Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Please consider splitting content into sub-articles and using this article for a summary of the key points of the subject. (January 2010) United Kingdom telephone numbers Location of United Kingdom (dark green) Location Country United Kingdom Continent Europe Access codes Country calling +44 International prefix 00 Trunk prefix 0 Dial plan Regulator Ofcom Type Open NSN length 10 mostly, 9 for some areas Typical format (01xxxx) xxxx[x] (01xxx) xxxxx[x] (01x1) xxx xxxx (011x) xxx xxxx (02x) xxxx xxxx 03xx xxx xxxx 07xxx xxxxxx 08xx xxx xxxx 09xx xxx xxxx List of United Kingdom codes 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 [hide] 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 ELNS areas 6.5 Calls to the Republic of Ireland 6.6 Number shortage 6.6.1 Splitting 01 for London into 071 and 081 6.6.2 PhONEday 6.6.2.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.2.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.3 Changes between PhONEday and the Big Number Change 6.6.3.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.3.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.4 Big Number Change 6.6.4.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.4.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.4.3 Non-geographic, and mobile and pager numbers 6.6.4.4 020 for London 6.6.4.5 Misconceptions 6.6.5 2003 area name changes 6.6.6 2008 new area code 6.7 "08" Consumer Protection 6.8 Reform of 070 personal numbering 7 Number conservation and overlays 8 See also 9 References 10 External links [edit] Overview Since 28 April 2001, almost all geographic numbers and most non-geographic numbers have 9 or 10 national (significant) numbers after the "0" trunk code. All mobile telephone numbers have 10 national (significant) numbers after the "0" trunk code. The overall structure of the UK's National Numbering Plan is: Prefix Service type 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). These calls are included free in plans with "inclusive minutes", unlike 08 numbers, some of which can incur extra charges, depending on the operator. 04 Reserved. 05 Corporate numbering and VoIP services (note: some VoIP services use 08 or geographic numbers). 06 Was reserved for possible use by Personal Numbering instead of 070 following consumer confusion with mobile phones. 07 Mostly for mobile (cell) phones on 074xx, 075xx, 07624, 077xx, 078xx, and 079xx. WiFi numbers on 079112 and 079118. Personal Numbering on 070. Pagers on 076xx. 08 Freephone (toll free) on 080, and Special Services (formerly known as local and national rate) on 084 and 087. 09 Premium Rate services. A short sample of geographic numbers, set out in the officially approved (Ofcom) number groups: Number Location (020) xxxx xxxx London (029) xxxx xxxx Cardiff (0113) xxx xxxx Leeds (0116) xxx xxxx Leicester (0131) xxx xxxx Edinburgh (0151) xxx xxxx Liverpool (01382) xxxxxx Dundee (01386) xxxxxx Evesham (01865) xxxxxx Oxford (01204) xxxxx Bolton (0153 96) xxxxx Sedbergh (0169 77) xxxx Brampton In the United Kingdom, area codes are two, three, four, or, rarely, five digits long (after the initial zero). Regions with shorter area codes, typically large cities, permit the allocation of more telephone numbers as the local number portion has more digits. Local customer numbers are four to eight figures long. The total number of digits is ten, but in a very few areas the total may be nine digits (after the initial zero). The "area code" is also referred to as an "STD (code)" (subscriber trunk dialling) or a "dialling code" in the UK. 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. For dialling the United Kingdom from overseas, Ofcom and ITU-T recommendation E.123 states that numbers be written in the form: Number Location +44 20 xxxx xxxx London +44 29 xxxx xxxx Cardiff +44 113 xxx xxxx Leeds +44 116 xxx xxxx Leicester +44 131 xxx xxxx Edinburgh +44 151 xxx xxxx Liverpool +44 1382 xxxxxx Dundee +44 1386 xxxxxx Evesham +44 1865 xxxxxx Oxford +44 1204 xxxxx Bolton +44 153 96 xxxxx Sedbergh +44 169 77 xxxx Brampton It is common to see the form +44 (0)xxx xxx xxxx used instead (with an additional zero in brackets). This form is not recommended by Ofcom[1] because it might confuse the reader. Callers within the United Kingdom substitute the +44 with the number zero (0). Calling +44 0xxx xxx xxxx will not work from most operators. It is therefore recommended to show the number in either the national or the international format, but not a mixture of both formats. The international format shows only those digits that overseas callers must dial. Storing any UK telephone number in a mobile phone, or directly dialling it from the keypad, in the correct +44 international format (without the leading zero) allows the number to work when the mobile is calling out from any country of the world, including whilst still located within the UK. The "plus" sets the number type to international and so no International Access Code is required. [edit] Format [edit] Geographic numbering Main article: List of United Kingdom dialling codes (01xxx) xxxxxx This is the format used by most areas. It has a four-digit area code (after the initial zero) and a six digit subscriber number. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Just short of 581 areas use this format, and the area codes range from 01200 to 01998 (except those that match the pattern 1x1 after the initial zero). A small number of these areas also have a few subscriber numbers that have only five digits. That is, almost all (01xxx) area codes now have only six digit local numbers. e.g. 01224 Aberdeen 22 = AB 01244 Chester 24 = CH 01382 Dundee 38 = DU 01429 Hartlepool 42 = HA 01482 Hull 48 = HU 01582 Luton 58 = LU 01670 Morpeth 67 = MP 01730 Petersfield 73 = PE 01736 Penzance 73 = PE 01772 Preston 77 = PR 01853 Ullapool 85 = UL 01947 Whitby 94 = WH (01xxx) xxxxx This is used for forty smaller towns where the subscriber number is five digits long.[2] The numbers therefore have only nine digits after the initial zero trunk code. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Some of these towns have a mixture of six and five digit local numbers, others have only five digit local numbers. The number of such places has declined rapidly in recent decades. There were 511 ranges allocated across 56 different area codes in January 1998. The Big Number Change removed many, especially in Northern Ireland, and by July 2005 there were only 329 ranges in 42 codes. By April 2010 this had reduced to 324 ranges in 40 codes. e.g. 01204 Bolton 20 = BO 01527 Redditch 01750 Selkirk 75 = SK 01900 Workington 90 = WO 01946 Whitehaven 94 = WH (01x1) xxx xxxx This is the geographical number format for the first round of five large cities moved to all figure dialling in the 1960s, and subsequently also used by Tyne and Wear/County Durham from the 1980s onwards. These six areas have a three-digit area code matching the pattern 1x1 (after the initial zero) and a seven digit subscriber number. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The first three digits of the local number identifies a small area within the city. 0121 Birmingham formerly 021 (2 = B) 0131 Edinburgh formerly 031 (3 = E) 0141 Glasgow formerly 041 (4 = G) 0151 Liverpool formerly 051 (5 = L) 0161 Manchester formerly 061 (6 = M) 0171 Used for inner London until 2000 0181 Used for outer London until 2000 0191 Tyne and Wear/County Durham formerly 091 (011x) xxx xxxx This is the geographical number format for the second round of large cities and towns moved to brand-new three-digit area codes. Five of these were moved in 1995 as a part of PhONEday. Reading followed several years later. At the time of the change, an extra digit was added to the subscriber number. These six areas have a three-digit area code matching the pattern 11x, with a seven-digit subscriber number. The first three digits of the local number identifies a small area within the town or city. Note that the former Reading area code had already been changed once, by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. 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 01734 (73 = RE) (02x) xxxx xxxx This is the newest geographical number format. It is used for the third tier of large cities and for Northern Ireland, and was formed as a part of the Big Number Change in 2000. The new area code is much shorter than the old one, and begins 02 unlike the previous 01 area codes. Numbers in these five areas are commonly misquoted, e.g. London as 0207 or Cardiff as 02920. The numbers consist of a two-digit area code matching the pattern 02x, and an eight-digit subscriber number. The first four digits of the local number identifies a small area within the town or city. At the time of the change, the subscriber part of the number gained an extra digit in London, those in Northern Ireland gained two or three digits, and the subscriber part of the number in the other areas gained two digits. All of these areas were also subject to a previous code change, one that added a "1" directly after the initial zero, as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The short area code is also known as a wide area code. 020 London formerly 0171 and 0181 (1995-2000), 071 and 081 (1990-1995), 01 (1960s-1990) 023 Southampton (023) 8xxx xxxx formerly 01703 (70 = SO) Portsmouth (023) 9xxx xxxx formerly 01705 (70 = PO) 024 Coventry formerly 01203 (20 = CO) 028 Northern Ireland (028) 28xx xxxx Larne formerly (01574) xxxxxx (028) 37xx xxxx Armagh formerly (01861) xxxxxx (028) 82xx xxxx Omagh formerly (01662) xxxxxx (028) 90xx xxxx Belfast formerly (01232) xxxxxx (028) 92xx xxxx Lisburn formerly (01846) xxxxxx (028) 95xx xxxx Belfast new number range 029 Cardiff formerly 01222 (22 = CA) (01xxxx) xxxxx and (01xxxx) xxxx This is the oldest geographical number format and is used for twelve smaller towns and villages where the subscriber number is either four or five digits long. Note that therefore the STD code and the subscriber number does not always total ten digits after the initial zero trunk code. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The number of places using these two formats has declined rapidly in recent decades and Hallbankgate/Brampton is the last place in the UK with four-digit local numbers. 0138 73 Langholm 0152 42 Hornby 0153 94 Hawkshead 0153 95 Grange-over-Sands 0153 96 Sedbergh 0169 73 Wigton 0169 74 Raughton Head 0169 77 Brampton[3][4] 0176 83 Appleby 0176 84 Pooley Bridge 0176 87 Keswick 0194 67 Gosforth [edit] National Dialling Only ranges These ranges have subscriber numbers beginning with the digits "0" or "1", e.g.: 01332 050xxx Derby 01382 006xxx Dundee 0141 005 xxxx Glasgow 0117 101 xxxx Bristol 0118 00x xxxx Reading 020 0003 xxxx London Currently, these numbers are mostly used as the termination points for non-geographic numbers, and by some automated systems such as alarms. As such they are not usually meant to be directly dialled. These numbers have been problematic as some mobile phone operators in the UK do not allow access to these ranges[citation needed], and there may also be difficulty accessing these numbers from outside the UK. Regulator Ofcom proposes that in future these numbers be released for wider, general-purpose use in up to 70 area codes facing number shortage[5]. 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. Accordingly, if these numbers are eventually released for general use, Ofcom proposes completely removing the ability to dial locally without the area code in areas affected. [edit] Non-geographic numbering Main article: Non-geographical numbers 03xx xxx 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).[6] This means that customers who are benefiting from "free" minutes on mobile phones or landlines would also be able to call these numbers using their inclusive minutes.[7] 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. Whilst 01, 02 and 07 numbers can receive text messages, currently 03 numbers cannot for technical reasons that are yet to be revealed. 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 034x/037x which will be used for migration from the 084x and 087x number ranges respectively. Ofcom itself began using 03 numbers on 13 November 2007 for public use.[8] 030x xxx xxxx For qualifying public bodies and non-profit organisations as defined by Ofcom 033x xxx xxxx For any end user 034x xxx xxxx Migration range for operators who have 084x numbers 037x xxx xxxx Migration range for operators who have 087x numbers 05x xxxx xxxx—Reserved for corporate numbering. Unlike 03 numbers there is no uniform pricing for 05 numbers; BT charge a number of different rates depending on the number dialled.[9] 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. 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 0500 xxxxxx—Freefone services allocated before 1999. The 0500 range is used for some freephone services which were originally provided by Mercury Communications Ltd (now Cable & Wireless Worldwide). These numbers are different from the rest of the 05 range in that they are only 10 digits in length, e.g. 0500 2 88 2 91 (BBC Radio 2, 88 to 91 FM), as they were allocated before the 05 range was assigned to corporate numbering. 0500 xxxxxx[10] "Freephone" (free to call from landline, up to 40p per minute from mobile). 07xxx xxxxxx—mobile phones, pagers, Personal Numbering and WiFi numbers. Individual mobile phone companies are allocated different ranges within the 074xx, 075xx, 07624, 077xx, 078xx and 079xx area codes. Changes to mobile phone numbers were mostly straight replacements, such as Vodafone customers on the 0378 block became 07778. 070 xxxx xxxx Personal Numbering 074xx xxxxxx Mobile phones (in use since November 2009) 075xx xxxxxx Mobile phones (in use since May 2007) 076xx xxxxxx Pagers (excluding 07624, used for mobile phones 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) 07911 2xxxxx 07911 8xxxxx WiFi numbers (used by companies such as Tovo and Mobiboo) Since the advent of Mobile number portability, mobile phone number prefixes can no longer be relied on to determine the current operator of a particular mobile phone – only the original operator. 08xx xxx xxxx—Non-geographic fixed-rate, or special-rate services. With the exception of 080x 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. There is widespread confusion about the cost of calling 084/087 numbers, with many major companies persisting in misdescribing them as "Local Rate", "Lo Call" or "National Rate". They often do not qualify for discounts and bundled minutes, and can be prohibitively expensive when called from mobiles and payphones. None of these services are exclusive to 08xx numbers, and could be provided on any number range. More affordable equivalent numbers can often be found via www.saynoto0870.com. 0800 xxxxxx[11] 0800 xxx xxxx 0808 xxx xxxx "Freephone" (free to call from landline, up to 40p per minute from mobile). 