National conventions for writing telephone

numbers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Local conventions for writing telephone numbers)
The national conventions for writing telephone numbers vary by country. International standards exist in
the form of the International Telecommunication Union sector ITU-T issued recommendation E.123.
Written conventions are closely related to the telephone numbering plan in use, which defines the length of
numbers and assigns them meaning.
The presentation of telephone numbers in this article is intended for dialing within each country, and does
not include any international dialing codes. In examples, a numeric digit is used only if the digit is the same
in every number, and letters to illustrate groups. X is used as a wildcard to represent any digit in lists of
numbers.
Contents
1 North America
1.1 United States, Canada, and other NANP countries
1.1.1 Notation
1.1.2 Quebec
1.2 Mexico
2 Europe
2.1 Belgium
2.2 Denmark
2.3 France
2.4 Germany
2.5 Hungary
2.6 Iceland
2.7 Italy
2.8 Netherlands
2.9 Norway
2.10 Portugal
2.11 Poland
2.12 Russia
2.13 Spain
2.14 Switzerland
2.15 United Kingdom
2.15.1 Incorrect presentation of UK area codes and numbers
2.16 Turkey
3 Asia
3.1 Pakistan
3.2 India
3.3 China
3.4 Hong Kong
3.5 Japan
3.6 Malaysia
3.7 Philippines
3.8 Singapore
3.9 Taiwan
3.10 South Korea
3.10.1 Landline Phone Numbers
3.10.2 Mobile Phone Numbers
3.10.3 Business Numbers
3.10.4 National Service Numbers
3.10.5 Alternative Numbers
4 Oceania
4.1 Australia
4.2 New Zealand
5 Central America
5.1 Costa Rica
5.2 El Salvador
5.3 Guatemala
5.4 Honduras
6 South America
6.1 Argentina
6.1.1 Area code
6.1.2 Subscriber number
6.1.3 Mobile phones
6.1.4 Special numbers
6.2 Brazil
6.3 Peru
7 International Telecommunication Union
8 References
North America
United States, Canada, and other NANP countries
24 countries and territories share the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), with a single country code.
It is a closed telephone numbering plan in which all telephone numbers consist of 10 digits, with the first
three digits representing the area code. Multiple area codes may be overlaid in the same region.
The traditional formatting convention for phone numbers is (NPA) NXX-XXXX, where NPA is the area
code and NXX-XXXX is the subscriber number. The NXX prefix of the subscriber number indicates the
local telephone exchange or rate center. The format can be written NPA-NXX-XXXX, or as 1-NPA-NXX-
XXXX when including the number 1, the long-distance trunk access code. Sometimes the stylized format
NPA.NXX.XXXX is seen, more common since the rise of the Internet and the dot-separated notation of
domain names.
Originally, local calls within an area code could be placed by dialing NXX-XXXX (omitting the area code),
known as 7-digit dialing. The traditional formatting convention included the area code in parenthesis to
indicate that dialing the area code for local calls was optional. Calling a number in a different area code
required dialing that code first (i.e., NPA-NXX-XXXX) known as 10-digit dialing. Most codes retain these
rule today; in these areas, phone numbers continue to be written as 7-digit numbers, and frequently appear
on signage for local stores.
With the rapid growth of telephony in the late 20th century, large metropolitan areas saw the introduction of
overlay codes in the mid and late 1990s. With two or more area codes becoming available in the same
vicinity, mandatory ten-digit dialing rules were instituted, requiring the area code to be dialed for all calls.
The trunk code 1 remains optional for local calls in some of these areas.
Notation
The introduction of 10-digit dialing has resulted in notational changes for local numbers. The area code
prefix is now often separated by a hyphen, dash, or space character instead of using parenthesis around the
area code. In metro Atlanta, for example, it is common to see people write shorthand 4, 6, or 7, followed by
")" (end parenthesis) or "-" (hyphen), or sometimes "/" (forward slash) or just a space, instead of the full
404 (the city), 770 (the suburbs since 1995), or 678 (overlaid on both in 1998). This however is complicated
by the Georgia Public Service Commission's choice of 470 for the next overlay code.
The Canadian Government has stated on its Language Portal of Canada that numbers be written with
hyphens between each sequence, as follows: 1-NPA-NXX-XXXX or NPA-NXX-XXXX.
[1]
10-digit dialing
is now required throughout most of Canada, including all of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, Quebec, as well as most of Ontario. Areas not yet requiring 10-digit dialing are Ontario's 807
area code, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, although 10-
digit dialing may be accepted in some of these areas. Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will transition
between August and November 2014.
[2]
Quebec
In the province of Quebec, where French is the first language, the Office qubcois de la langue franaise
has established that phone numbers must be written with spaces first and then a hyphen for the last
sequence, as follows: 1 NPA NXX-XXXX. Educational institutions of Quebec will mark improperly
written phone numbers as orthographical mistakes in academic texts.
Mexico
Most areas in Mexico do not belong to the North-American Numbering Plan. Mobile phone numbers are
always written with the area code as XXX-XXX-XXXX, regardless of the length of the area code. In
Guadalajara, for example, where the area code is 33 and the phone numbers begin with 3 or 1, mobile
phone numbers are usually of the form 331-XXX-XXXX or 333-XXX-XXXX.
