Popular Local Phone Numbers: Bradford

This might come as something of a surprise, but one of the most popular local numbers out there is the Bradford number, 01274. Why?  It is not one of the big cities like London, Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester. In fact, it is only the 14th most populated place in the UK, with a population of around 300,000. Less than 10 miles from Leeds, it sits at the foot of the Pennines in West Yorkshire, and although Bradford was a major player in the 19th century, when it was considered the “wool capital of the world”, it is not now the major player it was during the Industrial Revolution, with the wool industry having declined in the 20th century.

However, it is part of the Leeds-Bradford Larger Urban Zone (LUZ), which is the third largest area in the UK behind London and Manchester. It is presumably this alliance that leads to the number being so popular. It has also now become a tourist destination. It became the world’s first UNESCO City of Film in June 2009, being home to the National Media Museum, the Alhambra Theatre, Cartwright Hall and the Alhambra Theatre.

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Birmingham

There was a feature on BBC Radio 4 recently – I think on the PM programme – about Birmingham feeling it doesn’t have a cultural identity, and always being compared to London or Manchester. So, we’re going to rectify that this week as until now they haven’t feature in one of our popular local phone numbers posts!

Birmingham’s area code is 0121. The second most populated city in the UK and home of the “Brummies”, Birmingham had 1,073,000 residents at the 2011 census. Originally just a medium sized market town at the heart of the West Midlands during the medieval period, Birmingham grew out of the fires of the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century. In fact, it has been described as being “at the forefront of worldwide developments in science, technology and economic organisation, producing a series of innovations that laid many of the foundations of modern industrial society” during this period. By 1791 it was described as “the first manufacturing town in the world”. Also out of Birmingham in the 19th century came the great Liberal Unionist politician Joseph Chamberlain.

The 72nd largest city in the world, fourth most visited in the UK, home of three universities and two university colleges, a plethora of cultural and artistic attractions and institutions including the famous Bull Ring. If all that doesn’t add up to cultural identity, then I don’t know what does!

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Leeds

When we think of the big UK cities, we tend to think of London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast - the four capitals, and then Birmingham and Liverpool. There is a jewel of a city, situated quite centrally in the UK, that we sometimes tend to forget about, but shouldn't. That city, of course, is Leeds.

Situated in West Yorkshire, the city has a population of around 800,000. Part of the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which has a population of 1.5 million, the Leeds-Bradford Metropolitan Area of about 2.3 million and the Leeds City Region of 2.9million, Leeds is a key part of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country, and is the largest centre for financial, business and legal services in the country outside of London. 

Leeds’ history dates back to the 5th century, but it didn’t become the major centre that it is today until the 17th and 18th centuries when it was a major wool trading area. But it really developed during the Industrial Revolution, to grow into the major city it is today. 

It is the principle shopping area for Yorkshire and the Humber, has two universities,and  is home to Leeds United Football Club. The area code for Leeds is 0113.
 

Popular Local Phone Numbers: London

Regular readers might recall that we have been following the progress of the London 2012 Olympic Games with a keen interest, and with just a week to go now until the games we thought it would be fitting to use our regular to look at popular local phone numbers to talk about the host city: London.

London is the largest city in the UK, with a population of over 8 million – approximately one eighth of the UK population. Built around the River Thames, London has a history dating back over 2000 years to Roman times, and has witnessed the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt, the Great Fire of London and the Blitz to name but a few. Between 1831 and 1925 London had the largest population of any city in the world.

London is the world’s most visited city, with tourist attractions including the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament. It is one of the world’s leading financial centres. It also boasts 40 West End theatres, 43 universities and the world’s oldest underground railway.

This is not the first time that London has hosted the Olympic Games – it previously did so in 1908 and 1948. The area code for London is 020 – often split into 0203, 0207 and 0208 numbers. Enjoy the games!

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Bristol

We are resurrecting our “popular local phone numbers” series this week. With the Olympic Torch embarking on its nationwide tour, what better place to pick up the baton than where it has just passed, in the South West, and specifically Bristol.

