549- San Marino (Republic of San Marino) 055- Florence 059- Modena 06- Rome 070- Cagliari 071- Ancona 075- Perugia 0769- mass calls phone number (polls, television programs, etc.), geographical rate 079- Sassari 080- Bari 081- Naples 085- Pescara 0878- mass calls phone number (polls, television programs, etc.), max. 0,66€+0,23€/min 089- Salerno 090- Messina 091- Palermo 095- Catania 099- Taranto 1- Service and emergency numbers 112 general emergency, police (Carabinieri) 113 police (Polizia) 115 fire (Vigili del Fuoco) 117 Italian Customs/Financial/Border Police Guardia di Finanza 118 ambulance 12xx telephone number services 144- premium rate, max. 0,07€+1,31€/min 15xx other emergency and information services 1515 fire, forest and environemental emergency (Corpo Forestale dello Stato) 1518 road information service (CCISS) 1530 on sea emergency and assistance, "blue" number (Capitaneria di Porto) 166- premium rate, , max. 0,07€+1,31€/min 178- personal number, max. 0,15€+0,35€/min 18- client services 19- client services 199- personal number, max. 0,12€+0,26€/min 2- reserved for future purposes 3xx- mobile and personal phones 4- internal phone net service numbers 5- reserved for future purposes 6- reserved for future purposes 7xx- internet service numbers 70x- internet access numbers 8- special rate numbers 80x- toll free (within Italy) 9- reserved for future purposes 84x- shared rate (information services), max. 0,10€+local rate/min 89x- premium rate (informational and adult services) 892- premium rate, max. 0,30€+1,50€/min
[edit] Finland
Country Code: 358
International Call Prefix: 00
Finland's numbering plan was reorganised in 1996, with the number of area codes being reduced, and the trunk code being changed from 9 to 0. This meant that the area code for Helsinki also changed:
Before 1996: 90' xxx xxx within Finland +358 0 xxx xxx outside Finland
After 1996: 09' xxx xxx within Finland +358 9 xxx xxx outside Finland
The default international access code became 00, although other codes such as 999 are also still used.
[edit] Sweden
Country Code: 46
International Call Prefix: 00
In Sweden, the area codes are — excluding the leading '0' — one, two or three digits long, with larger towns and cities having shorter area codes permitting a larger number of telephone numbers in the eight to ten digits used. Before the 1990s, ten-digit numbers were very rare, but they have become increasingly common because of the deregulation of telecommunications, the new 112 emergency number, which required change of all numbers starting with 11, and the creation of a single area code for the Greater Stockholm area. No subscriber number is shorter than five digits.
010 and 011: Geographically Independent Numbers / VOIP services 01x(x): South Middle Sweden 018 020: toll free 0200: toll free 02x(x): North Middle Sweden 03x(x): Central South Sweden 031: Gothenburg 040: Malmö 04x(x): Southern Sweden 05x(x): Western Sweden 06x(x): Northern Sweden 070: GSM mobile phones 071: Premium rate calls 073: GSM mobile phones 0730: GSM mobile phones 074(x): Pagers 076: GSM mobile phones 07x(x): various non-geographical area codes 08: Greater Stockholm 09x(x): Far Northern Sweden and premium rate calls 112: emergency services number
Sweden adopted 00 as its international access code in 1999, replacing 009 and 007.
According to the postal and telecommunication services supervising authority Post- och Telestyrelsen, it seems possible that Sweden will adopt a closed numbering plan in the future.
[edit] Bulgaria
Country Code: 359
International Call Prefix: 00 xx
Bulgaria applies an open dialing plan, similar to those of Germany and Austria. Area codes are only dialed when necessary (dialing the same area with the area code is billed as if the call was to another area). Area codes are prepended a trunk code of '0'.
Area codes vary in length, from 1 to 5 digits. Subscriber number lengths vary accordingly, from 7 digits down to 3 digits; the sum of both lengths is limited to 8 digits.