The numbering scheme is different in the Federal District (Mexico City). The two digit area code (55) is
followed by an eight digit local number. They are usually formatted as (55) XXXX XXXX or (55) XX XX
XX XX.
Europe
Belgium
Belgian telephone numbers consist of two major parts: Firstly '0', secondly the "zone prefix" (A) which is 1
or 2 digits long for landlines and 3 digits long for mobile phones and thirdly the "subscriber's number" (B).
Land lines are always 9 digits long. They are prefixed by a zero, followed by the zone prefix. Depending on
the length of the zone prefix, the subscriber's number consists of either 6 or 7 digits. Hence land line
numbers are written either 0AA BB BB BB or 0A BBB BB BB.
Mobile Phone numbers always consist of 10 digits. The first digit of the "zone prefix" of a mobile number
is always '4'. Then follows 2 digits indicating to which Mobile Operator's pool the number originally
belonged when it was taken into usage. The fourth digit represents a "sub-group" of this pool and has no
additional meaning other than increasing the amount of possible numbers. The subscriber's number consists
of 6 digits. Hence, mobile phone numbers are written 04AA BB BB BB. Sometimes, the last 6 digits are
written in two groups of 3 digits to increase readability: 04AA BBB BBB.
Numbers are sometimes written with a slash in between the zone prefix and the subscriber's number. This is
the case for both land lines and mobile phone numbers. Sometimes, dots are written between the blocks of
the subscriber's number. Examples: 0AA/BB BB BB, 0AA/BB.BB.BB; for mobile numbers: 04AA/BB BB
BB, 04AA/BB.BB.BB or 04AA/BBB.BBB.
The international country code prefix for Belgium is "+32". When dialing a number with the prefix, the 0
can be dropped, e.g.: +32 4AA BB BB BB.
Denmark
Danish telephone numbers are eight digits long and are normally written
in four groups of two digits each, with the groups separated by spaces: AA AA AA AA,
in two groups of four digits each, with the groups separated by a space: AAAA AAAA,
in one group of two digits followed by two groups of three digits each, with the groups separated by
spaces: AA AAA AAA, or
all in one go: AAAAAAAA.
Danish emergency and service numbers are three digits long and are written AAA. Danish short numbers
used for text messaging services are four digits long and are written AAAA.
France
French telephone numbers are 10 digits long written in groups of two separated by spaces, in the format 0A
BB BB BB BB where 0 (the trunk prefix) was created in 1996 to be a carrier selection code, and A is the
"territorial area code" included in the subscriber number A BB BB BB BB.
The A (territorial area code) can be 1 to 5 (for geographic numbers, depending of the area in the country,
respectively: Paris/Suburbs, N-W, N-E, S-E, S-W), and it designates nationwide numbers when it is 6 or 7
(mobile numbers), 8 (special numbers), or 9 (phone over IP over xDSL/non-geographic numbers).
The numbering plan is a closed one, all digits must always be dialed.
The first two or three B can designate the area (old area code) for geographic numbers, or the operator to
whom the number resource belongs.
There are also "short numbers" for emergencies (such as 112), that are written 1C or 1CC; and short
numbers for special services, written 10 CC, 11C CCC, or 36 CC. 00 is the international access code.
International format is +33 A BB BB BB BB where the leading trunk prefix 0 disappears (it must not be
dialed from abroad). This format can be directly used in mobile phones.
Germany
German telephone numbers have no fixed length for area code and subscriber number.
There are many ways to format a telephone number in Germany. The most prominent is DIN 5008 (ISO
8601) but the international format E.123 and Microsoft's canonical address format are also very common.
Form Example
DIN 5008 0AAAA BBBBBB
DIN 5008 with Extension 0AAAA BBBBBB-XX
DIN 5008 international +49 AAAA BBBBBB
E.123 local (0AAAA) BBBBBB
E.123 international +49 AAAA BBBBBB
Microsoft +49 (AAAA) BBBBBB
Old 0AAAA-BBBBBB
Very old 0AAAA/BBBBBB-XX
Numbers are often written in blocks of two. Example: +49 (A AA) B BB BB (Note the blocks go from right
to left)
The very old format and E.123 local form are often used by older people but also for technical reasons.
Hungary
In Hungary the standard lengths for area codes is two, except for Budapest (the capital), which has the area
code 1. Subscribers' numbers are six digits long in general, numbers in Budapest and cell phone numbers
are seven digits long.
Iceland
Phone numbers in Iceland are seven digits long and generally written in the form XXX XXXX or XXX-
XXXX.
Italy
See Telephone numbers in Italy
Netherlands
Since 10 October 1995 (Operation Decibel) all telephone numbers in the Netherlands are 10 digits long
(including the trunk prefix '0'). The area code ('A') is commonly separated with a dash ('-') and sometimes a
space from the subscriber's number ('B'). Alternatively, the area code (including the trunk prefix) can be
enclosed in parentheses.