Originally part of Gloucestershire, Bristol became its own county in 1373,  and now has a population of over 1 million. The city itself is the 8th largest city in the UK in terms of population and the largest in the south west. Although there is evidence of human activity in the area around 60,000 years ago, the town itself was founded around the year 1000, rapidly becoming one of the most important ports in the UK, and until the Industrial Revolution, it was one of the top four cities in the country, along with London, York and Norwich. From the 17th century, many ships sailed from Bristol as part of the slave trade. However, many discoveries of the New World also started in Bristol.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel has a strong connection with Bristol, having designed the Great Western Railway from Bristol to Paddington, the SS Great Britain and SS Great Western, and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.  Bristol boasts two universities, two football clubs, two major theatres and two railway stations. Its area code is 0117.

Vodaphone Buys Cable & Wireless for £1billion

The big news story in the telecoms this week was that Vodafone agreed to buy the once mighty Cable & Wireless Worldwide for £1.04billion. The deal would move Vodafone from fourth to second in the UK telecoms market, overtaking O2 and Everything Everywhere, and beaten only by BT.

However, it is not all plain sailing, as within hours of the deal being announced on Monday, Cable & Wireless’s biggest shareholder, Orbis Investment Management, refused to back the bid. Orbis has over 19% of the shares in Cable & Wireless, and feels that the offer of 38p per share does not reflect the true value of the company. Orbis stands to lose a great deal of money if the deal goes through.

The only other bidder, Tata Communications, withdrew the previously week having only offered 25p per share. The deal has been supported by JP Morgan Asset Management, Investec Asset Management, Cyrte Investments, RBC Global Asset Management and Sky Investment Counsel, which between them make up almost 20% of the shares.

Cable & Wireless has one of the largest fibre optic networks in the UK, allowing Vodafone to carry more mobile internet traffic at a reduced cost. They provide telecoms networks to 70% of the FTSE 100 and the NHS.

OFCOM confirms some local phone numbers will require full area code

The Daily Mail had this headline a couple of weeks ago: “The 11-digit local phone numbers: Families will have to dial full national code in radical telephone shake-up”. However, what they were reporting wasn’t really news, as it had been reported on the BBC News on 8th September last year.

The official press release from OFCOM on March 20th says: “People living in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch will soon have to dial the 01202 area code to make a local call, Ofcom confirmed today. Ofcom has proposed that this change comes into effect on 1 November 2012, subject to consultation. It is designed to safeguard the future supply of landline numbers in the Bournemouth area and avoid the need to change existing phone numbers.”

It went on to explain in that some parts of the UK, phone numbers are becoming scarce, so a small number of people will need to dial the full number when using local phone numbers to enable OFCOM to make more numbers available in these areas. Effectively, the 6 digits after the area code will be able to start with 0 or 1 once they changes come into effect.

To read the full OFCOM press release, click here. To read the Daily Mail article, which warns that many people, particularly the elderly and families, will struggle with this move, click here. To read the original BBC report, click here.

Telecoms mergers and acquisitions up as big players prepare to meet

Just read an interesting article that says that there has been a surge in merger and acquisition activity amongst telecoms operators in recent weeks, and that they has been a number of "cross border deals across international markets". It says that major deals have been reported in the last week, most notably that Vodafone and Tata Communications are bidding over $1bn for UK based Cable & Wireless Worldwide. This would be a major business transaction in anyone eyes, and we will be watching developments with a keen interest.

Other telecoms mergers and acquisitions mentioned include Turkcell considering a $1.4bn bid for Vivacom in Belgium and France, Telecom Orange spending US$2bn on a takeover of Mobinil in Egypt, Telenor of Norway increasing its stake in Vimplecom, and UAE-based Etisalat looking at making further acquisitions.

The report also mentions that many of the global telecoms operators, leading executives and key players in the telecoms world are to meet with investment bankers in London on March 14th at the TMT (Telecoms, Media & Technology) M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) forum on 14th March in London, to discuss future deals and transactions. Shockingly, we haven't been invited, but Goldman Sachs, UBS, Citi, Clifford Chance, Silicon Valley Bank and Tata Communications will be among the major companies speaking at the event. We'll keep you posted.

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Liverpool

This week the local phone number blog is continuing its profile of areas with popular virtual local phone numbers by looking at a city with a proud and great history and heritage. Liverpool is a major port and city on Merseyside in the north west of England in the UK.

Liverpool was founded in 1207, and celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007. However, it took many centuries to grow into the major city that it is today, as 300 years later the population of Liverpool was only around 500 people. Liverpool grew dramatically as the result of it being a major port, so that by the 19th century, an incredible 40% of the world's trade passed through Liverpool's port.

