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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning telephone numbers in the United Kingdom. It is regulated by the UK government's Office of Communications (Ofcom), which holds responsibility for telecommunications.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Format 2.1 Geographic numbering 2.2 National Dialling Only ranges 2.3 Non-geographic numbering 3 Crown dependencies 4 Fictitious numbers 5 Special service numbers 6 History 6.1 Director system 6.2 Introduction of area codes 6.3 All figure dialling 6.4 Calls to the Republic of Ireland 6.5 Number shortage 6.5.1 01 for London 6.5.2 PhONEday 6.5.3 Big Number Change 6.5.3.1 020 for London 6.5.4 '08' Consumer Protection 6.5.5 New '06' Code 6.5.6 '070' Update 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Overview

Country Code: 44
International Call Prefix: 00

Since 28 April 2001, almost all normal geographic numbers and most non-geographic numbers are 10 or 11 digits long. 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, mobile phones on 075, 077, 078, and 079, WiFi numbers on 079112 and 079118.
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:

Number	Location
(020) xxxx xxxx	London
(029) xxxx xxxx	Cardiff
(0113) xxx xxxx	Leeds
(0131) xxx xxxx	Edinburgh
(01382)  xxxxxx	Dundee
(01386)  xxxxxx	Evesham
(015396)  xxxxx	Sedbergh
(016977)   xxxx	Brampton

In the United Kingdom, area codes are three, four, five or six digits long, with large cities having shorter area codes permitting a larger number of telephone numbers in the ten or eleven digits used. The "area code" is also referred to as an 'STD (code)' (subscriber trunk dialling) code or a 'dialling code' in the UK.

For dialling the United Kingdom from overseas, Ofcom recommend that numbers be written in the form (with a three-digit geographic code) +44 xxx xxx xxxx. It is very common to see the form +44 (0)xxx xxx xxxx used instead, even in official documents, though this form is not recommended by Ofcom.^[1] 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.

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 British Crown dependencies - Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man even though they are not part of the UK itself.

[edit] Format

[edit] Geographic numbering

• (01xxx) xxxxxx — the most common form - a five digit area code and up to six digit subscriber number. e.g:

01382	Dundee	38 = DU
01482	Hull	48 = HU
01582	Luton	58 = LU

• (01x1) xxx xxxx — the geographical number format for first round of the large cities, a four digit area code, with a seven digit subscriber number where the first three digits identifies an area within the city.

0121	Birmingham	2 = B
0131	Edinburgh	3 = E
0141	Glasgow	4 = G
0151	Liverpool	5 = L
0161	Manchester	6 = M
0171	Used for inner London until 2000
0181	Used for outer London until 2000
0191	Tyne and Wear/County Durham

• (011x) xxx xxxx — the geographical number format for a second round of the large cities, a four digit area code, with a seven-digit subscriber number, e.g:

0113	Leeds	formerly 0532 (53 = LE)
0114	Sheffield	formerly 0742 (74 = SH)
0115	Nottingham	formerly 0602 (60 = NO)
0116	Leicester	formerly 0533 (53 = LE)
0117	Bristol	formerly 0272 (27 = BR)
0118	Reading	formerly 0734 (73 = RE)

• (02x) xxxx xxxx — the newest geographical number format for the third tier of large cities (except Northern Ireland) and commonly misused, e.g. London as 0207 or Cardiff as 02920. These consists of a three digit area code with an 8-digit subscriber number. The short area code is known as a wide area code. e.g:

020	London
023	Southampton and Portsmouth
024	Coventry
028	Northern Ireland (e.g. Belfast (028) 90xx xxxx, Omagh (028) 82xx xxxx)
029	Cardiff

• (01xxx) xxxxx, (01xxxx) xxxxx, (01xxxx) xxxx — used for smaller towns where the subscriber number is either four or five digits long; note that the STD code and the subscriber number don't always total eleven digits, e.g:

