I've just heard that the phone number area codes in the UK may change does anyone know any more?

Happening all over Ireland at the moment. Its just progression. A need for more number so hey change the codes. Not the end of the world. My number is changing before June from 055 to 05394!!

My number code has already changed twice........01 to 0171, then 0171 to 0207...........

Why can't they set the numbers up now to cover for the next thousand years instead of keep changing them.

Yeah, they should just create longer numbers to accommodate for any future needs.

I remember the olden days when Sheffield was 0742 - before 0114!

:P

My Grandfather ran a big grocery shop and brewery in my town years and years ago. His was one of the first places in Ireland to get a phoneline installed. Guess what his phone number was!!!





5!!

There was an intermediate change where it went from 01 to 071 then from that to 0171 then 020 7.

Well it did in the 8s mine was 01 then 081 then 0181 now 0208

The people who came up with the last changes were warned that there wouldn't be enough numbers.

Did they take any notice?

It will keep the sign-writers busy for a while.

Some people seem to think it's 0208 and 0207, but it's 020 7 and 020 8.

And the amount of Sheffielders that have their number as 01142 XXXXXX, when in actual fact it's 0114 2XXXXXX, is amazing!

Oh yes, you're right............

that's three changes already

There are still loads of old business signs around with the shorter number lacking the '2' at the beginning.. Lazy cheapskates!

I think it's just easier for folk to remember that way. E.g:

0207 110 7000

is visually easier than

020 7110 7000

My husband and I have had this discussion many times...He thinks it's easier your way...I don't. So it could be a man/woman visual brain thing. Who knows?

It doesn't actually matter where the space is or even if there is a space. Most codes are 5 digits followed by six for the actual number so that is probably where the 01142 bit comes from. Ours is 01224 XXXXXX.

does anyone remember the good old days when Going Live? on BBC1 number was

0181 811 8181

amazing how singing a number will never let you forget the god damn thing.

its either that or i have got it half right. Might be Half BBC Going live / living and kicking AND / OR Nickelodeon!!

its to early to try and be 100% sure.

cos i think nickelodeon was 0800 801 801! (totallly different i now)

What I've never got my head round is how it allows for more numbers?

In my head....you've got say 5 million numbers that are currently 020 8xxx xxxx. with only 1 million number combos left. So, You then change the prefix to 0220 8. You've still got the same 5 million you've had before and surely the same 1 million left?

No idea!

Well, I can't talk for your area, but in most of the UK the original codes were 4-digit, e.g. in Aberdeen the code was 0224 then six numbers. That was changed to 01224 followed by six digits. This did not produce any extra numbers but what it did was to open up 02 to 09 as extra prefixes. For example, 07 is used for mobiles but that could not be used before because it would clash with ordinary area codes that began with 07. As the area codes were changed to 017xx instead of just 07xx then ALL codes beginning 07 became available for mobiles.

Hope that makes sense (it started out being simple and got very complicated. )

The thing I don't get is this..........with an 11 digit number going up to 99,999,999,999 there are approx 15 available numbers for every person on the planet.


How many numbers do we need ?

Yes, but remember that the initial '0' is not really counted - that is just put on to tell the system that you are dialling an area or country code rather than a local number. Also, there are mobiles, fax machines, office numbers, computer networks, numbers for advertising etc etc, so it's not just for people. I personally use three numbers myself so it's not out of the way.

Thanks!

No, that's starting to make more sense. I guess I've always thought that when they are talking about running out of numbers, that they meant business/home lines.

I can see how adding the 01xx helped, but still can't see how if they need more home line numbers that changing the prefix to something else increases that? unless that area has both 020 8 and 0220 8 etc

+353 1 4084804?

The idea behind changing the London area codes (0171 for inner and 0181 for outer) to 020 and prefixing the existing local number with either 7 or 8 was that it then opened up the options for the numbers (ie, the prefixes 1,23 etc..). Under the old system there would only have been 2 options for the local number for instance 0171 1234567 and 0181 1234567, now under the new system you can have 020 71234567, 020 21234567 and so on. Infact BT began using the 3 prefix for London last year. So London now has 020 3, 020 7 & 020 8. Hope that helps!


EDIT: My god just read my own post and it made so much more sense in my head

I would worry more that it makes sense in MY head. Things that make sense in my head rarely make sense elsewhere

I hadn't realised that London had the 020 3 now. Is that randomly applied to new numbers regardless of where they are? as the 8 and the 7 used to indicate whether it was inner or outer London.

I agree with your husband.
If you forget the 020 then you have 4 sets of 2 numbers:
(020) 71 10 70 00

or you can have 2 sets of 4 numbers:
(020) 7110 7000

These methods are easier than a set of 4 then 3 then 4. Your way requires remembering 3 extra number because you have to include the 020 in the first set.

The point is that in London, you don't dial the 020. So to ring someone on what some people call an 0207 number, you actually dial 7*** **** and that works whether your own number begins with a 7 or an 8.

Therefore, London numbers are written as 020 7123 4567 or 020 8123 4567 because from a London number you only need to dial the final eight digits.