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.

London Phone Number Depletion

Noticed a few articles and press releases on t'internet during the last few weeks regarding the depletion of London phone numbers.

Some other areas of the UK like Derby and Brighton look like they may be in real danger of running out of numbers.

The emphasis of the articles suggested that London phone numbers could run out within a generation.

You can make up your own mind by perusing the following:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333264/Shortage-phone-numbers-means-youll-dial-area-code-just-ring-door.html

http://www.prlog.org/11109047-london-phone-numbers-are-running-out-again.html

To clarify. London only has one code which is 020.

London phone numbers are 11 digits long eg:
020 3234 2345

Many people make the mistake of saying that the London dialling codes are:

• 0203
• 0207
• 0208.

This isn't the case. The "3" "7" and "8" aren't part of the prefix.

This is a great way of impressing people at dinner parties. I tried it last week and the person I told this too was so impressed they left the table - presumably to go home to look at the front of their Phone Book.