(01204) xxxxx	Bolton
(015396) xxxxx	Sedbergh
(016977) xxxx	Brampton

[edit] National Dialling Only ranges

These ranges have subscriber numbers beginning with the digits '0' or '1', eg:

01332 050xxx	Derby
01382 006xxx	Dundee
0141 005 xxxx	Glasgow
020 0003 xxxx	London

In order to avoid confusion with codes beginning with these digits, the area code must always be dialled, even from within the same geographic exchange. These numbers have been problematic as some mobile phone operators in the UK do not allow access to these ranges, and there may also be difficulty accessing these numbers from outside the UK.

[edit] Non-geographic numbering

• 03x xxxx xxxx — 'UK-wide' numbering.

On 27 July 2006, Ofcom announced that companies will soon be able to use an '03' non-geographic number, in place of other non geographic numbers (such as 0870 or 0845 numbers). Callers would be charged at the same rate as if they were calling a geographic number (01 or 02).^[2] This means that customers who are benefiting from 'free' minutes on mobiles or landlines would also be able to call these numbers using their inclusive minutes. On 13 February 2007, Ofcom released more details on their plans for the 03 range and announced that allocations of 03 numbers to providers would begin in March 2007. Three different ranges of numbers were announced; those beginning 0300/0303 are reserved for qualifying public bodies and non-profit organisations, those beginning 0330/0333, which are available for allocation to anyone, and those beginning 034/037 which will be used for migration from the 084 and 087 number ranges respectively. Ofcom itself began using 03 numbers on 13 November 2007 for public use.^[3]

030 xxxx xxxx	For qualifying public bodies and non-profit organisations as defined by Ofcom
033 xxxx xxxx	For any end user
034 xxxx xxxx	Migration range for operators who have 084 numbers
037 xxxx xxxx	Migration range for operators who have 087 numbers

• 05x xxxx xxxx — Reserved for corporate numbering.

055 xxxx xxxx	Corporate Numbering (but also used by BT for its Broadband Voice service)
056 xxxx xxxx	Allocated by Ofcom for LIECS (Location Independent Electronic Communications Services), such as VoIP services

The 0500 range is used for some freephone services which were originally provided by Mercury Communications Ltd (now Cable & Wireless). These numbers are different from the rest of the 05 range in that they are only 10 digits in length, e.g. 0500 288291 (BBC Radio 2), as they were allocated before the 05 range was assigned to corporate numbering. Note that unlike 03 numbers there is no uniform pricing for 05 numbers; BT charge a number of different rates depending on the number dialled.^[4] Some are charged at geographic rate, others not, and unlike 03 numbers, other operators are not required to charge the same rates as BT for calling 05 numbers

• 07xxx xxxxxx — mobile phones, pagers, Personal Numbering and WiFi numbers.

Individual mobile phone companies are allocated different ranges within the 075xx, 077xx, 078xx and 079xx area codes. Changes to mobile numbers were mostly straight replacements, such as Vodafone customers on the 0378 block became 07778.

070xx xxxxxx	Personal Numbering
075xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (new number range in use 2007-May onwards)
076xx xxxxxx	Pagers (excluding 07624, used for mobile telephones on the Isle of Man)
077xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (former 03xx and 04xx — mostly Vodafone and O2 (formerly Cellnet)
078xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (former 05xx, 06xx and 08xx — mostly Vodafone and O2 (formerly Cellnet)
079xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (former 09xx — mostly Orange and T-Mobile (formerly one2one)
079112 xxxxx 079118 xxxxx	WiFi numbers (used by companies such as Tovo and Mobiboo)

Since the advent of Mobile number portability, mobile prefixes can no longer be relied on to determine the current operator of a particular mobile number - only the original operator.

• 08xx — Non-geographic fixed-rate, or special-rate services. With the exception of 080 freephone numbers, these are charged above geographic rates, with the extra going to the terminating telco. This additional revenue may be shared with the subscriber, but is often used instead to subsidise additional network services, such as fax to email, virtual office applications, call queuing, voicemail and easy number redirection. None of these services are exclusive to 08xx numbers, and could be provided on any number range.