0820 xxx xxxx Internet for Schools 0845 xxx xxxx Up to 5p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend 0844 2xx xxxx to 0844 9xx xxxx Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute) 0843 xxx xxxx Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute) 0842 xxx xxxx Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute) 0870 xxx xxxx Up to 8p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend 0871 2xx xxxx to 0871 9xx xxxx Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute) 0872 xxx xxxx Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute) 0873 xxx xxxx Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute) There are also several very short "special" numbers in these ranges, notably 0800 1111 for Childline and 0845 46 47 for NHS Direct. 09xx xxx xxxx—Premium Rate Content Services Numbers in the 09xx range are charged at the highest rates of any calls within the United Kingdom, and are controlled by various regulations regarding their use. The regulator is PhonepayPlus, formerly known as ICSTIS. There are a large number of charge bands, some with high pence-per-minute rates, others with a high fixed-price for the entire call. 090x xxx xxxx Premium rate content services 0908 xxx xxxx 0909 xxx xxxx 0982 xxx xxxx Sexual entertainment services 091x xxx xxxx Premium rate non-content services 092x xxx xxxx to 099x xxx xxxx Broadband services [edit] Crown dependencies Guernsey, Alderney, Sark (01481) xxxxxx Fixed line 48 = GU (01481) 832xxx (01481) 833xxx Fixed line (Sark) 07781 xxxxxx Sure mobile phones and pagers 07839 xxxxxx Airtel Vodafone mobile phones 07911 xxxxxx Wave Telecom mobile phones Jersey[12] (01534) xxxxxx Fixed line 53 = JE 07509 xxxxxx 07797 xxxxxx 07937 xxxxxx Jersey Telecom mobile phones and pagers 07700 xxxxxx Sure mobile network 07829 xxxxxx Airtel Vodafone mobile network Isle of Man (01624) xxxxxx Fixed line 62 = MA 07624 xxxxxx Mobile phones and paging services 07524 xxxxxx 07924 xxxxxx 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 phone numbers are not charged at the same rate as calls to UK mobile phone 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 496. 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.[13][14] At around the same time as the other Big Number Change changes, Ofcom revised their recommendations to update the prefixes, add additional areas, and increase the size of the allocation from 10 to 1000 numbers per block. Those changes are listed in the Big Number Change article. In Coronation Street, the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield uses the unallocated range (0161) 715 xxxx.[15] [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 Withhold number when normally released 1470 Release number when normally withheld 1471 Call return caller may press 3 to return call on most networks 1475 1471 erasure removes details of last call from 1471 service 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 phones with the keylock on, or without entering the PIN where that would otherwise be required. Although some mobile phones allow emergency calls to be attempted without a SIM card, at present the UK networks reject such calls. Since November 2009, an emergency call can be made through any UK mobile network as long as there is a SIM for *any* valid UK network in the handset. 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) was introduced for non-urgent crime and community safety calls on a trial basis in 2006. In Wales, the scheme has been taken forward by all four police forces, who adopted the number for non-emergency calls on a permanent basis in early 2009. In England the scheme remains on trial, withdrawn from some original pilot areas but since further trialled in other locations.[16] 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". From early 2010, the pan-European 116 number range comes into use for social helplines. The first three numbers likely to be issued are for Missing People who will use 116 000 for a missing children helpline, the NSPCC ChildLine on 116 111, and Samaritans who will use 116 123 for an emotional support helpline. Fixed line telephone subscribers for BT,[17]Virgin Media[18] and TalkTalk 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 telephone helplines within the regular code space have only eight digits, namely 0800 1111 for ChildLine and 0845 4647 for NHS Direct in England and Wales. [edit] History The telephone service in the United Kingdom was originally provided by private companies and local councils. But by 1912–13[19] all except the telephone service of Kingston upon Hull 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[20] 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 Main article: Director telephone 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 Main article: List of United Kingdom dialling codes Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) was introduced in 1958[21] 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.[22] 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. Within a single code group area there would usually be multiple exchange buildings in various locations. The smaller exchanges might have only a few hundred lines with three-digit subscriber numbers, e.g. 200–499. Larger exchanges might have a few thousand lines with four-digit subscriber numbers, e.g. 2000–5999. The main exchange in the group would usually have five-digit subscriber numbers e.g. 20000–49999. Population growth over the next few decades meant there was a need for more lines. This would see an exchange with existing three-digit numbers open one or more new ranges with four-digit local numbers (e.g. 5000-6999), and exchanges with existing four-digit numbers open one or more new ranges with five-digit local numbers (e.g. 60000–69999). Since number ranges were being reused in each local exchange within a group, a series of short codes was devised to allow dialling from one local exchange to another without the need to dial the full STD code. These short codes usually began with a 7, 8 or 9. The code was often only two or three digits, but might be up to five digits long.[23] The last digit of this short code would usually also feature as extra digits on the end of the main STD code in order to differentiate each satellite exchange within a group when dialling from another STD code area. In written form these area codes were split after the third digit to highlight this satellite exchange numbering.[24] e.g. for 0799, Saffron Walden (SW) (0799) xxxxx Saffron Walden (079 982) xxx and xxxx Newport (079 983) xxx and xxxx Great Chesterford (079 984) xxx Ashdon (079 985) xxx and xxxx Clavering (079 986) xxx Great Sampford (079 987) xxx Radwinter (079 988) xxx Rickling As time wore on and number shortages became more acute, local numbers were gradually converted to five-figure or six-figure numbers, and the STD code changed to the (0xxx) format. In many cases the initial digits of the new local number would be formed from digits previously at the end of the old STD code. The local number would be padded with extra fixed digits (if needed) to make up the new total length. In some cases the initial digits were changed e.g. Radwinter (079 987) 456 became Saffron Walden (0799) 500456, nowadays (01799) 500456. Post 2000, only a dozen places have long STD codes with five-digit local numbers. One area with a long STD code retains four-digit local numbering. Long STD codes are rare. Many people are not familiar with the (0xx xx), nowadays (01xx xx) format; or the now discontinued (0xx xxx) format, and often omit the space in written form. For the Director areas a 2 or 3 digit code was used for the city. These were: Area code City Notes