For a very long time, the state-owned Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC) had been holding a monopoly on fixed telephone networks. However, it ended when a special law was adopted, BTC was privatized in 2004 and competing operators appeared.
Larger areas, such as Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, are subdivided to zones. Although one cannot further reduce the number of dialed digits, the number itself shows which zone it is located in (e.g. in Sofia, numbers starting with 2, 82, 92 are located in the Western suburbs, with 7, 87, 97 - in the Eastern suburbs, with 98 - in the central area, etc.).
In the recent decade there is an intensive process of replacing the old analog switchers with modern digital ones. In areas where both analog and digital switchers are operating, a subscriber number shows by its first digit if it is connected to an analog or a digital switch. In some areas it is even possible to guess if a subscriber number was changed from analog to digital during its existence or was subscribed as digital initially (e.g. in Blagoevgrad a number starting with 88 was subscribed as digital, and a number starting with a single 8 was analog before).
The first digit also shows if a particular subscriber number is operated by BTC or another operator.
The area codes are always cited with the trunk code. However, within the area, or when the Sofia code of 02 can be guessed from the context, it is omitted.
The area codes of the main cities are:
02 Sofia (digital: 7D, first digit 8, 9: BTC operated, 4: Spectrum Net operated; analog: 6D) 0301 Smolian 032 Plovdiv (digital: 6D, first digit 6, 9: BTC, 5: Spectrum Net; analog: 6D) 034 Pazardjik 0361 Kurdjali 038 Haskovo 042 Stara Zagora 044 Sliven 046 Yambol 052 Varna (digital: 6D, first digit 6; analog: 6D) 054 Shoumen 0550 All towns and villages south of Burgas, incl. Sozopol, Ahtopol, Tsarevo, Primorsko, Kiten) 056 Burgas (digital: 6D, first digit 8; analog: 5D) 058 Dobrich 0601 Turgovishte 062 Veliko Turnovo 064 Pleven 066 Gabrovo 068 Lovech 0701 Dupnitsa (digital: 5D, first digit 5; analog: 5D) 073 Blagoevgrad (digital: 6D, first digit 8; analog: 5D) 076 Pernik (digital: 6D, first digit 6; analog: 5D) 078 Kyustendil (digital: 6D, first digit 5; analog: 5D) 082 Rouse 084 Razgrad 086 Silistra 092 Vratsa 094 Vidin 096 Montana 0973 Kozloduy (digital: 5D, first digit 8; analog: 4D; NPP Kozloduy: 7)
The other area codes are 3 digits or longer. They show by themselves the geographical region of the area, e.g. codes starting with 031 or 033 are located around the city of Plovdiv.
Non-geographical codes:
0700 (+5D) Universal number 0800 (+5D) Green number (toll free) 0900 (+5D) Value added services 048 (+6D) NMT mobile network (Mobikom) 087 (+7D) GSM mobile network (VivaTel) 088 (+7D) GSM mobile network (MobilTel, offers also UMTS services) 089 (+7D) GSM mobile network (Globul)
Until 20.07.2003 GSM mobile networks used 6D subscriber numbers in accordance with the limit of 8 digits for a full numbers. With the increase of subscribers, all (except Vivatel, which started operations in 2006) acquired new access codes. On 20.07.2003 Mobiltel used three codes (087, 088, 089) and Globul used two (098 and 099). When these limits were also to be overwhelmed, 7-digit subscriber numbers and single access codes per operator were introduced. Mobikom had gone through a similar change in mid-90's (from 0799+5D to 048+6D)
Dialing to a mobile network requires the access code together with the '0'. Dialing from a mobile network requires either an area or access code with the trunk, or international format (0YYYXXXXXX or +359YYYXXXXXX). The latter becomes a normal practice, since most people use the phone book of their headsets, more people use their phones in roaming and all four operators show the caller ID in international format.