The length of the area code for landlines is either 2 or 3 digits, depending on the population density of the
area. This leaves 7 or 6 digits for the subscriber's number, resulting in a format of either 0AA-BBBBBBB
or 0AAA-BBBBBB. Cellphone numbers are assigned the 1-digit area code 6, leaving 8 digits for the
subscriber's number: 06-CBBBBBBB, where subscriber's number ('C') is neither 6 nor 7. Service numbers
(area codes 800, 900, 906 and 909) have either 4 or 7 remaining digits, making them 8 or 11 digits in total:
0AAA-BBBB or 0AAA-BBBBBBB. The area code 14 has no trunk prefix and is used for government
numbers, currently only for municipalities. The remaining digits represent the area code of the municipality.
Therefore the length 14 numbers total either 5 of 6 digits: 14 0AA or 14 0AAA
The trunk prefix '0' is dropped when prefixed by the country code: +31 AA BBBBBBBB, +31 6
CBBBBBBB, etcetera. Note that there is not a trunk prefix for the 14 series so the international number
becomes +31 14 0AAA.
Norway
Norwegian telephone numbers are 8 digits long. A number to a fixed line is written in four groups of two
separated by spaces, AA AA AA AA. Cellphone numbers are written in three groups, AAA AA AAA. This
makes it easy to determine if the B-number is SMS capable. Mobile numbers start with 4 or 9.
Portugal
Telephone numbers in Portugal are 9 digits long. Landline numbers have an area code with two (Lisbon and
Porto) or three figures (for the other areas in the country):
21 XX XX XXX (for Lisbon area)
22 XX XX XXX (for Porto area)
256 XXX XXX (for So Joo da Madeira area)
309 XXX XXX (non-geographic)
In terms of mobile numbers:
91 XX XX XXX (Vodafone)
92 XX XX XXX (TMN/MEO)
93 XX XX XXX (Optimus/Zon)
96 XX XX XXX (TMN/UZO/Phone-ix)
Poland
Telephone numbers in Poland are 9 digits long. For mobile phones, the preferred format is AAA-AAA-
AAA. For landline phones, the preferred format is AA-BBB-BB-BB, where AA is area code. Occasionally,
you can encounter numbers formatted as (AA) BBB-BB-BB. Omitting area code is not permitted, because
nowadays it is always required.
Russia
Telephone numbers in Russia are 10 digits long. Trunk prefix is 8 (or 8 CC if using alternative operator,
where CC is 2123, 5155), it is always separated from area code by space. Length of geographical area
codes (A) is usually 3 to 5 digits, depending on population density of the area; length of non-geographical
area codes is 3. The groups of numbers of the subscriber's number (B) are separated by dashes ('-'): BBB-
BB-BB, BB-BB-BB, B-BB-BB. Thus, the correct way to write local number is, e.g., 8 AAAA BB-BB-BB
or (8 AAAA) BB-BB-BB to indicate that area code dialing is optional. Area code dialing is mandatory in
all non-geographical area codes and optional in most geographical area codes; however, there are
exceptions. For example, since July 1, 2012 area code dialing is mandatory in Moscow (area codes 495,
498, 499), so the only proper way to write Moscow number is 8 AAA BBB-BB-BB. In current usage, it is
very common to see numbers (incorrectly) written as 8 (AAA) BBB-BB-BB. This usage is wrong, as the
parentheses are meant to indicate the part of number that may be omitted.
Spain
Spanish telephone numbers are nine digits long, starting with '9' or '8' for fixed lines (excluding '90x' and
'80x') or with '6' or '7' for mobile phones.
The first group in fixes lines always identify the dialed province. That group might be of 2 or 3 digits, for
example, 91 and 81 are for Madrid while 925 and 825 are for Toledo. The second group is always of 3
digits as it formerly identified the telephone exchange (now identifies the telephone area).
When the first group is 2 digits long (like in Madrid), they are usually written in four groups of 2-3-2-2
digits (AB CCC DD DD)
When the first group is 3 digits long (like in Toledo), they are usually written forming 3 groups of 3 digits
(ABB CCC DDD) but the form 3-2-2-2 (ABB CC CD DD) is not uncommon.
Mobile numbers are usually grouped by threes ABB CCC CCC being the form 3-2-2-2 also seen.
Switzerland
Swiss telephone numbers are 10 digits long, and usually written 0AA BBB BB BB where 0AA is the
"national destination code" and BBB BB BB is the subscriber number. Sometimes numbers are written +41
AA BBB BB BB to include Switzerland's country calling code. Certain nationwide destination codes, such
as for toll-free or premium-rate telephone numbers, are written 0800 BBB BBB or 0900 BBB BBB. There
are also "short numbers" for emergencies such as 112 that are written 1CC or 1CCC.
United Kingdom
Dialling codes (also known as "area codes") are typically surrounded by parentheses, indicating that they
are optional for local callers, and are followed by the customer's telephone number. Parentheses are not
normally used on non-geographic area codes and mobile phone numbers.