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United Kingdom telephone numbers

Location of United Kingdom (dark green)
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Continent	Europe
Access codes
Country calling	+44
International prefix	00
Trunk prefix	0
Dial plan
Regulator	Ofcom
Type	Open
NSN length	10 mostly, 9 for some areas
Typical format	(01xxxx) xxxx[x] (01xxx) xxxxx[x] (01x1) xxx xxxx (011x) xxx xxxx (02x) xxxx xxxx 03xx xxx xxxx 07xxx xxxxxx 08xx xxx xxxx 09xx xxx xxxx
List of United Kingdom codes

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 [hide] 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 ELNS areas 6.5 Calls to the Republic of Ireland 6.6 Number shortage 6.6.1 Splitting 01 for London into 071 and 081 6.6.2 PhONEday 6.6.2.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.2.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.3 Changes between PhONEday and the Big Number Change 6.6.3.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.3.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.4 Big Number Change 6.6.4.1 Geographic numbers 6.6.4.2 National dialling only numbers 6.6.4.3 Non-geographic, and mobile and pager numbers 6.6.4.4 020 for London 6.6.4.5 Misconceptions 6.6.5 2003 area name changes 6.6.6 2008 new area code 6.7 "08" Consumer Protection 6.8 Reform of 070 personal numbering 7 Number conservation and overlays 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Overview

