UK Phone Numbers ??

They make no sense to me!  I am still in the US.  When people give me their UK numbers, they are just a whole bunch of digits, with no () or - or anything.  Apparently, both the area code and local code can be of different lengths, so I don't know how to break down all these digits I get.

Is it easy to catch on once you are there?

Yes, you will catch on once you get here.  For instance, in the Greater London area (Includes small parts of Middlesex, Surrey, Essex, Kent, Herts), the code is 0207 and 0208.  0207 is for central London (zone 1) and most of zone 2, if not all.  0208 is for the rest of the area. 

0207 555 5555 - central London
0208 555 5555 - outside of zone 2

Calling these numbers from abroad, you would drop the leading zero.

I think all cell phone numbers start with 077, 078 and 079.  This is nationwide.

I hope that helps.

bvamin

Sadly, you will also see those London numbers written as:

020 7555 5555
020 8555 5555

You often find other numbers written as:

AAAAA LLL NNN
AAAA LLL NNNN

Where A=area code, L=local code and N=numbers.  You do get used to it after a while, but it is confusing at first.

You often find other numbers written as:

AAAAA LLL NNN
AAAA LLL NNNN

Where A=area code, L=local code and N=numbers.  You do get used to it after a while, but it is confusing at first.

Now I'm completely confused! I've only ever seen UK numbers as the above: AAAAA LLL NNN. And I've been here 2 years!

Did somebody mention telephones?   

The U.K. numbering system is certainly not the easiest to comprehend until you are familiar with it, although in many ways it's actually a lot simpler now than it was 20 years ago.    Back then there were still small villages with 3-digit local numbers, and a single town could have a mixture of 4-, 5-, and 6-digit local numbers.

Let's start with the initial zero of an area code.  Although technically it is a trunk prefix, it is always written here as though it is an integral part of the area code itself, unlike the "1" in North America which is written separately or omitted altogether. 

The "official" method for writing a full number in Britain is to enclose the area code in parentheses, or to separate it from the rest of the number with a space or dash, e.g. (01234) 567890 or 01234-567890.

In most parts of Britain outside the large urban areas, the area code takes the form 01xyz, where "x" is any digit 2 through 9, "y" is any digit except 1, and "z" is any digit.  The full list of these codes runs into the hundreds, but here are a few examples:

01752  Plymouth
01224  Aberdeen
01273  Brighton
01332  Derby
01603  Norwich

The local numbers in these areas are then 6-digits long, and it is the convention to write the number as a continuous block of six digits.    The first two or three digits of the local number identify the actual exchange within the area.    For example, within my area code of 01692 (North Walsham) if the first two digits of the local number are 58 then it is a Stalham number.  59 is Hickling, 63 is Horning, and so on.    I'm on Stalham exchange, so my number is 01692-58xxxx. 

Aside from London, several of the other major cities have used 7-digit local numbers for many decades.    These have the following area codes:

0121  Birmingham
0131  Edinburgh
0141  Glasgow
0151  Liverpool
0161  Manchester
0191  Newcastle  (this being a more modern addition).

The 7-digit local numbers are written in the more familiar xxx-xxxx form, and as in America the first three digits then identify the actual exchange within the area. 

Note that in all of the above examples the first "1"  of the area code has only been in these codes since 1995, so if you were looking at old ads (or even some signs still in use) you would see Plymouth as 0752 and Liverpool as 051, for example. 


In the last few years several other cities have moved up to 7-digit local numbers and have had new area codes of the form 011x assigned.  These are:

0113  Leeds 
0114  Sheffield
0115  Nottingham
0116  Leicester
0117  Bristol
0118  Reading

So a current Reading number, for example, would be shown as (0118) xxx-xxxx, or possibly 0118-xxx xxxx.   

One of the most recent changes in the numbering system is the adoption of 8-digit local numbers in some areas.    These areas have an area code of the form 02x, thus:

020  London
023  Portsmouth / Southampton
024  Coventry
028  Northern Ireland
029  Cardiff

The recommended form for the 8-digit local number is for it to be written as two groups of four, e.g. 2345-6789.   

In all cases, if you are calling a number within the same area code as your own, then you need dial only the 6, 7, or 8 digits of the local number.   There is no mandatory dialing of the area code even if it's the same as your own as exists in a few parts of the States now.

"Area" codes starting with anything other than 01 or 02 are non-geographic codes.   0800 and 0808, for example, are toll-free numbers, broadly equivalent to American 800/888 etc. numbers.    There are dozens of other special codes which would take another full post to explain, but as mentioned already, cellphones have their own special area codes here, in the 07xx group.   Thus when calling from a cellphone to a landline, or vice versa, you will always need to dial the full number including area code.