Codes with the form 02x are followed by 8-digit local numbers and should be written as (02x) AAAA
AAAA. Area codes with the form 011x or 01x1 are used for many of the major population centers in the
UK, are always followed by 7-digit local numbers and should be written as (01xx) AAA BBBB. Other area
codes have the form 01xxx with 5 or 6 figure local numbers written as (01xxx) AAAAA or (01xxx)
AAAAAA; or have the form 01xxxx with 4 or 5 figure local numbers written as (01xx xx) AAAA or (01xx
xx) AAAAA.
[3]
Geographic numbers are also sometimes displayed in a format with a dash separating the code and number,
this was formerly the recommended format for six major metropolitan areas in the UK, e.g. 01x1-AAA
BBBB. They are sometimes also shown in a format with a space between the code and number, similar to
the non-geographic format, e.g. 01x1 AAA BBBB.
Numbers for mobile phones and pagers are formatted as 07AAA BBBBBB and most other non-geographic
numbers are 10 figures in length (excluding trunk digit '0') and formatted as 0AAA BBB BBBB. However,
these numbers are sometimes written in other formats. 9 figure freephone numbers are 0500 AAAAAA and
0800 AAAAAA and there are two numbers of 7 figures length: 0800 1111 (Childline) and 0845 4647 (NHS
Direct).
Domestically, there are also a number of special service numbers such as 100 for the operator, 123 for the
speaking clock and 155 for the international operator, as well as 118 AAA for various directory enquiry
services, and 116 AAA for various helplines. For some services, the number you call will depend on which
operator you use to connect the call. 111, 112 and 999 work for calling the emergency services. These
numbers cannot be called from abroad.
When calling from abroad, the initial '0' trunk prefix is not required; it is, however, commonplace to
represent telephone numbers with both the international code and the '0' trunk prefix - which is typically
placed within parentheses - but this representation is inconsistent with the E.123 international standard.
[4]
Incorrect presentation of UK area codes and numbers
Misconceptions, particularly in the case of London numbers, mean that UK telephone numbers are
frequently spoken and written incorrectly. A common error is treating London numbers as if there exist
multiple area codes (e.g. "0207", "0208" and "0203". Similar tendencies are in evidence elsewhere,
particularly in respect of 011x and 02x area codes changed between 1995 and 2000 by PhONEday and the
Big Number Change.
Turkey
In Turkey the format for telephone numbers is commonly seen as 0BBB AAA AA AA. While landline
numbers having the prefix 02BB AAA AA AA, 03BB AAA AA AA, or 04BB AAA AA AA
[5]
mobile
numbers have the prefix 05BB AAA AA AA. Landline area codes are separated by cities and only one city,
Istanbul, has two area codes: 216 for the Asian side, and 212 for the European side. Mobile numbers
however are separated by carriers. There are three mobile carriers in Turkey: Vodafone TR, Turkcell and
AVEA. Turkcell has the prefix 053B AAA AA AA, Vodafone TR has the prefix 054B AAA AA AA, and
AVEA has the prefix 055B AAA AA AA.
Since 9 November 2008, with the passing of the Number Carriability Regulation by ICTA, mobile numbers
can be carried from one mobile carrier to the other, without having to change the prefix.
[6]
This caused
dialing 05BB to call another number on the same carrier to become mandatory. Calls to numbers which
were carried to another operator are signaled by a unique sound upon dialing, to signify that the recipient is
on another network and alert them against potentially unwanted interconnection charges. The same
regulation passed on 10 September 2009 regarding landline numbers, without the requirement to dial the
prefix among numbers with the same geographical area, sharing the same prefix.
The "0" on every prefix is an Area Code Exit code that must be dialed when a number with a different area
code is being called. So when calling from outside of Turkey those 0s are not dialed. The dialing format
when calling from outside Turkey is +90 BBB AAA AA AA and NOT +90 0BBB AAA AA AA. Unlike
the North American system, the Country Exit Code isn't 011 but 00. So it is one "0" to exit area and one
more "0" to exit the country.
Asia
Pakistan
Telephone numbers in Pakistan have two parts. Area codes in Pakistan are from two to five digits long; the
smaller the city, the longer the prefix. All the large cities have two-digit codes.
Smaller towns have a six digit number. Large cities have seven-digit numbers. Azad Jammu and Kashmir
has five digit numbers. On 1 July 2009, telephone numbers in Karachi and Lahore were changed from
seven digits to eight digits. This was accomplished by adding the digit "9" to the beginning of any phone
number that started with a "9" (government and semi-government connections), and adding the digit "3" to
any phone numbers that did not start with the number "9".
[7]
It is common to write phone numbers as (0xx) yyyyyyy, where xx is the area code. The 0 prefix is for trunk
(long-distance) dialing from within the country. International callers should dial +92 xx yyyyyyyy.
All mobile phone codes are four digits long and start with 03xx. All mobile numbers are seven digits long,
and denote the mobile provider on a nationwide basis and not geographic location. Thus all Telenor
numbers (for example) nationwide carry mobile code 0345 etc.