Since 28 April 2001, almost all geographic numbers and most non-geographic numbers have 9 or 10 national (significant) numbers after the "0" trunk code. All mobile telephone numbers have 10 national (significant) numbers after the "0" trunk code. The overall structure of the UK's National Numbering Plan is:

Prefix	Service type
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). These calls are included free in plans with "inclusive minutes", unlike 08 numbers, some of which can incur extra charges, depending on the operator.
04	Reserved.
05	Corporate numbering and VoIP services (note: some VoIP services use 08 or geographic numbers).
06	Was reserved for possible use by Personal Numbering instead of 070 following consumer confusion with mobile phones.
07	Mostly for mobile (cell) phones on 074xx, 075xx, 07624, 077xx, 078xx, and 079xx. WiFi numbers on 079112 and 079118. Personal Numbering on 070. Pagers on 076xx.
08	Freephone (toll free) on 080, and Special Services (formerly known as local and national rate) on 084 and 087.
09	Premium Rate services.

A short sample of geographic numbers, set out in the officially approved (Ofcom) number groups:

Number	Location
(020) xxxx xxxx	London
(029) xxxx xxxx	Cardiff
(0113) xxx xxxx	Leeds
(0116) xxx xxxx	Leicester
(0131) xxx xxxx	Edinburgh
(0151) xxx xxxx	Liverpool
(01382)  xxxxxx	Dundee
(01386)  xxxxxx	Evesham
(01865)  xxxxxx	Oxford
(01204)   xxxxx	Bolton
(0153 96) xxxxx	Sedbergh
(0169 77)  xxxx	Brampton

In the United Kingdom, area codes are two, three, four, or, rarely, five digits long (after the initial zero). Regions with shorter area codes, typically large cities, permit the allocation of more telephone numbers as the local number portion has more digits. Local customer numbers are four to eight figures long. The total number of digits is ten, but in a very few areas the total may be nine digits (after the initial zero). The "area code" is also referred to as an "STD (code)" (subscriber trunk dialling) or a "dialling code" in the UK.
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.
For dialling the United Kingdom from overseas, Ofcom and ITU-T recommendation E.123 states that numbers be written in the form:

Number	Location
+44 20 xxxx xxxx	London
+44 29 xxxx xxxx	Cardiff
+44 113 xxx xxxx	Leeds
+44 116 xxx xxxx	Leicester
+44 131 xxx xxxx	Edinburgh
+44 151 xxx xxxx	Liverpool
+44 1382  xxxxxx	Dundee
+44 1386  xxxxxx	Evesham
+44 1865  xxxxxx	Oxford
+44 1204   xxxxx	Bolton
+44 153 96 xxxxx	Sedbergh
+44 169 77  xxxx	Brampton

It is common to see the form +44 (0)xxx xxx xxxx used instead (with an additional zero in brackets). This form is not recommended by Ofcom^[1] because it might confuse the reader. Callers within the United Kingdom substitute the +44 with the number zero (0). Calling +44 0xxx xxx xxxx will not work from most operators. It is therefore recommended to show the number in either the national or the international format, but not a mixture of both formats. The international format shows only those digits that overseas callers must dial.
Storing any UK telephone number in a mobile phone, or directly dialling it from the keypad, in the correct +44 <area code> <local number> international format (without the leading zero) allows the number to work when the mobile is calling out from any country of the world, including whilst still located within the UK. The "plus" sets the number type to international and so no International Access Code is required.