When calling into the U.K. from overseas, you must use the international prefix for whatever country you are in, followed by the U.K.'s country code 44, followed by the full area code and number, however, you must drop the initial zero from the area code.  The international convention for writing a number is to use a plus sign to show that the country-specific international prefix must be used.   Here's an example of how a number would be written in U.K. and international formats:

U.K.    (01234) 567890
Int.   +44 1234 567890

The prefix you substitute for the "+" depends upon where you are calling from (011 for the U.S. & Canada).

Sadly, you will also see those London numbers written as:

020 7555 5555
020 8555 5555

These are actually the correct forms for London numbers now.   When you see them written as:

0207 555-5555 or
0208 555-5555

you are seeing the legacy of the the way London has suffered three number changes in recent years which has left many people confused as to where the area code ends and the local number starts.

What happened was this:  Up until the 1980s London numbers were 7-digits long, with the first three being the exchange prefix as in America.  For example 629-xxxx was a number in Mayfair.    The whole of London had a single area code, 01.

In 1990, the capital was starting to run short of numbers, and the city was split into two separate area codes: 071 for inner London and 081 for outer London.  Each area still had 7-digit numbering within it.   In 1995, the two London area codes became 0171 and 0181 in the general renumbering which affected the whole country.

The most recent change was in 2000, when London went back to being a single area code -- 020 -- but with local numbers made up to 8 digits in length.   To make that transition as easy as possible, numbers which were previously in the 0171 area had a 7 prefixed to them while those which were in 0181 were prefixed with an 8. 

Thus the changes went as follows, using London Transport's inquiry line as an example:

01  222-1234  (up to 1990)
071  222-1234  (from 1990)
0171  222-1234  (from 1995)
020  7222-1234  (from 2000)

In the current form, the "7" is now part of the local number, not the area code.  From within London you now need to dial 7222-1234, not just 222-1234.

Some people have clearly gotten used to writing their numbers as though London is still split into two areas with 7-digit numbering in each area.  That is no longer the case.    Although at present all London numbers are 7xxx-xxxx or 8xxx-xxxx, there are plans to start introducing 3xxx-xxxx numbers later this year.

Frankly, the numbering changes in London were handled very poorly, and the splitting into two area followed by a recombining into one was very messy.

Paul, That's a great full answer on "Geographic" numbers.   Can I just add this little list:

If you dial a number STARTING WITH ...

00 - international
01 or 02 - Geographic in the UK

07 - "Personal Number" including
070 - number that can be diverted by the recipient  ** See Note 1
077 - mobile phone
078 - mobile phone
079 - mobile phone

08 - "Special service" including
0800 - freephone
0845 - Locall  ** See Note 2
0870 - National Rate call  ** See Note 3
0871 - National Rate call  ** See Note 3

09 - "Premium rate" service ** See Note 4

112 - Emergency service
118 - Directory enquiry service
2 3 4 5 6 7 or 8 - local call in your area
999 - Emergency service

Note 1 - Can cost you up to 50p per minute

Note 2 - Intended to be the same cost as a call to a local number (i.e. cheap) but rarely discounted; if you have a good package then it may be better for you to call someone through their geographic number than through their locall number.  As a business, we offer both and let people call us on whichever they prefer

Note 3 - Intended to be tha same cost as a national number but rarely discounted.  Will cost you more than a geographic number and the person receiving you call can receive a payment of around 4p per minute for keeping you on hold. See http://www.saynoto0870.com/ for alternative cheaper numbers

Note 4 - Some of these numbers can be very expensive to call - I have see 1 pound per minute

All I know is that I can't deal with a string of 6 numbers without a break. I have to go 3 and 3 for my brain to process them.

Graham,

No problem, by the time I'd finished my little lecture on the basic geographic numbering last night it was getting too late to go into detail on other numbers. 

One omission from your list is the 05 group of area codes, which were assigned for "corporate numbering."   Like the 070 "personal numbering" range, these can be set to route a call to almost anywhere.     Personally, I feel that all these "special" codes are getting completely out of hand, and any supposed simplification from the rearrangement in 1995 is in danger of being lost under all the gray areas which are now emerging.  For example, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services can now use numbers in the dedicated 056x area codes, or be assigned to regular 01/02 codes. 

2 3 4 5 6 7 or 8 - local call in your area

Local numbers may also start with a 9.

All I know is that I can't deal with a string of 6 numbers without a break. I have to go 3 and 3 for my brain to process them.

