Telephone numbers in Bulgaria

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 perpended 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. Sofia digital numbers are with 7D, analog - 6D, in Plovdiv, Varna and Ruse both analog and digital are with 6D number, most of other province capitals are with 5D analog and 6D digital numbers.

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.

Access code prefixes:

0- national access code (+)
00- international access code (++)

Area and other codes:

+17x Paging services (6D, not active: +177: Link Paging, +178: Varna Page, +179: Mobipage)
+2 Sofia
+30x, +30xx and +30xxx Smolyan Province codes (+301: Smolyan, +309: Pamporovo)
+31x, +31xx and +31xxx Plovdiv Province codes
+32 Plovdiv
+33x and +33xx Plovdiv Province codes (+331: Asenovgrad)
+34 Pazardzhik
+35x, +35xx and +35xxx Pazardzhik Province codes (+350: Peshtera, +359: Velingrad)
+36x, +36xx and +36xxx Kardzhali Province codes (+351: Kardzhali)
+37x, +37xx and +37xxx Haskovo Province codes (+373: Harmanli, +379: Svilengrad)
+38 Haskovo
+39x and +39xx Haskovo Province codes (+391: Dimitrovgrad)
+41x, +41xx and +41xxx Stara Zagora Province codes (+316: Chirpan)
+42 Stara Zagora
+430 Tetra mobile network
+43x, +43xx and +43xxx Stara Zagora Province codes (+431: Kazanlak)
+44 Silven
+45x and +45xx Sliven Province codes (+453: Kotel, +457: Nova Zagora)
+46 Yambol
+47x, +47xx and +47xxx Yambol and Haskovo Provinces codes (+470: Topolovgrad, +478: Elhovo)
+48 NMT mobile network Mobikom (6D)
+51x, +51xx and +51xxx Varna Province codes (+518: Provadiya, +519: Devnya)
+52 Varna
+53x, +53xx and +53xxx Shumen Province codes (+537: Novi Pazar, +538: Veliki Preslav)
+54 Shumen
+55x, +55xx and +55xxx Burgas Province codes (+550: South coast zone 1, +554: Nesebar)
+56 Burgas
+57x, +57xx and +57xxx Dobrich Province codes (+570: Kavarna, +579: Balchik)
+58 Dobrich
+59x, +59xx and +59xxx Burgas Province codes (+590: South coast zone 2, +596: Pomorie)
+60x, +60xx and +60xxx Targovishte Province codes (+601: Targovishte, +608: Popovo)
+61x, +61xx and +61xxx Veliko Tarnovo Province codes (+610: Pavlikeni, +618 Gorna Oryahovitza)
+62 Veliko Tarnovo
+63x, +63xx and +63xxx Veliko Tarnovo and Pleven Provinces codes (+631: Svishtov)
+64 Pleven
+65x, +65xx and +65xxx Pleven Province codes (+650: Levski, +658: Belene)
+66 Gabrovo
+67x, +67xx and +67xxx Gabrovo and Lovech Provinces codes (+670: Troyan, +675: Sevlievo)
+68 Lovech
+69x, +69xx and +69xxx Lovech Province codes (+697: Lukovit)
+700 Universal number (5D)
+70x and +70xx Kyustendil Province codes (+701: Dupnitsa)
+71xx and +71xxx Sofia Province codes
+72x Sofia Province codes (+720: Etropole, +721: Kostinbrod, +722: Samokov)
+73 Blagoevgrad
+74x, +74xx and +74xxx Blagoevgrad Province codes (+745: Petrich, +749: Bansko)
+75x, +75xx and +75xxx Blagoevgrad and Sofia Provinces codes (+750: Borovets, +751: Gotse Delchev)
+76 Pernik
+77x, +77xx and +77xxx Pernik Province codes (+777: Radomir)
+78 Kyustendil
+79xx Kyustendil Province codes
+800 Toll free numbers (5D)
+81x, +81xx and +81xxx Ruse Province codes (+817: Byala)
+82 Ruse
+83x, +83xx and +83xxx Razgrad Province codes (+838: Kubrat)
+84 Razgrad
+85x, +85xx and +85xxx Silistra Province codes (+855: Dulovo, +857: Tutrakan)
+86 Silistra
+87 GSM/UMTS mobile network Vivatel (7D)
+88 GSM/UMTS mobile network MTel (7D)
+89 GSM/UMTS mobile network Globul (7D)
+900 Value added services (5D)
+91x, +91xx and +91xxx Vratsa Province codes (+910: Mezdra, +915: Byala Slatina)
+92 Vratsa
+93x, +93xx and +93xxx Vidin Province codes (+936: Belogradchik, +938: Kula)
+94 Vidin
+95x, +95xx and +95xxx Montana Province codes (+953: Berkovitsa)
+96 Montana
+97x, +95xx and +95xxx Vratsa Province codes (+971: Lom, +973: Kozloduy)
+98 GSM mobile network Globul (not active)
+99 GSM mobile network Globul (not active)

Non-geographical codes:

Until 20.07.2003 GSM mobile networks used 6D subscriber numbers in accordance with the limit of 8 digits for a full number. With the increase of subscribers (and an international requirement), 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).

This change provokes an error in citing mobile numbers, quite similar to that of Erroneous UK telephone codes. The first digit of the subscriber number is most often cited as part of the access code, e.g. 0887 XXXXXX, instead of the correct 088 7XXXXXX. This error remains for new subscriber numbers and even for Vivatel numbers which have never been 6D. However, unlike the situation in UK, this error has no impact since a mobile number must always be dialled with the access code.

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.

Emergency numbers and automatic telephone information:

112 general emergency call
120 wake up call
121 operator for long-distance calls within Bulgaria
123 operator for international calls
124 operator for international calls
125 operator for international calls
130 phone lines problems
143 emergency road service & road assistance
144 telephone information service
146 emergency road service & road assistance
147 area codes within Bulgaria
148 area codes within Bulgaria
149 area codes within Bulgaria
150 medical emergency
152 BTC local calls rates
153 BTC long-distance within Bulgaria calls rates
154 BTC international calls rates
157 BTC international calls rates
159 cultural events guide
160 fire
164 shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
165 traffic police
166 police
167 horoscope
168 National Radio schedule
169 horoscope
170 BTC assistance
171 theater schedule (by city)
172 currency exchange rates
173 tales for kids
174 trains time-table (by city)
175 weather forecast
176 BTC information
177 tales for kids
178 pharmacy information
179 currency exchange rates
180 time service
181 TV programs
182 tramp shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
183 ocean shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
184 tanker shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
185 line shipping information (in Bourgas and Varna)
186 BTC digital services information
187 send a telegram
188 TV programs
190 BTC rates guide
191 cinema schedule (by city)
192 TV programs
193 TV programs
194 TV programs
195 sport news
196 sport lottery results
197 international dialing codes
198 BTC terms of payment
199 automatic telephone information guide