Big Number Change
Encyclopedia
The Big Number Change was an update of telephone dialling codes in the UK
in response to the rapid late-1990s growth of telecommunications and impending exhaustion of numbers. The change greatly expanded the pool of available numbers while helping to retain 'local dialling' (the ability to dial local numbers directly, without needing to dial an area code first). The change affected the dialling codes assigned to Cardiff
, Coventry
, London
, Northern Ireland
, Portsmouth
and Southampton
, culminating in a large switch on 22 April 2000. In addition to new area/city codes for many parts of the UK, the switch was also coupled with a move to eight-digit local numbers, the adjustment of all mobile phone numbers in the UK to the 07 prefix and the alteration of many non-geographic codes to the new 08 range.
Note Under the change the two London areas were reunified under the single (020) code. New numbers beginning with 7, 8 or (later) 3 were allocated regardless of location.
All of the above areas now have an eight-digit local number, in place of their previous six or seven-digit local number. For a short while you could use either number for local dialling, but local access to the old, shorter, numbers was switched off after a few months of parallel running.
In London, new 70xx xxxx, 71xx xxxx, 80xx xxxx, and 81xx xxxx numbers became available for general use. These began to be allocated anywhere in London, with no regard for the 1990-2000 inner/outer London geographical split.
In all of the other areas, new BC0x xxxx and BC1x xxxx numbers became available for general use at the same time (where BC is '76' in Coventry, '20' in Cardiff, etc).
In Northern Ireland, the situation was more complicated. While the primary reason for the changes was the lack of numbering capacity in Belfast (01232), this was not the only reason. When STD
codes were introduced in the 1960s, Northern Ireland was allocated only 14 area codes for 34 charging groups. Normal practice on Great Britain was to allocate one area code per charging group, but as calls to Northern Ireland were national rate from anywhere in GB, it was not seen to be necessary to differentiate between all of them. So, area codes covering multiple charge groups were created; in practice this meant that some areas had longer area codes. For example, while Enniskillen was allocated the area code 0365 (0EK5), Kesh was allocated 03656 and Lisnaskea 03657. As a result, numbers in Enniskillen could not begin with 6 or 7, as this would conflict with those of Kesh or Lisnaskea.
All this meant that while Enniskillen's numbers could be six digits long, Kesh's and Lisnaskea's (and those of other dependent exchanges) could only be five digits, due to the limit of the length of a phone number. This severely restricted capacity in these areas. As a result, at the Big Number Change, all these dependent exchanges were migrated to different numbers than their parent exchanges; in this instance while Enniskillen's 01365 (the 1 coming from PhONEday) was migrated to 028 66, Kesh went from 013656 to 028 686 and Lisnaskea from 013657 to 028 677. This meant that Kesh could expand into the rest of the 028 68xx range.
Note that the new numbering scheme groups numbers together such that the first digit identifies the county
in alphabetical order. The exception is the Greater Belfast
area where all numbers begin with 9, regardless of the county. The full list of changes for Northern Ireland is as in the table above.
In all of the other areas, old National Dialling Only 0xxxxx and 1xxxxx numbers were migrated to new 0aax xxxx and 1aax xxxx numbers.
These migration from old to new numbers was as follows:
The 0500 (Mercury FreeCall) code has remained, but no new numbers have been allocated in it since 28 April 2001.
numbering ranges to bring them in the 07xxx mobile numbers range.
Some of these codes, as indicated by the arrow "→", had already been changed during PhONEday to add a "1" after the initial zero, and now they have been changed again.
Although not directly connected with the official BigNumber changes, these number allocations were updated with the new prefixes and with additional areas, as well as changing from 10 to 1000 numbers allocated per block, around the same time as the other BigNumber changes occurred.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in response to the rapid late-1990s growth of telecommunications and impending exhaustion of numbers. The change greatly expanded the pool of available numbers while helping to retain 'local dialling' (the ability to dial local numbers directly, without needing to dial an area code first). The change affected the dialling codes assigned to Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, culminating in a large switch on 22 April 2000. In addition to new area/city codes for many parts of the UK, the switch was also coupled with a move to eight-digit local numbers, the adjustment of all mobile phone numbers in the UK to the 07 prefix and the alteration of many non-geographic codes to the new 08 range.