0800 xxx xxxx 0800 xxx xxx 0808 xxx xxxx	"Freephone" (free to call from landline, up to 40p per minute from mobile).
0820 xxx	Internet for Schools
0845 xxx	Up to 5p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend
0844 2xx to 0844 9xx	Up to 5p a minute but fixed (eg always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute)
0870 xxx	Up to 8p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend
0871 2xx to 0871 9xx	Up to 10p a minute but fixed (eg always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute)

[edit] Crown dependencies

• Guernsey, Alderney, Sark

01481	Fixed line	48 = GU
01481 832 to 01481 833	Fixed line (Sark)
07781	Sure mobile phones and pagers
07911	Wave Telecom mobile phones
07839	Airtel Vodafone mobile phones

• Jersey

01534	Fixed line	53 = JE
07797 07937	Jersey Telecom mobile phones and pagers
07700	Sure mobile network

• Isle of Man

01624	Fixed line	62 = MA
07624	Mobile phones and paging services
07924	Mobile phones additional capacity

On the Isle of Man, both fixed and mobile phone numbers can be dialled locally in the six-digit format.

Although calls from UK landlines to landlines in the islands are charged at the same rate as those to other UK landlines (i.e. they are not treated as international calls), calls may be excluded from calling plans offering unlimited UK fixed line calls, and some mobile operators may also charge more. Calls and SMS messages sent to island mobile numbers are not charged at the same rate as calls to UK mobile numbers.

[edit] Fictitious numbers

Ofcom has also reserved certain number ranges for use in television dramas and films, so as to avoid the risk of people having their telephone numbers displayed, and receiving unwanted calls. This is similar to the use of fictitious telephone numbers in the United States and Canada with the digits 555. In most of the large cities with three-digit area codes a range of numbers is reserved, usually all the numbers starting with the digits 4960. For fictitious numbers in other areas the area code 01632 is reserved; this code is not in use, although 0632 was used for Newcastle upon Tyne until the late 1980s (63 = NE). There are also reserved ranges for fictitious mobile, freephone, and premium rate numbers. For the 03 number range Ofcom has allocated 03069 990000 to 990999.

• A full list of fictitious numbers

[edit] Special service numbers

Short codes beginning with 1 are reserved for telecom service providers' own functionality; some of the most well-known are codes for use with Caller Display:

141	Number withhold	when normally released
1470	Number release	when normally withheld
1471	Call Return	caller may press 3 to return call on most networks

The UK has two free emergency numbers — the traditional 999, which is still widely used, and the EU standard 112, which can be used in all member states of the European Union. Both 999 and 112 are used to contact all emergency services: Police, Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue, Coastguard and Cave Rescue.

Both numbers can be called from mobile telephones with the keylock on and if the mobile handset requires a PIN code to switch it on, both 999 and 112 can be called without entering the PIN. Some mobile telephones will allow emergency calls to be attempted without a SIM card, although at present the UK networks reject such calls. More information about the 112 emergency number can be found at the '112 : The European emergency number ' web site.

The chargeable number 101 (10p per call) is being introduced in stages, with an aim to cover all of England and Wales by 2008, for "non-urgent emergencies". As of November 2006 however, it was alleged that owing to low take-up in trial areas this proposal is on indefinite hold. However, in at least one pilot area the service, while proving to be popular with the public and considered a great success by the Local Authorities, has been withdrawn due to cancellation of Home Office funding^[5]. To further confuse matters, some regional police forces have set up their own versions of the 'non-urgent' service using various, non-geographic and local numbers - for example, Sussex Police can be contacted on 0845 60 70 999. Details of the areas covered by the 101 number can be found on the 'Welcome to 101' web site.

