Telephone Numbers – A National Resource Says Ofcom

When it comes to telephone numbers, they should be treated like a national resource says Government telecoms regulator Ofcom.

And Ofcom, who is responsible for smooth running communications throughout the UK, say that it’s crucial that such a valuable resource as telephone numbers are managed properly.

In 2008 alone, Ofcom allocated nearly 130 million telephone numbers. Of those, around 50 million telephone numbers were of the 01 and 02 kind, and some 75 million telephone numbers were of non-geographic kind (08 and 09).

But Ofcom are keen to highlight that there are a limited amount of telephone numbers available and that demand has to be constantly monitored.

And its Ofcom who allocates telephone numbers, via communications providers, to businesses, organisations and homes.

But when it comes to dialling codes and telephone numbers, Ofcom get their biggest headaches. For example, they point out that even now, people still believe, mistakenly, that the dialling code for London is either 0207, or 0208.

The London dialling code changes were actually introduced way back in 2000, but the London code is actually 020. The 7 and 8 element of London telephone numbers actually refer to whether the number used to be 0171 and therefore Inner London, or 0181 and therefore outer London. But of course London being London, the demand for new telephone numbers is acute and Ofcom had to introduce in 2005 (020) 3 numbers.

Ofcom say that there are some 650 area codes in the UK, apart from the millions of telephone numbers out there. The most southerly is the Isle of Wight (01983) and the most northerly is Shetland (01806). And they say that certain dialling codes are easier to remember than others. For example, the lucky folk living in Bedford use 01234 and also those in Ebbsfleet, Kent, have an easier time with 01987.

So, if anyone’s worried about telephone numbers, give Ofcom a call!