Great Britain
| Area | Before BNC | After BNC |
|---|---|---|
| Inner London | (0171) xxx xxxx | (020) 7xxx xxxx |
| Outer London | (0181) xxx xxxx | (020) 8xxx xxxx |
| Portsmouth | (01705) xxxxxx | (023) 92xx xxxx |
| Southampton | (01703) xxxxxx | (023) 80xx xxxx |
| Coventry | (01203) xxxxxx | (024) 76xx xxxx |
| Cardiff | (01222) xxxxxx | (029) 20xx xxxx |
Note Under the change the two London areas were reunified under the single (020) code. New numbers beginning with 7, 8 or (later) 3 were allocated regardless of location.
All of the above areas now have an eight-digit local number, in place of their previous six or seven-digit local number. For a short while you could use either number for local dialling, but local access to the old, shorter, numbers was switched off after a few months of parallel running.
In London, new 70xx xxxx, 71xx xxxx, 80xx xxxx, and 81xx xxxx numbers became available for general use. These began to be allocated anywhere in London, with no regard for the 1990-2000 inner/outer London geographical split.
In all of the other areas, new BC0x xxxx and BC1x xxxx numbers became available for general use at the same time (where BC is '76' in Coventry, '20' in Cardiff, etc).
Northern Ireland
| Area | Before BNC | After BNC | Actual county (if different) |
|---|---|---|---|
County Antrim County Antrim County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000... |
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| Ballycastle Ballycastle Ballycastle can refer to:*Ballycastle, County Antrim, a small town in Northern Ireland*Ballycastle, County Mayo, a village in the Republic of Ireland... |
(012657) xxxxx | (028) 207x xxxx | |
| Martinstown | (012667) xxxxx | (028) 217x xxxx | |
| Ballymena Ballymena Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census.... (5-digit) |
(01266) xxxxx | (028) 256x xxxx | |
| Ballymena (6-digit) | (01266) xxxxxx | (028) 25xx xxxx | |
| Ballymoney Ballymoney Ballymoney is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 9,021 people in the 2001 Census. It is currently served by Ballymoney Borough Council.... |
(012656) xxxxx | (028) 276x xxxx | |
| Larne Larne Larne is a substantial seaport and industrial market town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a population of 18,228 people in the 2001 Census. As of 2011, there are about 31,000 residents in the greater Larne area. It has been used as a seaport for over 1,000 years, and is... |
(01574) xxxxxx | (028) 28xx xxxx | |
| Kilrea Kilrea Kilrea is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the River Bann, which marks the boundary between County Londonderry and County Antrim... |
(012665) xxxxx | (028) 295x xxxx | Londonderry |
County Armagh County Armagh -History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha... |
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| Newry Newry Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population... (5-digit) |
(01693) xxxxx | (028) 302x xxxx | Partially in Down |
| Newry (6-digit) | (01693) xxxxxx | (028) 30xx xxxx | Partially in Down |
| Armagh Armagh Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh... |
(01861) xxxxxx | (028) 37xx xxxx | |
| Portadown Portadown Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast... |
(01762) xxxxxx | (028) 38xx xxxx | Partially in Down |
County Down County Down -Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:... |
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| Banbridge Banbridge Banbridge is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the River Bann and the A1 road. It was named after a bridge built over the Bann in 1712. The town grew as a coaching stop on the road from Belfast to Dublin and thrived from Irish linen manufacturing... |
(018206) xxxxx | (028) 406x xxxx | |
| Rostrevor Rostrevor Rostrevor is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Newry and Mourne District Council area. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough. The Kilbroney River flows through the village.... |
(016937) xxxxx | (028) 417x xxxx | |
| Kircubbin | (012477) xxxxx | (028) 427x xxxx | |
| Newcastle Newcastle, County Down Newcastle is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,444 people recorded in the 2001 Census. The seaside resort lies on the Irish Sea coast at the base of Slieve Donard, one of the Mourne Mountains, and is known for its sandy beach and the Royal County Down Golf Club... |
(013967) xxxxx | (028) 437x xxxx | |
| Downpatrick Downpatrick Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census... |
(01396) xxxxxx | (028) 44xx xxxx | |
County Fermanagh County Fermanagh Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas.... |
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| Enniskillen Enniskillen Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census... |
(01365) xxxxxx | (028) 66xx xxxx | |
| Lisnaskea Lisnaskea Lisnaskea is the second-biggest settlement in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 2,739 people in the 2001 Census. The town is built around the long main street, which bends at almost 90 degrees along its course.- History :... |
(013657) xxxxx | (028) 677x xxxx | |