The operator is obtained via 100, while directory enquiries, formerly 192, is now provided in the 118xxx range, e.g. 118 212, 118 800, 118 500, 118 118, by different companies. International Operator assistance is reached through "155".

Fixed line telephone subscribers for BT^[6] , Virgin Media^[7] and Talk Talk have the opportunity to use an automated messaging service which takes messages when the called number is either engaged ("busy") or not answered within a given time. This can be accessed by calling 1571.

Since the mid 1990s speaking clock services have been available throughout Britain using the number 123: before this, exchanges in 'Director' areas (Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London and Manchester) dialled 846 (TIM) (later changing to 123) and main exchanges in 'Non-Director' areas originally used "952", later changing to "80" with the introduction of STD and eventually to "8081" as other recorded services were introduced on 80X1 codes. Some mobile operators allocate other services to 123 - such as customer services or voicemail etc.

The Post Office even produced dial centre labels for use in advertisements and film/TV with a mythical exchange called VINcent plus four digits. The numerical equivalent of VIN was 846 and all the caller got was the speaking clock in the big city 'Director' areas.

Two special telephone numbers within the regular code space have only eight digits, namely 0800 1111 the national ChildLine helpline, and 0845 4647 for NHS Direct medical advice.

[edit] History

The telephone service in the United Kingdom was originally provided by private companies and local councils. But by 1912–13 [1] all except the telephone service of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire and Guernsey had been bought out by the Post Office. The Post Office also operated telephone services in Jersey until 1923 and the Isle of Man until 1969 when the islands took over responsibility for their own postal and telephone services - although the Isle of Man system remained part of British Telecom until 1987.

Post Office Telecommunications was reorganised in 1980–81 [2] as British Telecommunications (British Telecom, or BT), and was the first major nationalised industry to be privatised by the Conservative government. The Hull Telephone Department was itself reconstituted as Kingston Communications, in 1987; it was sold by Hull City Council in the late 1990s and celebrated its centenary in 2004.

[edit] Director system

In November 1922 the General Post Office decided to adopt the Strowger system from the various systems it had tried and it was to include 'Directors' in the exchanges in London. Demonstration models of the 'director' exchange were shown by manufacturer ATM of Liverpool as part of the Post Office exhibits at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924 and 1925. However, it was not until 1927 that the first 'Director' telephone exchange was brought into service in Holborn, London and rolled out progressively across Greater London. A 3 digit code, represented by letters, identified the local exchange. Director schemes were gradually introduced in the other major cities of the UK — Birmingham, Edinburgh (although a relatively small city, it obtained seven-figure dialling for political reasons), Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.

[edit] Introduction of area codes

Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) was introduced in 1958^[8] to allow a caller to call another telephone directly instead of via a manual telephone exchange operator. Uniform exchange codes, usually called STD codes, were allocated for every exchange in the country, progressively as STD was rolled out. This process was not completed until 1979^[9]

The original concept was for STD to be a nationwide Director system, and in common with the Director system, the exchange codes were originally assigned based on two letters of the respective place's name and the corresponding numbers on a telephone dial. For example Aylesbury was given the STD code 0AY6, where the letter A can be found on the number 2 and the letter Y on the number 9. The letter O became a zero, such as for Bournemouth: 0BO2 where BO = 20. Originally, where a place's name began with the letter 'O' the code would begin with two zeros, such as Oxford: 0OX2 where OX = 09. These codes starting with '00' were later reallocated, freeing the prefix 00 for use by calls to the Republic of Ireland, to radiophones and to premium rate numbers.

For the Director areas a 2 or 3 digit code was used for the city. These were:

Area code	City	Notes
01	London	See 01 for London below
021	Birmingham	(2 = B)
031	Edinburgh	(3 = E)
041	Glasgow	(4 = G)
051	Liverpool	(5 = L)
061	Manchester	(6 = M)

The codes 071, 081, and 091 were reserved for later expansion, with the former two eventually being allocated to London (see below), and 091 to Tyne and Wear and Durham.