In 1830 the first inter-city railway link was built connecting Liverpool and Manchester, and the population grew dramatically in the 1840s as many Irish migrants fled the potato famine and headed to the west coast of England. By 1851, 25% of the population of Liverpool was Irish born.

Liverpool finally became a city in 1880. Liverpool's strategic importance meant its bombing was only second to London's during World War II. Tourism is vital to Liverpool, with the city being the 6th most visited in the UK. The Albert Docks, the Liver birds, the cathedral and the tudor houses are among many notable landmarks. It is of course also famous for being the home of The Beatles as well as many other music legends, and for a host of reasons was the European Capital of Culture in 2008.

It has a strong and growing knowledge economy, and is home to three universities. It is of course also home to two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool at Anfield and Everton at Goodison Park.

The local phone number for Liverpool is the 0151 phone number.

Local phone number providers go international

We've noticed that leading providers of virtual local phone numbers are now starting to go international more frequently. Virtual local phone numbers allow companies to have a telephone presence in towns and cities that they don't have a physical presence in, but now businesses are going one step further by getting a telephone presence in countries that they don't have a physical presence in! International toll free numbers seem to be a hugely popular option at the moment for companies wanting to do businesses overseas but not wanting to make that huge leap at the moment of getting staff and properties overseas. For people with an interest in telecoms, it is an interesting development.

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Cardiff

This week we continue our look at some of the most popular virtual local phone numbers in the UK by looking at the capital city of Wales: Cardiff. As well as being the capital city of Wales, Cardiff is also the largest city in Wales and the most populous city in Wales. Cardiff is the 10th largest city in the UK and has a population of around 350,000 people. It is the location of the Welsh Assembly, the government body that was created through devolution when the Blair government was elected in the late 1990s. Cardiff attracts a significant number of tourists each year, with around 18 million visitors in 2010. It was ranked 6th in the world for National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations in 2011.

Cardiff is actually the anglicised name for the city, which in Welsh is Caerdydd. This means "the fort on the Taff". Cardiff is the county town of Glamorgan, and was given this status in 1536.
Surprisingly, despite being the capital city of Wales, Cardiff was a small town until the 19th century, and did not gain city status until 1905. In fact, in 1801 it was only the 25th largest town in Wales, but grew so much that by 1881 it was the largest town in Wales. Its dramatic growth came about from its role as a major port for shipping coal during the industrial revolution.

Cardiff is home to many major sporting venues, including the Millennium Stadium. One of the most famous attractions in Cardiff is Cardiff Castle, at the heart of the city centre. The local phone number for Cardiff is 029.

The most local phone numbers?

A provider of virtual local phone numbers contacted us earlier in the week to say that they had just sold 400 different virtual local phone numbers to a company, giving them a telephone presence in most areas of the UK. We felt that that had to be a record, and wondered is there anyone out there who can claim to beat that?

Marketing article on local phone numbers

There was an interesting article about the importance of phone numbers and in particular local phone numbers in marketing published a couple of weeks ago in Dealer Marketing Magazine by Laura Noonan. Click here to read the article.

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Edinburgh

This week we're heading north to Scotland to continue our profile of some of the more popular locations for virtual local phone numbers. Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and has a population of around 486,000 people. Despite this, it is only the second largest city in Scotland by population, having been overtaken by Glasgow during the Industrial Revolution.

Whilst humans have inhabited the area since the Bronze Age and there was a hill fort on the site of modern day Edinburgh from around the 6th century, the town itself probably came into existence some time in the 11th century, and a 12th century Royal Charter from King David I of Scotland granted land to Church of the Holy Rood in Edinburgh in 1124. Edinburgh developed as two separate areas, one around the volcanic rock that is today the landmark that Edinburgh castle sits on top of, and the other around the Abbey of Holyrood. Edinburgh was a major centre of the Enlightenment period, earning it the nickname the "Athens of the North".

One of the most well known events in Edinburgh is the annual Edinburgh Festival, which includes the Edinburgh Fringe, the largest performing arts festival in the world. It also includes the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. This event attracts around half a million visitors to Edinburgh during the month of August. Edinburgh is also well known for Hogmanay on New Year's Eve and Burns Night in January, as well as various other events, all of which help to bring over 1 million visitors per year into Scotland's capital.