| Kesh Kesh, County Fermanagh Kesh is a village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is on the Kesh River about from Lower Lough Erne. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 972 people.... |
(013656) xxxxx | (028) 686x xxxx | |
County Londonderry County Londonderry The place name Derry is an anglicisation of the old Irish Daire meaning oak-grove or oak-wood. As with the city, its name is subject to the Derry/Londonderry name dispute, with the form Derry preferred by nationalists and Londonderry preferred by unionists... |
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| Coleraine Coleraine Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections... (6 digit) |
(01265) xxxxxx | (028) 70xx xxxx | |
| Coleraine (5 digit) | (01265) xxxxx | (028) 703x xxxx | |
| Derry Derry Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"... |
(01504) xxxxxx | (028) 71xx xxxx | |
| Limavady Limavady Limavady is a market town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with Binevenagh as a backdrop. It lies east of Derry and south west of Coleraine. It had a population of 12,135 people in the 2001 Census, an increase of some 17% compared to 1991... |
(015047) xxxxx | (028) 777x xxxx | |
| Magherafelt Magherafelt Magherafelt is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 people recorded in the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of County Londonderry and is the social, economic and political hub of the area... (6 digit) |
(01648) xxxxxx | (028) 79xx xxxx | |
| Magherafelt (5 digit) | (01648) xxxxx | (028) 796x xxxx | |
County Tyrone County Tyrone Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on... |
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| Carrickmore Carrickmore Carrickmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies in the heart of the county on an raised site colloquially called "The Rock"; between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It had a population of 612 in the 2001 Census.-History:... |
(016627) xxxxx | (028) 807x xxxx | |
| Newtownstewart Newtownstewart Newtownstewart is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is overlooked by hills called Bessy Bell and Mary Gray and is at the confluence of the rivers Strule and Owenkillew. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,479 people. It lies within the Strabane District Council... |
(016626) xxxxx | (028) 816x xxxx | |
| Omagh Omagh Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and... |
(01662) xxxxxx | (028) 82xx xxxx | |
| Ballygawley Ballygawley Ballygawley or Ballygawly is a village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is about southwest of Dungannon, near the meeting of the A5 Omagh–Monaghan and A4 Dungannon–Enniskillen roads.... |
(016625) xxxxx | (028) 855x xxxx | |
| Cookstown Cookstown, County Tyrone Cookstown is a town and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of nearly 11,000 people in the 2001 Census. It is one of the main towns in the area known as Mid-Ulster. It was founded around 1620 when the townlands in the area... |
(016487) xxxxx | (028) 867x xxxx | |
| Dungannon Dungannon Dungannon is a medium-sized town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the third-largest town in the county and a population of 11,139 people was recorded in the 2001 Census. In August 2006, Dungannon won Ulster In Bloom's Best Kept Town Award for the fifth time... |
(01868) xxxxxx | (028) 87xx xxxx | |
| Fivemiletown Fivemiletown Fivemiletown is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is 16 miles east of Enniskillen and 26 miles west-south-west of Dungannon, on the A4 Enniskillen-to-Dungannon road. Its population as of 2009 is estimated to be 1,128. The village is most famous for its creamery, which... |
(013655) xxxxx | (028) 895x xxxx | |
Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... area |
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| Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
(01232) xxxxxx | (028) 90xx xxxx | Antrim and Down |
| Bangor Bangor, County Down Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status... |
(01247) xxxxxx | (028) 91xx xxxx | Down |
| Lisburn Lisburn DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn... |
(01846) xxxxxx | (028) 92xx xxxx | Antrim and Down |
| Ballyclare Ballyclare Ballyclare is a small town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,770 people in the 2001 Census... |
(01960) xxxxxx | (028) 93xx xxxx | Antrim |
| Antrim | (01849) xxxxxx | (028) 94xx xxxx | Antrim |
| Saintfield Saintfield Saintfield is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland, situated roughly halfway between Belfast and Downpatrick on the A7 road. It had a population of 2,959 people in the 2001 Census. The village proper is considered predominantly a middle or upper-middle class town and of both Catholic and... |
(01238) xxxxxx | (028) 97xx xxxx | Down |
In Northern Ireland, the situation was more complicated. While the primary reason for the changes was the lack of numbering capacity in Belfast (01232), this was not the only reason. When STD
Subscriber trunk dialling
Subscriber trunk dialling is a term for a telephone system allowing subscribers to dial trunk calls without operator assistance.- Terminology :...