[edit] All figure dialling

The use of names was intended to provide a mnemonic for the exchange in the same way as for the Director system, but as more and more places were given STD codes the mnemonic link became more and more obscure, and this system became unworkable. The use of alphabetic exchange (area) codes was abandoned in 1966 in favour of all figure numbering. As such about 60% of current area codes are still based on the original alphabetic STD.

[edit] Calls to the Republic of Ireland

Until the late 1980s, calls to major towns and cities in the Republic of Ireland could also be made using short codes starting with 000:

0001 – Dublin 01 area

0002 – Cork 021 area

0004 – Dundalk 042 area

0005 – Waterford 051 area

0006 – Limerick 061 area

0007 – Letterkenny 074 area

0009 – Galway 091 area

This was discontinued in the late 1980s, so that all calls to the Republic of Ireland from the UK had to be dialled in the normal international format using the international access code (since 1995, 00) and country code (353).

(Calls could also be made using the full international dialing code since the introduction of international direct dialing)

While most of the Republic of Ireland could be direct dialed, a small number of rural areas did not have an automated telephone service until the 1980s. As a result, calls from the UK to these areas had to be made through the BT operator who connected the calls to their Irish counterpart for completion. Unlike other international calls, these were handled by the BT national operator, in the same way as UK operator calls. This service was withdrawn at Midday on 28 May 1987 when the last manual exchange in Ireland, located at Mountshannon, Co Clare, was switched over to an Alcatel E10 digital exchange. This completed Telecom Eireann's rural digitalisation project.

Although full international dialling is now used, calls from Northern Ireland landlines to landlines in the Republic are charged at UK national or local rates, and calls from Great Britain to the Republic are charged at a special "Republic of Ireland" rate, higher than inland rates, but lower than those for elsewhere in Western Europe. Additionally, calls to Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland can be made without an international access code, but instead replacing the British 028 prefix with an Irish 048 area code which specifically covers Northern Ireland. For example, calling Belfast from London would be 028 90xx xxxx while calling Belfast from Dublin would be 048 90xx xxxx.

See also: Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland.

[edit] Number shortage

With growth in second phone lines, direct dial-in (DDI) lines, fax machines and multiple telecoms operators during the 1980s the demand for telephone numbers exceeded the available number ranges. A number of changes were made to the UK numbering plan. All these stages were planned out in one exercise in the early 1980s, though the exact dates for each stage was decided later.

[edit] 01 for London

The first major change was in May 1990, when the London 01 area code was replaced with 071 and 081. Exchanges in central London used the 071 code with the remaining exchanges using the 081 code and formed a ring around the 071 area. Although this effectively doubled the available numbers it was not the last change for the capital.

[edit] PhONEday

On "PhONEday", 16 April 1995, the digit "1" was inserted into all UK geographic area codes. Promotion of this day included special Easter Eggs. Under the new changes, for example, central London's 071 became 0171. This was with a view to reorganising the numbering plan, so that the first two digits would indicate the type of service called:

Area code prefix	Service type
00	International dialling
01	Geographic area codes
02	New geographic area codes
03	Geographic area code expansion
05	Corporate numbering
07	Mobile phones, pagers and personal numbering
08	Freephone and shared cost
09	Premium rate

The international access code also changed on 'PhONEday', from 010 to 00. Five new area codes were introduced for cities that were running low on phone numbers — and a digit was prepended to each existing local number.

City	New numbering	Old numbering	Notes
Leeds	(0113) 2xx xxxx	(0532) xxxxxx	53 = LE
Sheffield	(0114) 2xx xxxx	(0742) xxxxxx	74 = SH
Nottingham	(0115) 9xx xxxx	(0602) xxxxxx	60 = NO
Leicester	(0116) 2xx xxxx	(0533) xxxxxx	53 = LE
Bristol	(0117) 9xx xxxx	(0272) xxxxxx	27 = BR
Reading	(0118) 9xx xxxx	(0734) xxxxxx → (01734) xxxxxx	73 = RE; changed between 1996 and 1998, not on PhONEday [3].

