Hi all

Does anyone know how much a 'custom' or vanity phone number would be on a regular BT landline? Do they even offer this service for residential customers?

Thanks in advance

Well it would probably cost about £20. For a number like 0121-121-0121 or 01827-827-827

In London, it will definately be an 0203 number rather an a 0207/8 number. I would like 0203-540-0000.

Then theirs numbers with your number such as 0121-451-2662 which means 0121-451-ANNA


I would like to know if Telewest can do this.

There is NO such area code as 0203, 0207 or 0208.

You have even written 0203-540-0000 wrong. typing it this was is saying that 540 0000 is the local number, but dialling just this would not work, the local number is 3540 0000.

You living in London of all people should know better.

The code for London is 020.

3, 7 and 8 are not part of the area code, they are part of the local number.

Quite right. It's a common mistake even amongst Londoners. I suppose it's unstandable that people are confused given the change from 01 via 071/081 and then 0171/0181 to 020 each time with some parallel running of old and new code.

Thanks for the info m419 and BexTech and Starkicker.

Ironically 3 digit area codes are now the most common in the UK (London, Coventry, ROI, Southampton, Portsmouth and Cardiff) yet many people do not entirely understand them or how to write them. This is also not helped by the fact that 1471 services don't even read the numbers correctly. IE "Telephone Number 02476-999 888 ..."

Oh Well I guess as other areas of the UK start to have 3 digit codes maybe things will get better!

Whilst I wouldn't argue against any of the above as it's all technically correct, I do ask myself why people get so worked up about the correct area code.

1. 0207 & 0208, whilst not technically an area code, does specify where the number is located more precisely than 020 does.

2. Why do people not just use the full telephone number? I do all the time so never get the wrong number because I'm calling from a different area. People used to believe that using the STD code automatically meant they were charged at national rates - wrong! Also most dialling plans nowadays don't differentiate between local & national rates for geographic numbers anyway. If you have a mobile, you always need the full telephone number (I even store mine as the full international format so I can use it abroad without problems)

3. Surely how numbers are related is given so that the recipient can best remember or notate them. I've always found it easier to remember them as 3 bursts of 3-5 digits than numerous bursts, unless for some strange reason, you use the method often used in Germany which relate numbers between 10 and 99
(e.g. they would give a number 224657 as twenty two, forty six, fifty seven; although often not with the pre-dial/STD code )
Last edited by dawson : 12-02-2006 at 13:29

Well everyone down in London seems to display it as 0207,0208.

BT's 1471 service displayed it as '02073' instead of 0207-3 or 020-73

Everyone seems to have their own way of using it.

I've always viewed it as a stupid system since I keep recieveing calls for people who have the same number as mine but 020-8 instead.

Ofcom records also showed that only 30% of the UK population use local dialing. Many people seem to input the area code. This is probably because they have got used to mobiles.

And another thing people still prefer the old 0171 and 0181 system.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think necessarily it does. Although all of the old 0171 numbers were converted to 020 7, and 0181 to 020 8, I thought that BT numbers issued after the change date were random between 020 7 and 020 8, and so although for most it specifies it precisely, for new numbers, it doesn't.

System X/Y at least does deal with 0207 and 0208 as area codes (does not have to be area dependant though). Depending on the provisioning/Inventory system used then in might deal with TN's in London as 020-7/020-8 on accounts/orders but as far as the the switch is concerned at a basic level the number is read (when dialled) as the number (either with or without the dialling code) as a whole and translated anyway.