[edit] Romania
Country Code: 40
In the last years, landline usage started to drop as the mobile phones market was growing fast. Mobile phone companies were running out of numbers, as both the main mobile companies claimed millions after million of subscribers. Also, due to approaching EU join, the state-owned company was going to lose the landline monopoly. A 2002 reform modified the system to an 10 digits system, of which the first is always a national access code 0:
- the landline Romtelecom numbers start with a two or three digits area code: 21 for Bucharest (like 021-xxx-xxxx) and 2pp for the other counties (like 0233-xxx-xxxx for Neamt County)
- the new landline companies were granted new area codes starting with 3, e.g. an Astral Telecom landline number will be 03pp-xxx-xxx, using the same two digits (or 1 for Bucharest, as 031-xxx-xxxx) for counties prefix as Romtelecom
- the mobile companies use area codes starting with 7: 72 for Vodafone Romania (previously branded as Connex), 74 for Orange Romania (previously branded as Dialog) etc.; a Connex-Vodaphone number will be 072p-xxx-xxx
- no-charge number area codes is 800 (like 0-800-xxx-xxx)
- extra-charge numbers are starting with 021-89-xxxxx, like a subset of the numbers owned by Romtelecom in Bucharest.
Calling from Romania to Romania usually implies using the full 10 digits number, while Romtelecom subscribers can call inside their area code dropping the leading 0 and the area code (a number becomes just xxx-xxxx in Bucharest and xxx-xxx for the rest of the country). Romtelecom county codes were chosen on a geographical order, starting with northern Moldavia (Suceava County had 30), then going southwards to eastern Wallachia, than westwards to southern Transylvania, than northwards, closing the circle, until the biggest prefix, 69 (used for Sibiu County).
Extra-charge SMS are sent to three or four digits numbers, each company having its own system.
Short numbers became are allowed in both the 3 digits and in 4 digits forms, both with a leading 9, like 981 for the ambulance or 9xxx for various cab companies. Each town or county has it own special services, like firefighters, police, with the same number. The station to which these calls are directed is chosen based on location.
Romania joined the European initiative for a continent wide emergency number, 112.
When calling from abroad the leading zero is dropped and replaced with the international access code and the country code, like +40-xxx-xxx-xxx. As usual, only regular landline and mobile phones are accessible from outside Romania.
When calling from Romania abroad, the international access code is 00. Also supported is + for the mobile devices.
[edit] Other European Countries
[edit] Switzerland
Country Code: 41
International Call Prefix: 00
In 2002, Switzerland adopted a closed numbering plan, but retained the use of the trunk code 0. The original plan was to dispense with the trunk code completely, so that all calls within Switzerland would only require a nine-digit number. However, this was modified on grounds of cost. The 01 prefix for numbers in Zurich was phased out in favour of 044, with 043 being used for overlay numbers.
Until 1999, Liechtenstein formed part of the Swiss numbering plan, using the area code 075, but in that year it adopted its own international code 423, meaning that calls to and from Switzerland require international dialing.
00... international call 1xx, 1xxx the short numbers (emergengy and some services numbers) 0xx xxx xx xx normal number 0800 xx xx xx toll free 084x xx xx xx share cost 090x xx xx xx Premium rate services
[edit] Liechtenstein
Country Code: 423
Until 1999, Liechtenstein formed part of the Swiss numbering plan, using the country code 41 and the area code 075, but in that year it adopted its own international code 423, meaning that calls to and from Switzerland require international dialing.
[edit] Iceland
Country Code: 354
International Call Prefix: 00
[edit] Norway
Country Code: 47
International Call Prefix: 00
Since 1992, land-line and mobile telephone numbers in Norway consist of eight digits, without any area codes. The numbers are apportioned in chunks, which vary in size between a thousand and over a million, among counties and telephone companies.
00 international dialing prefix 01 reserved for future changes 02xxx-09xxx 5-digit non-geographical numbers 100-189 standardised special numbers (e.g. 112 for emergency) 19x operator-specific special numbers 2x xx xx xx geographical numbers, mainly Oslo 3x xx xx xx geographical numbers in south-central counties, except Oppland 4xx xx xxx mobile numbers 5x xx xx xx geographical numbers in south-western counties, including Bergen 6x xx xx xx geographical numbers in south-eastern counties and Oppland 7x xx xx xx geographical numbers in the north, including Trondheim 8x xx xx xx non-geographical numbers (toll-free, voicemail, etc.) 9xx xx xxx mobile numbers
A more complete plan is available from the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority.