Most of the ranges with the given initial digits have now been exhausted, with new numbers being allocated whose local portions have a different initial digit. For example, the Sheffield range (0114) 2 has now been exhausted, and new numbers (other than old recycled ones) begin with (0114) 3. Similarly, newly allocated numbers in Leeds, Leicester and Bristol begin with 3, but in Nottingham, the new prefix is (0115) 8.

[edit] Big Number Change

On 22 April 2000 the second phase of the plan came into operation, dubbed the "Big Number Change". With 02* freed up by the previous reorganisation, it could be re-used.

City	New numbering	Old numbering	Notes
London	(020) 7xxx xxxx	0171-xxx xxxx	Used for existing inner London numbers and new numbers London-wide
	(020) 8xxx xxxx	0181-xxx xxxx	Used for existing outer London numbers and new numbers London-wide
	(020) 3xxx xxxx		New phase of numbers, released London-wide from June 2005
Southampton	(023) 80xx xxxx	(01703) xxxxxx	70 = SO
Portsmouth	(023) 92xx xxxx	(01705) xxxxxx	70 = PO
Coventry	(024) 76xx xxxx	(01203) xxxxxx	20 = CO
Cardiff	(029) 20xx xxxx	(01222) xxxxxx	22 = CA
	(029) 21xx xxxx		New phase of numbers from June 2005
Northern Ireland Example given is Belfast - see below	(028) 90xx xxxx	(01232) xxxxxx	23 = BE
	(028) 95xx xxxx		New phase of numbers from 2006

Note that although Southampton and Portsmouth are one code from a code structure and local dialling point of view, as of January 2006 calls between them are not local calls and the "codes" 023 80 and 023 92 are treated as separate by the BT site for determining local call area.

It is planned that the new codes will eventually cover a larger area than at present. For example, although 029 currently covers just the Cardiff area, it may in the future cover all of Wales.

The code for Northern Ireland is 028. The transition codes for Northern Ireland are shown below. These can be accessed from the Republic of Ireland using either the domestic code 048, or the international code +44 28.

The prefixes for existing numbers in Northern Ireland are split up into 7 groups, roughly based upon the county in which the main exchange is based. The initial digit of each phone number is based on the designated county - for example, the first county alphabetically is County Antrim so numbers in this county start 2. The next county is County Armagh so numbers here start 3. One exception to this is the Greater Belfast area, initial digit 9, which is extended to include each adjacent former STD code area, including the towns of Bangor, (County Down) (91), Lisburn (92), Carrickfergus (93), Antrim (94) and Saintfield (97). The encompassed former STD codes at some points extend to over 20 miles from Belfast itself.

Town/City	Region	New numbering	Old numbering
Larne	County Antrim	(028) 28xx xxxx	(01574) xxxxxx
Armagh	County Armagh	(028) 37xx xxxx	(01861) xxxxxx
Newcastle	County Down	(028) 437x xxxx	(013967) xxxxx
Enniskillen	County Fermanagh	(028) 66xx xxxx	(01365) xxxxxx
Limavady	County Londonderry	(028) 777x xxxx	(015047) xxxxx
Omagh	County Tyrone	(028) 82xx xxxx	(01662) xxxxxx
Belfast	Greater Belfast	(028) 90xx xxxx	(01232) xxxxxx
Lisburn	Greater Belfast	(028) 92xx xxxx	(01846) xxxxxx

In addition, mobile and pager numbers were all moved into the 07 range. Pagers moved into 076, while personal numbers moved to 070. Mobile numbers moved into the 077, 078 and 079 ranges. The exception to this was Manx Telecom mobiles, where the code became 07624 in order to match the 01624 used for landlines. In addition, lo-call and national call numbers migrated to 08xxx and premium rate numbers to 09xxx.

