United States |
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(note: a lot of the below probably applies to the entire North American Numbering Plan, i.e. US, Canada, several countries in the Carribbean, not just the United States) |
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The area code or NPA? (Numbering Plan Area) is a three digit number (the 303 above) which allows the system to route calls into a small geographic area. NPAs are defined by the North American Dialing Plan, and administered by Bellcore. |
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The area code or NPA? (Numbering Plan Area) is a three digit number (the 303 above) which allows the system to route calls into a small geographic area. NPAs are defined by the North American Numbering Plan, and administered by Bellcore (do they still do this??). |
AustraliaPresently, telephone numbers in Australia consist of a single digit area code and eight-digit local numbers, the first four of which generally specify the exchange, and the final four a line at that exchange. (Most exchanges though have several four-digit exchange codes.) Australia is divided geographically into a few large area codes, frequently covering more than one state. The long distance prefix is '0', while the main international prefix is '0011' (there are others for special purposes, such as charging in half-hour blocks). Prior to the introduction of eight-digit numbers in the early to mid-1990s, telephone numbers were seven digits in the major capital cities, with a single digit area code, and five digits in other areas with a two digit area code. Australia also the free call area code 1800. This is copied from the U.S. prefix 1-800, but while in the U.S. the '1' is the long-distance prefix and '800' is the area code, '1800' in Australia is itself an area code (prior to the introduction of 8-digit numbers, the area code was '008'). Similarly, '190x' is the area code for charging services (i.e. recorded information, competition lines, psychics, phone sex, etc.). There are also '13' numbers, which work across large areas (up to across Australia) and only charge a local call, routing the call to the appropriate place in a given area. (For example, a company could have the number 139999 and have the telephone company set it up so that calls made in Melbourne would route to their Melbourne number, calls made in Brisbane to their Brisbane number, and calls made anywhere else in Australia route to their Sydney number, all at a local charge cost to the caller.) Mobile phone numbers have three digit area codes, e.g. 412. The area codes are allocated per network, although with the introduction of number portability there is no longer a fixed relationship between the area code a mobile is in and the network it is attached to. '000' is the emergency number, but the international emergency number '112' works as well (at least on mobile phones.) Phone numbers within Australia are allocated by the Australian Communications Authority. |
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