[edit] Moldova
Country Code: 373
In 2003 Moldova introduced new open type telephone numbering plan [1]. It created controversy with Transnistria, which then adopted its own plan instead [2].
[edit] Montenegro
Country Code: 382 (in transition)
After Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, the ITU assigned country code 382 to Montenegro. Calls to Montenegro may be dialed using either the former Serbia and Montenegro code of 381, or the new 382 code, until February 2007. At that time, Montenegro will be reachable only via 382, while 381 will become exclusive to Serbia.
[edit] Russia and Kazakhstan
Country Code: 7
International Call Prefix: 8~10
Under the Russian numbering plan, the trunk code is '8', with subscriber numbers being a total of ten digits long, for example:
xxx-xx-xx (within Moscow) 8 495 xxx-xx-xx (to Moscow from Russia) +7 495 xxx-xx-xx (to Moscow from outside Russia)
A scheme of 8 + 2 + city code + number can be used to dial within a Region. For example, the code for Saratov Region is 845, the city code for Saratov is 2, and the city code for Engels is 3:
xx-xx-xx (within Saratov) 8 22 xx-xx-xx (to Saratov from Saratov Region) 8 8452 xx-xx-xx (to Saratov from outside Saratov Region, within Russia) +7 8452 xx-xx-xx (to Saratov from outside Russia)
xx-xx-xx (within Engels) 8 23 xx-xx-xx (to Engels from Saratov Region) 8 8453 xx-xx-xx (to Engels from outside Saratov Region, within Russia) +7 8453 xx-xx-xx (to Engels from outside Russia)
A short list of examples, set out in the officially approved number groups (it's important to notice that the last four digits of the number are separated into two equal groups, and the area code is written without the dialing prefix 8 and in parentheses):
(495) xxx-xx-xx: Moscow (496x) xx-xx-xx: Moscow Region, bigger towns (496xx) x-xx-xx: Moscow Region, smaller towns
(812) xxx-xx-xx: Saint-Petersburg (813xx) x-xx-xx: Leningrad Region
(8452) xx-xx-xx: Saratov, Saratov Region (8453) xx-xx-xx: Engels, Saratov Region
Freephone numbers:
8 800 xxx-xx-xx
Historically, '7' has been used as the Soviet Union country code. Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, all former republics except Russia and Kazakhstan switched to new country codes.
The international access code is 8~10 - callers dial '8', wait for a tone, and then dial '10', followed by the number.
Due to the use of 8 as both the dialing prefix and the first digit of some area codes, sometimes it may be confusing for foreigners to understand the dialing pattern. Moreover, it is not uncommon to see the non-existent area code of 95 in foreign print, instead of the correct 095, due to the fact that 0 is a local dialing prefix across Europe but not yet in Russia (there is already a plan to implement it in Russia, too).
On 1 December 2005, dialing code 095 et al was replaced with 495 et al, so that at a later date it will be possible to adopt the ITU convention of 0 and 00 dialing prefixes for local and international dialing respectively. The old 095 dialing code is to be effective until 31 January 2006. In Russian: Изменения нумерации в зоне 7, [3], [4].
For a historical overview of the telephone numbering plans in connection with the Soviet Union and now Russia, see ‘§ 91. Краткая история телефонных номеров’.