[edit] 020 for London

The number change meant that London returned to a single area code again (as in the old 01 days), with no "inner/outer" split. Existing London numbers acquired the prefixes 7 or 8, but from that point on (020) 7xxx xxxx and (020) 8xxx xxxx numbers were assigned or reused anywhere in the London area covered by the single (city-wide) 020 code.

From June 2005 the regulator, Ofcom, ceased to allocate number blocks to suppliers in the 7xxx xxxx and 8xxx xxxx ranges. From this date onwards all number allocations were in the 3xxx xxxx range and can be used anywhere in the London 020 area. Although new blocks of 7xxx xxxx and 8xxx xxxx range numbers are no longer being allocated to suppliers, those that have not yet exhausted their existing blocks are able to continue to issue and re-issue them to their customers.

Numbers in the 020 0xxx xxxx and 020 1xxx xxxx number ranges have also been made available. However, these numbers cannot be dialled without the 020 code and are called "London National Dialling" numbers.

It is a common misconception that London still has more than one area code (i.e. "0207 & 0208"). This is incorrect in the sense that omitting the "0207" or "0208" (area) code will give a local number that cannot be connected as it is missing the first digit. Therefore, writing a London number as 020x xxx xxxx is incorrect and can lead to confusion when attempting to dial it.^[10]

This misconception of area code and number separation is also seen in other areas of the country where an area code reduction was seen due to the Big Number Change, such as Reading numbers still being written 01189 xxxxxx, whereas the correct number sequence is (0118) 9xx xxxx (Reading now has some (0118) 3xx xxxx numbers), Coventry being written as 02476 xxxxxx, whereas the correct number sequence is (024) 76xx xxxx, Cardiff 029 being written as 02920 xxxxxx whereas the correct number sequence is (029) 20xx xxxx. This is also similar in Sheffield, where numbers are often seen written as 01142 or missing the leading digit 2 when abbreviated (751234 instead of 275 1234 for example).^[11]

This also occurs in some areas of Northern Ireland, that previously had 5-digit and 6-digit local numbers like in Banbridge (previously (018206) xxxxx), where numbers are still written as 028406 xxxxx instead of 028 406x xxxx. Locals still misquote the area code as 028406, seven years after the change. The same occurs in formerly six-digit code areas, such as Lisburn (previous (01846) xxxxxx) continues to frequently appear as 02892 xxxxxx.

[edit] '08' Consumer Protection

Under plans, rates charged to people calling 08 phone lines would be made clearer by linking the cost of the call to the third digit. Numbers starting 080 would be free (except for mobile originated calls) , whilst 082 would be cheaper than 089.

[edit] New '06' Code

Creating Personal Numbers beginning 06, to replace 070 Personal Numbers - sometimes confused with mobiles - is also being considered. At the moment, companies such as Patientline use 070 numbers. There is no cap on retail caller charges.

Ofcom wanted 070 and 06 numbers to have a price cap, and 07 numbers to be used exclusively for mobile phones.

[edit] '070' Update

After a new and in-depth study to better understand the Personal Numbering market, Ofcom has recently changed its mind and is now proposing to drop the 060 migration concept. Ofcom has decided that the forced migration to 060 is no longer seen to be objectively justifiable.^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• List of United Kingdom dialling codes
• List of Wales dialling codes
• Telecommunications in the United Kingdom
• Telephone numbering plan
• Irish telephone numbering plan
• UK telephone code misconceptions — includes the common "0207" and "0208" misconceptions
• Telephone number
• Number portability

[edit] External links

• UK Numbering Policy section of Ofcom's website
• UK National Telephone Numbering Plan (in PDF format)
• UK Future Numbering Plan from Ofcom's website
• UK Phone Code/Carrier Information
• UK Phone Number and Mobile Number Searches
• UK British Telecom White Pages Directory
• Say No to 0870 dot com, helps locate fee-free contact numbers for UK companies

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