[edit] Format

[edit] Geographic numbering

Main article: List of United Kingdom dialling codes

• (01xxx) xxxxxx

This is the format used by most areas. It has a four-digit area code (after the initial zero) and a six digit subscriber number. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Just short of 581 areas use this format, and the area codes range from 01200 to 01998 (except those that match the pattern 1x1 after the initial zero). A small number of these areas also have a few subscriber numbers that have only five digits. That is, almost all (01xxx) area codes now have only six digit local numbers. e.g.

01224	Aberdeen	22 = AB
01244	Chester	24 = CH
01382	Dundee	38 = DU
01429	Hartlepool	42 = HA
01482	Hull	48 = HU
01582	Luton	58 = LU
01670	Morpeth	67 = MP
01730	Petersfield	73 = PE
01736	Penzance	73 = PE
01772	Preston	77 = PR
01853	Ullapool	85 = UL
01947	Whitby	94 = WH

• (01xxx) xxxxx

This is used for forty smaller towns where the subscriber number is five digits long.^[2] The numbers therefore have only nine digits after the initial zero trunk code. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Some of these towns have a mixture of six and five digit local numbers, others have only five digit local numbers. The number of such places has declined rapidly in recent decades. There were 511 ranges allocated across 56 different area codes in January 1998. The Big Number Change removed many, especially in Northern Ireland, and by July 2005 there were only 329 ranges in 42 codes. By April 2010 this had reduced to 324 ranges in 40 codes. e.g.

01204	Bolton	20 = BO
01527	Redditch
01750	Selkirk	75 = SK
01900	Workington	90 = WO
01946	Whitehaven	94 = WH

• (01x1) xxx xxxx

This is the geographical number format for the first round of five large cities moved to all figure dialling in the 1960s, and subsequently also used by Tyne and Wear/County Durham from the 1980s onwards. These six areas have a three-digit area code matching the pattern 1x1 (after the initial zero) and a seven digit subscriber number. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The first three digits of the local number identifies a small area within the city.

0121	Birmingham	formerly 021 (2 = B)
0131	Edinburgh	formerly 031 (3 = E)
0141	Glasgow	formerly 041 (4 = G)
0151	Liverpool	formerly 051 (5 = L)
0161	Manchester	formerly 061 (6 = M)
0171	Used for inner London until 2000
0181	Used for outer London until 2000
0191	Tyne and Wear/County Durham	formerly 091

• (011x) xxx xxxx

This is the geographical number format for the second round of large cities and towns moved to brand-new three-digit area codes. Five of these were moved in 1995 as a part of PhONEday. Reading followed several years later. At the time of the change, an extra digit was added to the subscriber number. These six areas have a three-digit area code matching the pattern 11x, with a seven-digit subscriber number. The first three digits of the local number identifies a small area within the town or city. Note that the former Reading area code had already been changed once, by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995.

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 01734 (73 = RE)

• (02x) xxxx xxxx

This is the newest geographical number format. It is used for the third tier of large cities and for Northern Ireland, and was formed as a part of the Big Number Change in 2000. The new area code is much shorter than the old one, and begins 02 unlike the previous 01 area codes. Numbers in these five areas are commonly misquoted, e.g. London as 0207 or Cardiff as 02920. The numbers consist of a two-digit area code matching the pattern 02x, and an eight-digit subscriber number. The first four digits of the local number identifies a small area within the town or city. At the time of the change, the subscriber part of the number gained an extra digit in London, those in Northern Ireland gained two or three digits, and the subscriber part of the number in the other areas gained two digits. All of these areas were also subject to a previous code change, one that added a "1" directly after the initial zero, as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The short area code is also known as a wide area code.

020	London	formerly 0171 and 0181 (1995-2000), 071 and 081 (1990-1995), 01 (1960s-1990)
023	Southampton	(023) 8xxx xxxx formerly 01703 (70 = SO)
	Portsmouth	(023) 9xxx xxxx formerly 01705 (70 = PO)
024	Coventry	formerly 01203 (20 = CO)
028	Northern Ireland	(028) 28xx xxxx Larne formerly (01574) xxxxxx
		(028) 37xx xxxx Armagh formerly (01861) xxxxxx
		(028) 82xx xxxx Omagh formerly (01662) xxxxxx
		(028) 90xx xxxx Belfast formerly (01232) xxxxxx
		(028) 92xx xxxx Lisburn formerly (01846) xxxxxx
		(028) 95xx xxxx Belfast new number range
029	Cardiff	formerly 01222 (22 = CA)

• (01xxxx) xxxxx and (01xxxx) xxxx

This is the oldest geographical number format and is used for twelve smaller towns and villages where the subscriber number is either four or five digits long. Note that therefore the STD code and the subscriber number does not always total ten digits after the initial zero trunk code. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. The number of places using these two formats has declined rapidly in recent decades and Hallbankgate/Brampton is the last place in the UK with four-digit local numbers.