Universal access number
111 xxx xxx
Emergency Service Numbers
1xx
1xxx
Premium Rate services:
0900 xxxxx
Toll free numbers (For callers within Pakistan):
0800 xxxxx
India
Telephone numbers in India are 10 digits long (excluding an initial zero which is required at times) and fall
in at least four distinct categories:
1. Landlines: Written as 0AAA-BBBBBBB, where AAA is the Subscriber Trunk Dialing code (long
distance code) and BBBBBBB is the phone number. The total length of the Subscriber Trunk Dialing
code and the phone number is 10 digits.
2. Mobiles: Written as AAAAA-BBBBB for ease of remembering (though the prefix is either 2-digits
or 4-digits in the numbering plan). Mobile numbers which are not local need to be prefixed by a 0
while dialing, or by +91 (91 is the country code for India). A mobile number written as +91-
AAAAA-BBBBB is valid throughout India, and in other countries where the + is recognized as a
prefix to the country code.
3. Toll Free: These are usually ten digit numbers beginning with 1-800. Sometimes they are accessible
(or are toll-free) only when called from the government-owned telephone corporation, BSNL/MTNL.
4. Service numbers: These are usually three or four digit numbers (e.g. Police is 100) used to access an
emergency service (Fire, Ambulance, Police, Roadside assistance) or a value-added service.
China
1. Landlines: In China, the length of phone numbers varies from city to city. It is usually written as
(0XXX) YYYY YYYYSome areas of the phone number in the format(0XXX) xxxx-xxx, where
0 is the trunk code, XXX is the area code (2 or 3 digits) and YYYY YYYY is the local number (not
necessarily 8 digits). For example, (0755) XXXX YYYY indicates a Shenzhen number.
XXXXYYYY is dialled locally, 0755XXXXYYYY is dialled in other areas inside the country,
while, for international calls to Shenzhen, the 0 is dropped and is written +86 755 XXXX YYYY.
2. Mobiles: The 11 digit code is always written in full in the whole China e.g. 1WX YYYY ZZZZ.
Each WX is assigned to a service provider while W is usually '3', '5' or '8'. The remaining 8 digits are
the subscriber number.
Hong Kong
Every number, except special service numbers, is an 8-digit number; they are grouped as XXXX YYYY.
There are no area codes now.
Japan
The traditional convention for phone numbers is (0AA) NXXX-XXXX, where 0AA is the area code and
NXXX-XXXX is the subscriber number. This number format is very similar to the North American
numbering plan, however, the country has a trunk code of 0 instead of 1, so international callers (using +81)
do not have to dial the trunk code when calling to Japan. Telephone numbers were nine digits long in
Tokyo and Osaka until the late 1990s, when a seventh digit was added to the subscriber number. Densely
populated areas have shorter area codes, while rural areas have longer area codes, however, the last two
digits of a five digit long area code (including the first zero) may also be the first two digits of the
subscriber number. Area codes increase from north to south, except in areas such as the western Hokuriku
region and the prefecture of Okinawa, where area codes increase from west to east or south to north.
Some telephone numbers deviate from this rule:
Toll-free dialing and Navi Dial operations (0120-XX-XXXX, 0570-XX-XXXX, or 0800-XX-
XXXX), where XX-XXXX is the subscriber number
110 and 119 are examples of three digit emergency numbers
Malaysia
For fixed line and mobile phone numbers, a dash is written in between the area/mobile code and the
subscriber number, with an optional space before the last four digits of the subscriber number. For example,
a fixed line number in Kuala Lumpur is written as 03-XXXX YYYY or 03-XXXXYYYY, while a fixed
line number in Kota Kinabalu is written as 088-XX YYYY or 088-XXYYYY. A typical mobile phone
number is written as 01M-XXX YYYY or 01M-XXXYYYY. Toll-free and local charge numbers are
written as 1-800-XX-YYYY and 1-300-XX-YYYY respectively, while premium rate numbers are written
as 600-XX-YYYY.
Philippines
Telephone numbers in the Philippines are written as +63 (X) YYY ZZZZ or +63 (XX) YYY ZZZZ for
international callers. For domestic calls, the country code (+63) is omitted and a trunk prefix (0) is placed.
For local calls, both the 0 and area code are omitted. Mobile numbers are written as +63 (XXX) YYY
ZZZZ or 0 (XXX) YYY ZZZZ.
Singapore
In Singapore, every phone number is written as +65-XXXX-YYYY or +65 XXXX YYYY.
Mobile phones starts with 8/9, landline phone numbers starts with 6 while VOIP numbers starts with 3.
Subscriber numbers have 8 digits and there are no area codes.
Taiwan
Landline numbers in Taiwan are written with the area code in parenthesis [with phone numbers totaling 9
digits] Example: (02) XXXX YYYY for phone numbers in Taipei area.
Mobile phones have 3 digit "company code" assigned to different mobile service carriers such as (09**)
XXXXXX followed by a 6 digit phone number. (note: Mobile carriers could have multiple company codes)
South Korea
South Korean phone numbers can be as short as 7 digits and as long as 11 digits, because, when making a
local call (i.e. in the same city), there is no need to dial the area code. South Korean area codes are assigned
based on city.