It's interesting to note than in Britain everything up to a 6-digit number was/is just written as a single block (e.g. 2345,  23456,  234567), whereas in America the convention grew up of never having more than four digits without some sort of separating space or dash.     In the days when some U.S. cities had 5- or 6-digit numbers, they were normally written as 2-3456 or 23-4567.    I think that makes it considerably easier to parse with the eye.

By the way, the confusion and misformatting of some of the new area codes and 8-digit numbers is not confined to London.

Just today I received a letter from a company in Coventry, and they show their number as 02476  55xxxx.  That suggests that the area code is 02476 and that the local number is just 6 digits, which is completely false. 

The area code is 024, and the local number is 7655-xxxx.   The way this should have been written is 024  7655-xxxx or (024) 7655-xxxx.

Wow, thanks for all that information!  It still makes my head spin a bit, and it seems that it really doesn't help that there is no single convention (or that if there is one people don't use it) for writing numbers.  But I'm sure I'll get used to it!

And I just heard, I think starting in the fall:  we're adding 0203 to the London area

I've seen people show numbers in York various ways.

01904 is the prefix for York, and then there is a 6 digit number for the invidual phone.

I've seen

01904 123456 (This is what I use. When calling from York to York, you only have to use 123456, leaving out the 01904 for York, so this seems the logical way to divide it up.)

I've also seen:

0190 4123456

01904 12 34 56

It seems that people just divide up the numbers the way that  looks nicest to them, regardless of  the logic behind the way the numbers were set up.

I've also heard people describe their phone numbers as "York 123456" with the assumption that you know the prefix for York.

until the all-digital exchange network was completed in the mid-90s you very often had to dial a local area code for  an adjacent exchange which was different from the national area code. This was a legacy from the days of a part-automatic, part manual network so many people announced the exchange name along with their number, on the assumption that you would probably have been dialling something different from the national code anyway, if you were nearby.

Those local routing codes are one of the reasons that I said the system used to be more complex to use than today.      A somewhat geeky explanation follows for anyone interested; everybody else might want to skip this!   

There used to be a local "Dialling Code Booklet" issued along with the regular telephone directory which listed all the local routing codes you would need to call nearby exchanges.     

In the typical arrangement, subscribers on the exchange in a town could call the tiny exchanges in surrounding villages by using a two-digit routing code, often 8x, followed by the local number, which in many cases was only three digits long.   

Subscribers on those village exchanges would generally call a number in town by dialing 9 plus the local number.   To call from one village to another, you would often dial-through, using the exchange in town as a tandem.  For example, if to get from town to a particular village you dialed 82 then the number, to call that same village from one of the other outlying villages you would be instructed to dial 982 plus the number.    In some cases though, there was enough telephone traffic between two adjacent villages to warrant direct trunks between them, in which case the instructions would tell you to dial something completely different, such as 6 plus the local number, or 7 plus the number. 

Local routing codes were also used to call a nearby town, even if that town had its own separate area code.   When I lived in Cornwall, for example, we had Truro (area code 0872) and a few miles down the road was Falmouth (area code 0326).   But to call from Truro to Falmouth (a local-rate call) you didn't dial 0326 plus the number.  Instead you used the local routing code 91 plus the Falmouth number.   Somebody on one of the village exchanges which homed on Truro would dial 991 to get to Falmouth. 

As you can see, for calls outside your own exchange but within the local area, you just had to know what to dial or look it up in the book, as the routing code depended upon where you were calling from.    It might sound rather complex from the user's point of view, but these local routings were in use many years before direct long-distance dialing was introduced so that people could place local calls to nearby places without having to go through the operator.

You only needed to use these local codes for calls to relatively nearby exchanges.  Once beyond about 15 or 20 miles distant, you just used the area code as listed in the main STD code book (STD code = Subscriber Trunk Dialling code, the original British name for an area code). 

Those tiny exchanges in outlying villages didn't have their own STD codes, but used the one from their parent exchange.   Subscribers from everywhere else in the country would then reach those exchanges by using the STD code followed by the local routing code, although many people would not have realized that this was the case.

For example, if you looked up the STD code for Zelah -- a small village near Truro -- you would see it shown as 0872-54, and that's exactly what people would have to dial to reach Zelah from anywhere else in Britain outside the local area.    In reality, the 0872 part was just the regular area code for Truro and the 54 part was then the local code to get from Truro to Zelah.     Subscribers within Truro would call Zelah by just dialing 54 plus the number.

As Curious-Brit said, that's why the "official" presentation of a number included the actual exchange name so that local callers could look up the correct routing code, e.g.

Truro (0872) 72345

Aren't you sorry you asked now?