0138 73	Langholm
0152 42	Hornby
0153 94	Hawkshead
0153 95	Grange-over-Sands
0153 96	Sedbergh
0169 73	Wigton
0169 74	Raughton Head
0169 77	Brampton[3][4]
0176 83	Appleby
0176 84	Pooley Bridge
0176 87	Keswick
0194 67	Gosforth

[edit] National Dialling Only ranges

These ranges have subscriber numbers beginning with the digits "0" or "1", e.g.:

01332 050xxx	Derby
01382 006xxx	Dundee
0141 005 xxxx	Glasgow
0117 101 xxxx	Bristol
0118 00x xxxx	Reading
020 0003 xxxx	London

Currently, these numbers are mostly used as the termination points for non-geographic numbers, and by some automated systems such as alarms. As such they are not usually meant to be directly dialled. These numbers have been problematic as some mobile phone operators in the UK do not allow access to these ranges^{[citation needed]}, and there may also be difficulty accessing these numbers from outside the UK. Regulator Ofcom proposes that in future these numbers be released for wider, general-purpose use in up to 70 area codes facing number shortage^[5]. 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. Accordingly, if these numbers are eventually released for general use, Ofcom proposes completely removing the ability to dial locally without the area code in areas affected.

[edit] Non-geographic numbering

Main article: Non-geographical numbers

• 03xx xxx 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).^[6] This means that customers who are benefiting from "free" minutes on mobile phones or landlines would also be able to call these numbers using their inclusive minutes.^[7] 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. Whilst 01, 02 and 07 numbers can receive text messages, currently 03 numbers cannot for technical reasons that are yet to be revealed. 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 034x/037x which will be used for migration from the 084x and 087x number ranges respectively. Ofcom itself began using 03 numbers on 13 November 2007 for public use.^[8]

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

• 05x xxxx xxxx—Reserved for corporate numbering.

Unlike 03 numbers there is no uniform pricing for 05 numbers; BT charge a number of different rates depending on the number dialled.^[9] 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.

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

• 0500 xxxxxx—Freefone services allocated before 1999.

The 0500 range is used for some freephone services which were originally provided by Mercury Communications Ltd (now Cable & Wireless Worldwide). These numbers are different from the rest of the 05 range in that they are only 10 digits in length, e.g. 0500 2 88 2 91 (BBC Radio 2, 88 to 91 FM), as they were allocated before the 05 range was assigned to corporate numbering.

0500 xxxxxx[10]	"Freephone" (free to call from landline, up to 40p per minute from mobile).

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

Individual mobile phone companies are allocated different ranges within the 074xx, 075xx, 07624, 077xx, 078xx and 079xx area codes. Changes to mobile phone numbers were mostly straight replacements, such as Vodafone customers on the 0378 block became 07778.

070 xxxx xxxx	Personal Numbering
074xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (in use since November 2009)
075xx xxxxxx	Mobile phones (in use since May 2007)
076xx xxxxxx	Pagers (excluding 07624, used for mobile phones 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)
07911 2xxxxx 07911 8xxxxx	WiFi numbers (used by companies such as Tovo and Mobiboo)

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

• 08xx xxx xxxx—Non-geographic fixed-rate, or special-rate services.

With the exception of 080x 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. There is widespread confusion about the cost of calling 084/087 numbers, with many major companies persisting in misdescribing them as "Local Rate", "Lo Call" or "National Rate". They often do not qualify for discounts and bundled minutes, and can be prohibitively expensive when called from mobiles and payphones. None of these services are exclusive to 08xx numbers, and could be provided on any number range. More affordable equivalent numbers can often be found via www.saynoto0870.com.

0800 xxxxxx[11] 0800 xxx xxxx 0808 xxx xxxx	"Freephone" (free to call from landline, up to 40p per minute from mobile).
0820 xxx xxxx	Internet for Schools
0845 xxx xxxx	Up to 5p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend
0844 2xx xxxx to 0844 9xx xxxx	Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute)
0843 xxx xxxx	Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute)
0842 xxx xxxx	Up to 5p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 4p/minute or always 5p/minute)
0870 xxx xxxx	Up to 8p a minute, varies daytime/evening/weekend
0871 2xx xxxx to 0871 9xx xxxx	Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute)
0872 xxx xxxx	Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute)
0873 xxx xxxx	Up to 10p a minute but fixed (e.g. always 8p/minute or always 10p/minute)

There are also several very short "special" numbers in these ranges, notably 0800 1111 for Childline and 0845 46 47 for NHS Direct.

• 09xx xxx xxxx—Premium Rate Content Services

Numbers in the 09xx range are charged at the highest rates of any calls within the United Kingdom, and are controlled by various regulations regarding their use. The regulator is PhonepayPlus, formerly known as ICSTIS. There are a large number of charge bands, some with high pence-per-minute rates, others with a high fixed-price for the entire call.