Landline Phone Numbers
Landline home numbers are usually written as: 0XX-XXX-XXXX or 0XX) XXX-XXXX where 0XX
indicates an area code. (0XX) XXX-XXX and 0XX XXX XXXX (without hyphens) are comprehensible as
well. The area code may be two digits long for some cities such as Seoul and Gwacheon (interestingly,
these two cities use the same area code) and three digits for other cities such as Incheon, Busan and most of
the cities in Gyeonggi-do. The middle three-digit part is extended to four digits in many areas due to the
increased number of telephone users.
In the international context, 82 0XX-XXX-XXXX is commonly used as well. For international calls, "0" in
the area code is often omitted, because it is not necessary to dial 0 from foreign countries. Therefore, it is
better written as: 82-(0)XX-XXX-XXXX or 82-(0)XX-XXXX-XXXX The plus (+) sign is often added to
the country code too (e.g., +82 0XX-XXX-XXXX or +82-0XX-XXXX-XXXX).
Mobile Phone Numbers
For mobile numbers, 01X-XXX-XXXX is commonly used. With the third generations of the mobile phone,
most of the mobile numbers start with 010 but there still are a number of people who continue to use the
second generation, with the numbers starting with 011, 016, 017, so on. As with the landline home
numbers, the mobile numbers' middle three-digit part is extended to four digits (e.g., 01X-XXXX-XXXX)
due to the increased number of mobile phone users.
For mobile numbers in the international context, 82 (0)1X-XXX-XXXX or 82-(0)1X-XXXX-XXXX are
most often used. As with the home phone numbers, the plus (+) sign is often added to the country code
(e.g., +82 01X-XXX-XXXX or +82-01X-XXXX-XXXX)
Business Numbers
If an area code starts with 070, the number does not belong to any particular area, and is a number given by
an Internet telephone service. In this case, 070 is not usually put in the brackets, neither ( ) nor ).
In the business context, the numbers in the format of 15XX-XXXX and 16XX-XXXX without any area
code are business representative agency or customer services. While the numbers starting with 080 (e.g.,
080-XXX-XXXX) are also business-related numbers but are usually toll-free customer service centers.
Also in this case, 15XX, 16XX or 070 are not put in the brackets, neither ( ) nor ).
National Service Numbers
There are national telephone services which have phone numbers in the format of 1XX or 1XXX, without
any area code. For example, 114 is for telephone yellow page, 119 is for fire/emergency number, 112 is for
police station center, 131 is for weather forecast information, 1333 is for traffic information, and so on. One
interesting number is 111 which is for reporting spies especially from North Korea. It used to be 113, so
most of senior citizen still believe it is the number for reporting spies. These numbers do not need any
brackets.
Alternative Numbers
If there are multiple numbers used for one person/entity, the symbol "~" is usually used to avoid repetitions.
For example, if one company has three phone numbers031-111-1111, 031-111-1112 and 031-111-1113
then they are shortened as in 031-111-1111~3.
If the numbers are not consecutive, then the last digit is written together with commas. For example, if a
company has three numbers031-111-1111, 031-111-1115, 031-111-1119, then they are shortened as in
031-111-1111, 5, 9.
Oceania
Australia
Australian telephone numbers are 10 digits long, and can be written 0A BBBB BBBB or 04MM MBB
BBB (for mobile telephone numbers), where 0A is the optional "area code" and BBBB BBBB is the
subscriber number. 04MM M are allocated per mobile network. When the number is to be seen by an
international audience, it is written +61 A BBBB BBBB or +61 4MM MBB BBB. When written for a local
audience, the optional area code is omitted. The area code is sometimes written within parentheses (0A)
BBBB BBBB, but this usage is becoming less common.
Ten-digit non-geographic numbers beginning with 1 are written 1X0Y BBB BBB, where X is 8 for toll free
numbers, 3 for fixed-fee numbers and 9 for premium services. Six digit non-geographic numbers are written
13 BB BB or 13B BBB; these are fixed-fee numbers. B's are sometimes written as letters. Occasionally,
non-geographic numbers have more or fewer digits. These are written according to the third digit: if it is 0,
the ten-digit pattern is used; otherwise, the six-digit pattern is.
New Zealand
Almost all New Zealand telephone numbers are seven digits long, with a single-digit access code and a
single-digit area code for long-distance domestic calls. Traditionally, the number was given as (0A) BBB-
BBBB, with the two first digits (the STD code) often omitted for local calls. The brackets and the dash are
also often omitted. Mobile numbers follow the same format, but with the area code being two digits, i.e.
(02M) BBB-BBBB. ( Some mobile numbers are longer: (021)02BBBBBB, (021)08BBBBBB,
(020)40BBBBBB, (020) 41BBBBBB and (028) 25BBBBBB; and some are shorter: (021)3BBBBB,
(021)4BBBBB, (021)5BBBBB, (021)6BBBBB, (021)7BBBBB, (021)8BBBBB and (021)9BBBBB)
There are also free-phone numbers (starting with 0800) that are given in the format 0800-AAA-AAA. It is
not uncommon for the 0800 to be enclosed in brackets, although this is not strictly correct as the brackets
denote optional parts of the number, and the 0800 is required.