[edit] Serbia
Country Code: 381
Serbia received a new country code following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992 (which had 38 as country code). An example for calling Serbian telephones is as follows:
xxx xxxx (within Belgrade) (011) xxx xxxx (within Serbia) +381 11 xxx xxxx (outside Serbia)
[edit] Ukraine
Country Code: 380
International Call Prefix: 8~10
Ukraine (similarly to most of ex-Soviet Union countries) employs a four-level (local, zone, country, international) open dialing plan. For all non-local numbers, the required trunk prefix is '8' followed by an auxiliary dial tone after it (optional on digital exchanges), with the following '2' for in-zone calls, '0' for in-country calls to geographical and cell phone zones, none to toll-free, premium-rate and other special zones (e.g. 800, 900, 703, 711), and '10' for international calls.
The in-country sequence for ordinary zones consists of a 2 digit zone code, an optional subzone code (never used for the capital of the geographic region corresponding to a phone zone), an optional filler (0 to 2 "2"s, used to make the whole in-country sequence contain exactly 9 digits) and the local phone number (5 to 7 digits). Mainly for historical reasons, zone codes are very often named with a leading '0', e.g. 044 instead of 44. When dialing from cell phones, the in-country dial sequence (with 80 prefix) is used even for phones of the same provider. Otherwise a call may be placed in the nearest geographic area.
Geographical zones correspond to geographic regions ("oblasti") with exception of Sevastopol which utilizes its own phone zone.
Cell phone numbers can be assigned both within the cell phone provider zone and within a geographic zone. The latter arrangement is used mainly for CDMA phones and for GSM operators selling their connectivity within one city, like GoldenTelecom GSM. Allocation of new GSM cell phone numbers within a geographic zone is very rare now because law requires all incoming calls to be free, including incoming calls to a cell phone.
Some examples of dialed sequences:
xxx-xx-xx (two PSTN phones within Kiev, local number is 7 digits long) x-xx-xx (two PSTN phones inside Brovary, city in Kiev phone zone, local number is 5 digits long) 8~294 x-xx-xx (from Kiev fixed line to Brovary PSTN phone, the same zone, different subzone; subzone code is 94) 8~2 xxx-xx-xx (from Brovary fixed line to Kiev PSTN phone, the same zone, different subzone, empty subzone code) 8~050 xxx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile not roaming or PSTN phone to UMC, cell phone provider) 8~067 xxx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile not roaming or PSTN phone to Kyivstar, cell phone provider) 8~800 xxx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile not roaming or PSTN phone to toll-free number) 8~044 xxx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile not roaming or PSTN phone outside Kiev phone zone to Kiev) 8~044 94x-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile not roaming or PSTN phone outside of Kiev phone zone to Brovary) 8~045 xxx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile nor roaming or PSTN phone outside of Chernihiv phone zone to Chernihiv) 8~032 2xx-xx-xx (from any Ukraine mobile nor roaming or PSTN phone outside of Lviv phone zone to Lviv; the local number is 6 digits long, so "2" is used as a filler to make the whole in-country dial sequence 9 digits long) +380 44 xxx-xx-xx (mobile international call to Kiev zone or Kiev itself) +380 44 94x-xx-xx (mobile international call to Brovary) +380 48 xxx-xx-xx (mobile international call to Odessa) +380 48 2xx-xx-xx (mobile international call to 6-digits numbers of Odessa) +380 32 2xx-xx-xx (mobile international call to Lviv) +380 50 xxx-xx-xx (mobile international call to UMC) +380 67 xxx-xx-xx (mobile international call to Kyivstar) +380 63 xxx-xx-xx (mobile international call to life ;)) 8~10 ... (mobile or fixed international call from Ukraine)
(In the table, tilde sign ('~') means waiting for secondary dial tone.)
Some mobile operators may support additional dialing plans. For example, Kyivstar also supports the following:
xxx-xx-xx (local number at current location of KyivStar mobile - i.e. if the
mobile is currently in Kiev this will represent a Kiev number)
67-xxx-xx-xx (call from KyivStar subscriber to KyivStar subscriber)
Note that law explicitly prohibits trunk calls to a PSTN phone within the same local area in a geographic phone zone (e.g. from Kiev to Kiev), so one cannot dial 8~2 or 8~0xx for this, unless the phone exchange is misconfigured or a special circumstance occurs.