090x xxx xxxx	Premium rate content services
0908 xxx xxxx 0909 xxx xxxx 0982 xxx xxxx	Sexual entertainment services
091x xxx xxxx	Premium rate non-content services
092x xxx xxxx to 099x xxx xxxx	Broadband services

[edit] Crown dependencies

• Guernsey, Alderney, Sark

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

• Jersey^[12]

(01534) xxxxxx	Fixed line	53 = JE
07509 xxxxxx 07797 xxxxxx 07937 xxxxxx	Jersey Telecom mobile phones and pagers
07700 xxxxxx	Sure mobile network
07829 xxxxxx	Airtel Vodafone mobile network

• Isle of Man

(01624) xxxxxx	Fixed line	62 = MA
07624 xxxxxx	Mobile phones and paging services
07524 xxxxxx 07924 xxxxxx	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 phone numbers are not charged at the same rate as calls to UK mobile phone 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 496. 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.^[13][14]
At around the same time as the other Big Number Change changes, Ofcom revised their recommendations to update the prefixes, add additional areas, and increase the size of the allocation from 10 to 1000 numbers per block. Those changes are listed in the Big Number Change article.
In Coronation Street, the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield uses the unallocated range (0161) 715 xxxx.^[15]

[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	Withhold number	when normally released
1470	Release number	when normally withheld
1471	Call return	caller may press 3 to return call on most networks
1475	1471 erasure	removes details of last call from 1471 service

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 phones with the keylock on, or without entering the PIN where that would otherwise be required. Although some mobile phones allow emergency calls to be attempted without a SIM card, at present the UK networks reject such calls. Since November 2009, an emergency call can be made through any UK mobile network as long as there is a SIM for *any* valid UK network in the handset. 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) was introduced for non-urgent crime and community safety calls on a trial basis in 2006. In Wales, the scheme has been taken forward by all four police forces, who adopted the number for non-emergency calls on a permanent basis in early 2009. In England the scheme remains on trial, withdrawn from some original pilot areas but since further trialled in other locations.^[16]
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".
From early 2010, the pan-European 116 number range comes into use for social helplines. The first three numbers likely to be issued are for Missing People who will use 116 000 for a missing children helpline, the NSPCC ChildLine on 116 111, and Samaritans who will use 116 123 for an emotional support helpline.
Fixed line telephone subscribers for BT,^[17]Virgin Media^[18] and TalkTalk 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 telephone helplines within the regular code space have only eight digits, namely 0800 1111 for ChildLine and 0845 4647 for NHS Direct in England and Wales.

[edit] History

The telephone service in the United Kingdom was originally provided by private companies and local councils. But by 1912–13^[19] all except the telephone service of Kingston upon Hull 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^[20] 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

Main article: Director telephone 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

Main article: List of United Kingdom dialling codes

Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) was introduced in 1958^[21] 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.^[22]
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.
Within a single code group area there would usually be multiple exchange buildings in various locations. The smaller exchanges might have only a few hundred lines with three-digit subscriber numbers, e.g. 200–499. Larger exchanges might have a few thousand lines with four-digit subscriber numbers, e.g. 2000–5999. The main exchange in the group would usually have five-digit subscriber numbers e.g. 20000–49999.
Population growth over the next few decades meant there was a need for more lines. This would see an exchange with existing three-digit numbers open one or more new ranges with four-digit local numbers (e.g. 5000-6999), and exchanges with existing four-digit numbers open one or more new ranges with five-digit local numbers (e.g. 60000–69999).
Since number ranges were being reused in each local exchange within a group, a series of short codes was devised to allow dialling from one local exchange to another without the need to dial the full STD code. These short codes usually began with a 7, 8 or 9. The code was often only two or three digits, but might be up to five digits long.^[23]
The last digit of this short code would usually also feature as extra digits on the end of the main STD code in order to differentiate each satellite exchange within a group when dialling from another STD code area. In written form these area codes were split after the third digit to highlight this satellite exchange numbering.^[24]
e.g. for 0799, Saffron Walden (SW)

(0799) xxxxx	Saffron Walden
(079 982) xxx and xxxx	Newport
(079 983) xxx and xxxx	Great Chesterford
(079 984) xxx	Ashdon
(079 985) xxx and xxxx	Clavering
(079 986) xxx	Great Sampford
(079 987) xxx	Radwinter
(079 988) xxx	Rickling

As time wore on and number shortages became more acute, local numbers were gradually converted to five-figure or six-figure numbers, and the STD code changed to the (0xxx) format. In many cases the initial digits of the new local number would be formed from digits previously at the end of the old STD code. The local number would be padded with extra fixed digits (if needed) to make up the new total length. In some cases the initial digits were changed e.g. Radwinter (079 987) 456 became Saffron Walden (0799) 500456, nowadays (01799) 500456.
Post 2000, only a dozen places have long STD codes with five-digit local numbers. One area with a long STD code retains four-digit local numbering. Long STD codes are rare. Many people are not familiar with the (0xx xx), nowadays (01xx xx) format; or the now discontinued (0xx xxx) format, and often omit the space in written form.
For the Director areas a 2 or 3 digit code was used for the city. These were:

Area code	City	Notes