For international use, the prefix +64 is substituted for the leading zero, giving +64-A-BBB-BBBB for land-
lines, and +64-MM-BBB-BBBB for mobile numbers.
Central America
Some Central American countries write the country code for their own and other Central American
countries in parentheses, instead of using a + sign, as recommended by E.123. For example, for a number in
Costa Rica they would write (506) 2222-2222 instead of +506 2222-2222. On the other hand Guatemala
does have the custom of using the + sign. It is quite common for Central American businesses to write the
whole phone number, including the country code in parentheses, on business cards, signs, stationery, etc.
Costa Rica
Costa Rican telephone numbers are 8 digits long, and are usually written in the format 2NNN-NNNN (for
landlines), 8NNN-NNNN (for mobile telephone numbers from local telephone company ICE), 6NNN-
NNNN (for mobile telephone numbers from Movistar) and 7NNN-NNNN (for mobile phone numbers from
Claro).
[8]
Toll-free numbers use the format 800-NNN-NNNN and premium-rate telephone numbers are
written 90x-NNN-NNNN where x varies according to the type of service offered. There are also "short
numbers" for emergencies such as 911.
When Costa Rica switched from 7 to 8 digit numbers, it used a scheme similar to the 8 digit number scheme
already in place in El Salvador at that time.
El Salvador
El Salvadoran telephone numbers are 8 digits long, usually written in the format 2NNN-NNNN (for
landline use) and 7NNN-NNNN (for mobile telephone numbers). Premium-rate numbers start with a 9.
Guatemala
Guatemalan telephone numbers are 8 digits long and written in the format 2NNN-NNNN for landlines in
Guatemala City, 6NNN-NNNN for landlines for the rest of municipalities in the Guatemala Department,
and 7NNN-NNNN for landlines in Rural Guatemala / rest of country. Non-geographic numbers (mobile)
are 5NNN-NNNN, 4NNN-NNNN, and 3NNN-NNNN. Within each area, there are different service
providers. The following 3 digits indicate the service provider. However, their assignment is on a first-come
first-served basis.
Additionally there are special numbers with the following conventions: 3 digit numbers for emergency
systems, four digit numbers, 15NN for information and governmental institutions and 17NN for
commercial and banking institutions with a high call influx, 6 digit numbers for Telephone carriers numbers
and making operator assisted calls, collect calls. These calls are billed at different rates. 1-800: Toll-free
calls redirected to out of country offices and 1-801: Local toll-free calls.
[9]
Honduras
Honduran telephone numbers have either 7 digits (for landlines), which are usually written NNN-NNNN, or
8 digits (for mobile numbers), which are written NNNN-NNNN. The fact that landline and mobile numbers
are different lengths sometimes causes confusion.
In 2010, an additional digit (2) was added to the start of land line numbers, thus standardizing the length at
8 digits.
South America
Argentina
Argentinian telephone numbers always consist of 11 digits, including the geographical area code.
Area code
The area code can have 3, 4 or 5 digits, the first being always 0 (indicative of long distance calls).
Moreover, in 1999 the whole country (except Buenos Aires, and Greater Buenos Aires) was divided into
two zones. Roughly and with exceptions, one includes most of the northern half of the country; and the
other, most of the southern half, though the actual reason for this division is not geographical, but the fact
that each zone is administered by a different company.
So, the second digit of area codes can be 1 (only in Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires code "011") or
else a 2 (for towns in the southern half of the country) or a 3 (for the northern half). For example, (011) for
Buenos Aires, (0341) for Rosario, (02627) for San Rafael. And the subscriber's number will accordingly
have 6, 7 or 8 digits, to complete the eleven digits.
Phone numbers are mostly written as:
(011) xxxx-xxxx (Note that only the (011) code has 3 digits),
(0xxx) xxx-xxxx or
(0xxxx) xx-xxxx
The area code is usually written between brackets.
Subscriber number
In 1999, a general reform was introduced to telephone numbers, including the 1, 2 and 3 for area codes as
explained above, and adding a 4 at the beginning of all subscriber's numbers. However, since the reform
some local numbers starting with a 5 are beginning to appear. Moreover, a hyphen is usually placed to
separate the last four digits. Code areas do not usually include one single city or town, but several
neighbouring towns. So, the part before the hyphen (called a prefix) is usually indicative of either a town
within the code area, or even of a part of a larger city, which is assigned several prefixes. As a matter of
fact, each area code has only a limited number of prefixes assigned, and these are locally limited within the
area.
For example the (0342) area has numbers with a 456- prefix, mostly located in the centre of Santa Fe. It
also has numbers with a 460- prefix, usually for phone lines in the north east of the city. And there are lines
with a 474- prefix, located in Santo Tom. But no 444- prefix exists within this area. As for the part after
the hyphen, it may usually be any succession of four digits, though sometimes a prefix is shared by two or
more small towns, and then, the first digit after the hyphen carries the distinction between towns.
Sometimes, a prefix is reserved for official numbers, that is for offices depending on the national, provincial
or local state. In the (0342) area, this is 457-, and phones within this prefix communicate with each other,
by simply dialing the four final digits, though from other phones the prefix must be dialled as well.