Leading local numbers company reports increase in demand for 0203 numbers

We were interested to read that one of the leading suppliers of virtual telephone numbers, The Virtual Number Company, reported that it has had to increase its stock of London 0203 numbers a few weeks ago because of a large increase in demand.

Those of you who follow London phone numbers will remember that the 0203 number - or rather the 020 London area code with the first digit of the rest of the number being 3 - were only introduced in 2005. Previously there had only been 0207 and 0208, for inner and outer London. 0203 was introduced as an across all of Greater London code.

It took some time to catch on, but it seems from what The Virtual Number Company has said that it is now finally as popular as the more established 0207 and 0208 numbers. Maybe the demand is there because of the Olympics, and it is being used as one internationally recognised number?

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Cambridge

As our mini-series looking at some of the most popular places for virtual local phone numbers seems to be so popular, we thought we would continue it this week, and as we don't think that we are putting one university city above another university city and taking a preference for the boat race, we're heading east to Cambridge this week!

The local phone number for Cambridge is 01223. Cambridge is about 50 miles to the north east of London, and as has already been hinted at, is best known for Cambridge University. The University was founded in 1209 when students were fleeing persecution in Oxford. Peterhouse College, the oldest college, was founded in 1284.

Archaeological evidence shows that people have lived where Cambridge is now since before the Roman invasion of Britain, but it became a major military outpost under the Roman occupation. It grew as a trading post under the Vikings, and then like many settlements in England, the Normans built a castle there after the 1066 invasion.

The population of the city according to the 2001 census is around 108,000, of which around 22,000 are students. Cambridge did not actually become a city until 1951, and surprisingly does not have a cathedral.

Popular Local Phone Numbers: Oxford

A few weeks back we started doing an occasional profile of some of the more popular virtual local phone numbers. Previously we looked at the city of Manchester. This week we are heading south to look at the beautiful, historical city of Oxford - "the city of dreaming spires".

The area code for Oxford is 01865. It has a population of around 165,000. The name Oxford comes from what it was originally - literally a ford for Oxen to cross the river. It was first inhabited in Saxon times, but it began to grow following the Norman invasion, when the Normans built Oxford Castle.

It is of course most famous for Oxford University, the oldest university in the English speaking world. It is one of the UK's most popular tourist attractions, drawing in around 9million visitors every year. It is the university that makes it one of the cultural and educational centres of the UK.

Local areas to get free internet

This week we had the announcement that the mobile phone company Three is planning to give free broadband internet access to rural areas of the UK that have difficulty accessing the internet, so some areas out there that have real local phone numbers rather than virtual local phone numbers will finally be getting some telecoms and internet benefits!

Three is going to give 3G broadband to 11 communities in the UK that struggle to get online. They are going to provide free dongles and free access for a year. The first beneficiaries of the scheme will be Gringley-on-the-Hill in North Nottinghamshire, who will receive 30 free dongles, free access for a year, public Wi-Fi hotspots in the pub and the community centre.

10 more areas will get this over the next year.

Summer is over - get your local numbers ready for doing business!

This weekend is bank holiday weekend!

Enjoy it, because we don't get another public holiday for four months!

This Bank Holiday in reality marks the end of summer. Next week kids start back at school, the nights have already started getting considerably darker, the days feel colder and it won't be long until we all have to start switching our central heating on again!

On the good side for businesses, this means that most people have now had their long summer breaks, and should be back to work with full force. So, fingers crossed things should start getting busy again, so if you were planning on getting some virtual local numbers, now is the time to act! Get ordering now, as it won't be long before the Christmas shopping season starts!

Here's to a happy Bank Holiday weekend, and an even better last third of the year!

Popular local numbers: Manchester

We're starting an occasional profile of some of the most popular local phone numbers. One of the most popular cities in the UK to have a virtual local number for is Manchester.

Although there has been a settlement where Manchester is now since Roman times, Manchester only really began to grow into the city it is today during the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century, with the development of canals, trains, mills and factories. In fact, it was the world's first industrialised city, and was granted city status in 1853.

Perhaps most well known today for it's two football clubs - Manchester United in particular - it is a university city, and the third most visited city in the United Kingdom, beaten only by London and Edinburgh. Along with Birmingham, it is often considered to be England's second city.

Manchester's other most famous product is Britain's longest running television soap, Coronation Street, which last year celebrated it's 50th anniversary with a spectacular tram crash.

The area code for Manchester is 0161.