So post 2016 what will an English, Welsh or Northen Irish mobile user have to call to reach a Scottish mobile?

I doubt if the same companies provide services that roaming charges will apply but Scotland will have it's own International dialling code.

Why wouldn't roaming charges apply?

From July 2014 all European roaming charges are set to be abolished by the EU anyway.

As for IF Scotland becomes independent and IF they get their own country code who knows.

Then we should probably hope Scotland manage to get membership to the EU...none of this is certain. They probably will, yes, but it might not happen (Either EU membership or independence at all).

oh it's a ridiculous idea that'll probably never happen, because if it does then it could in theory have it's own Ofcom and licence it's own spectrum. There are too many difficult questions about how you would split things that I really can't see it happening. Scotland would certainly be worse off, but I understand this isn't a debate about independent Scotland.

Yeah I can't imagine there being a yes vote.

But if there were to be one then yes they would have their own Ofcom, spectrum licensing and even the telcos would have to split their scottish arms in to separate companies. Which is why I asked why wavey thought roaming charges wouldn't apply - it would be roaming internationally in every sense.

Jersey and Guernsey are self-governed parliamentary democracies but they still use the 44 dialling code.

Yes it would be roaming but perhaps similar to the arrangement the Irish Republic has with the UK in terms of 3's provision.

Scotland will have to have a new dialling code.

+424 is the most likely IDD code.

So not a huge change but English, Welsh and NI callers would have to dial +424 7XXX XXXXXX to reach a Scottish mobile.

I suspect you're right with the numbers unless Scotland decide to go with a different numbering scheme - wouldn't that be fun!

It is all theory which won't happen anyway, but if it did then I think there's a chance they would keep the UK country code.

USA and Canada have the same code, as does the UK and Jersey etc.

Why would an independent country keep the same dialling code as the one it separated from? And why is the prospect of Scottish independence in 2014 deemed as unlikely?

There is a very serious possibility that Scotland may leave the UK in 2016.

Feel free to quote back this post and I'll accept the egg on my face. I'm that confident I'd say "no chance whatsoever of it happening" so we don't need to worry.

I don't think it would be 424 anyway, all the 420s are not in our area:

+420 – Czech Republic
+421 – Slovakia
+422 – unassigned
+423 – Liechtenstein (formerly +41 75)
+424 – unassigned
+425 – unassigned
+426 – unassigned
+427 – unassigned
+428 – unassigned
+429 – unassigned

More likely to just follow these other non UK countries:

+44 – United Kingdom
+44 1481 – Guernsey
+44 1534 – Jersey
+44 1624 – Isle of Man

It depends how important controlling their own number ranges is to an independent Scotland. Keeping +44 would require co-operation with the UK when assigning number ranges.

And that is probably something an independent country would want to have control over.

Every aspect of people's lives have a National identity and telephone numbering, broadcasting and simple everyday things like car registration numbers all play a part in forming the feeling of national identity. So an IDD code and eventually a Scottish numbering system for phones would be more than likely if the vote was for independence.

Scotland's ever so slightly bigger than any of those places...


They're also British Crown Dependencies. Which I'm not sure an independent Scotland would want to be.

Please bare in mind the UK (well Great Britain) technically would cease to exist if Scotland became independent..

As for Europe it is unlikely Scotland would cease to be part of Europe as that would suggest seeing the 'UK' ceases to exist that Eng/Wal/NI would all also all have to reapply. Likely Europe would just recognise as a separate independent state as suggested by one of the German ministers better versed in these matters.

As for comms wise.. I guess it depends what a Scottish govt would require for English based networks to do.. Separate arms or Status Quo.

Dialling codes similar to situation to Jersey I'd imagine and if Canada & US can have the same code nothing stopping Eng/Wal/NI + Scotland keeping 44..

Costs wise I doubt much would change unless things in either country changed much in regards to business taxes or the like as they currently and post independence would still closely linked..

No the UK would still exist but would refer to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and would keep all current affiliations and laws. Scotland would be a separate country and as such would have to negotiate their way in to the EU.

Spain might not be happy to allow Scotland in as it might encourage the Catalans to push for independence.

Although there is no specific law or charter that covers it there are precedents etc, if Scotland was made to reapply so would the RUK (Rest of the UK). Scotland would be part of the EU as it was before independence. I'm not going to even take on the scare tactics of one Spanish PM who has a major agenda in mind ie his own Independence battle. http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile...urope.20948699

Saying that, going by what Cameron is doing/saying.. Will we even be in Europe by 2016..

Personally I think any independent Scotland's mobile network to be a posterchild for the whole pan-European single market debate.

They're already proposing to keep the same Queen, the same money, etc. Why not keep the same dialing code too?

That's not really much of a problem - the USA and Canada cooperate over the North American Numbering Plan. Actually Wikipedia says it is 25 countries or territories in the NANP!

The choice for Scotland IS either keep +44 OR get a 3-digit prefix in the +400 range!

Every European country which has become independent in recent years has been assigned its own IDD code. No reason why Scotland should be an exception.

The North American shared numbering plan seems to be the only one of its kind in the world.

That wouldn't matter, as +3 and +4 codes are assigned to Europe generally.

Talking of which it would be interesting to see what the current mobile networks do. Keep as a UK and Scotland wide network, split off the Scotland part, sell of the Scotland part?

Athin Ayway 4G
WhiskyX2
Highlanderfone
Trì
Blue Saltire
Scots-Mobile

MVNO Scotmid 4G..
St George Comms.. A cheap international calling sim for English folk living up North <cough> 'abroad'

I'll get my coat..