Mobile phones
Mobile phones use the same area codes as landline telephones, but the number begins with a "15", added to
a string of 6, 7 or 8 digits, just as described above. After the "15", the remainder of the number can start
with a 3, a 4, a 5 or a 6. This "15" may be dropped when a call is made to a mobile phone in a different code
area. And when sending text messages, the receiver's number is best dialled both without the "15" and with
the long distance code, even if both sender and receiver share a code area, but without the initial "0".
To sum up, given the mobile phone (011) 154-123-4567, you will call it by dialing:
154-123-4567 (within the same code area),
(011) [15]4-123-4567 (from a different code area, including or omitting the 15),
And you will send messages to:
11 4-123-4567 (even when your phone has also a 011 number).
Special numbers
Two sorts of special numbers exist in Argentina. On the one hand, three-digit numbers are used for special
services such as to call the police, fire brigade or emergency doctors, as well as to hear the official time.
Also telephone companies have three-digit numbers to report a problem in the lines, or to ask for another
subscriber's number, when a paper directory is not available.
Additionally, there are other longer numbers. These include (but are not limited to):
0800 xxx abcd
0810 xxx abcd
0600 xxx abcd
(where the xxx indicates the same digit dialled three times, and a, b, c and d may each be any of the ten
digits)
0800 lines are used by companies, and it is the receiver and not the caller who pays for the call, so that
potential clients are encouraged to contact business companies for free.
0810 lines are paid by the caller, but the cost is for a local call, even if you are calling from a different area.
The remaining is covered by the receiver.
And 0600 numbers are special more expensive lines, that serve such purposes as TV games, fund collecting
for charity companies, hot lines, etc. Basically a part of the extra money charged to the caller is sent to the
owner of the line.
Often the abcd or even (xx)xabcd part of the number is chosen, if available, to form a word that is
representative of the company holding the number.
Brazil
Brazil is divided into 67 two-digit geographical area codes, all of which with eight-digit numbers, in the
format NNNN-NNNN, except for cell phones in areas codes from 11 to 28 as of December 2013 (until
2016 in all area codes), using nine-digit numbers, in the format 9NNNN-NNNN.
Peru
Peru uses 2-digit area codes followed by 6-digit subscriber numbers outside of Lima. In Lima the area code
is "1" and the subscriber number has 7 digits, divided XXX XXXX. The "trunk 0" is often used, especially
for numbers outside Lima. For example, a phone number in Arequipa might be written (054) XX-XXXX.
Cellphone numbers used to have 8 digits with the first digit always being 9. In 2008 an additional digit was
added to cellphone numbers, while land numbers remained the same. The previous convention for cell
numbers in Lima was usually 9XXX XXXX, though 9-XXX XXXX was also used. With the new 9-digit
number, the form 9XX XXX XXX is becoming increasingly common as opposed to 9 XXXX XXXX, 9X
XXX XXXX or 9XXXX XXXX.
Outside Lima cellphone numbers used to be 9 followed by six digits, i.e., 9 XXX XXX. The 2008 changes
were somewhat more complicated. In four departments (similar to states), a 2 digit code now has to be
entered before the 9. In the example of Arequipa, the code of 95 has to be entered before the 9, so the new
numeration is 959 XXX XXX. The other codes are 94 for La Libertad (Trujillo), 96 for Piura and 97 for
Lambayeque (Chiclayo). In the other 19 rural departments, the 9 is followed by the department's 2-digit
area code then the 6-digit subscriber number. For example, the area code for Cusco is 84, so their new
cellphone numeration is 984 XXX XXX. The effect is that all Peruvian cellphone numbers now have 9
digits; under the old system they had 8 digits in Lima and 7 everywhere else.
[10]
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union sector ITU-T issued recommendation E.123 entitled Notation
for national and international telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and Web addresses.
References
1. ^ http://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/bien-well/fra-eng/typographie-typography/telephone-eng.html
2. ^ http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2012/r121001.htm
3. ^ http://golondon.about.com/od/planningyourtrip/ss/telephones_2.htm
4. ^ http://revk.www.me.uk/2009/09/it-is-not-44-0207-123-4567.html
5. ^ http://www.ttrehber.turktelekom.com.tr/trk-web/alankodlari.html
6. ^ http://www.nts.gov.tr/
7. ^ "Karachi and Lahore now have eight digit phone numbers. In the near future this will be extended to other
metros." (http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\07\08\story_8-7-2009_pg5_8). Daily Times
(Pakistan). 2009-07-08. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
8. ^ "Movistar y Claro ya tienen nmeros para sus servicios celulares" (http://www.nacion.com/2011-10-
26/ElPais/Movistar-y-Claro-ya-tienen-numeros-para-sus-servicios-celulares.aspx). La Nacin.
9. ^ http://www.sit.gob.gt/uploads/docs/plannumeracion/PlanNumeracionGT.pdf, accessed 2012-07-18
10. ^ http://www.deperu.com/mensajes/nueva-numeracion-celulares.php
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Categories: Telephone numbers
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