codes were introduced in the 1960s, Northern Ireland was allocated only 14 area codes for 34 charging groups. Normal practice on Great Britain was to allocate one area code per charging group, but as calls to Northern Ireland were national rate from anywhere in GB, it was not seen to be necessary to differentiate between all of them. So, area codes covering multiple charge groups were created; in practice this meant that some areas had longer area codes. For example, while Enniskillen was allocated the area code 0365 (0EK5), Kesh was allocated 03656 and Lisnaskea 03657. As a result, numbers in Enniskillen could not begin with 6 or 7, as this would conflict with those of Kesh or Lisnaskea.
All this meant that while Enniskillen's numbers could be six digits long, Kesh's and Lisnaskea's (and those of other dependent exchanges) could only be five digits, due to the limit of the length of a phone number. This severely restricted capacity in these areas. As a result, at the Big Number Change, all these dependent exchanges were migrated to different numbers than their parent exchanges; in this instance while Enniskillen's 01365 (the 1 coming from PhONEday) was migrated to 028 66, Kesh went from 013656 to 028 686 and Lisnaskea from 013657 to 028 677. This meant that Kesh could expand into the rest of the 028 68xx range.
Note that the new numbering scheme groups numbers together such that the first digit identifies the county
Counties of Ireland
The counties of Ireland are sub-national divisions used for the purposes of geographic demarcation and local government. Closely related to the county is the County corporate which covered towns or cities which were deemed to be important enough to be independent from their counties. A county...
in alphabetical order. The exception is the Greater Belfast
Greater Belfast
Greater Belfast is an area surrounding and including Belfast in Northern Ireland.It includes Belfast and parts of the North Down, Lisburn, Castlereagh and Newtownabbey district council areas. Greater Belfast is the largest urban area in Northern Ireland, and second largest in Ireland...
area where all numbers begin with 9, regardless of the county. The full list of changes for Northern Ireland is as in the table above.
National dialling only ranges
In London, old National Dialling Only 0xx xxxx and 1xx xxxx numbers were migrated to new 0axx xxxx and 1axx xxxx numbers (where 'a' is mostly 0 or 1, so far).In all of the other areas, old National Dialling Only 0xxxxx and 1xxxxx numbers were migrated to new 0aax xxxx and 1aax xxxx numbers.
These migration from old to new numbers was as follows:
| Area | Old range | New range |
|---|---|---|
| Coventry Coventry Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although... |
01203 0xxxxx | 024 100x xxxx |
| 01203 1xxxxx | 024 101x xxxx | |
| Cardiff Cardiff Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for... |
01222 0xxxxx | 029 100x xxxx |
| 01222 1xxxxx | 029 101x xxxx | |
| Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... |
01232 0xxxxx | 028 100x xxxx |
| 01232 1xxxxx | 028 101x xxxx | |
| Southampton Southampton Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest... |
01703 0xxxxx | 023 110x xxxx |
| 01703 1xxxxx | 023 111x xxxx | |
| Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island... |
01705 0xxxxx | 023 100x xxxx |
| 01705 1xxxxx | 023 101x xxxx | |
| London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
0171-0xx xxxx | 020 01xx xxxx |
| 0171-1xx xxxx | 020 11xx xxxx | |
| 0181-0xx xxxx | 020 00xx xxxx | |
| 0181-1xx xxxx | 020 10xx xxxx |
Special services and premium rate
The following changes were made to non-geographic numbering ranges to bring them in the 08xx special services and 09xx premium rate ranges.| Code | Charging rate | Before BNC | After BNC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0345 | Local rate | 0345 xxxxxx | 0845 7xx xxxx |
| 0645 | Local rate | 0645 xxxxxx | 0845 9xx xxxx |
| 03745 | National rate | 03745 xxxxxx | 0870 4xx xxxx |
| 0541 | National rate | 0541 xxxxxx | 0870 1xx xxxx |
| 0990 | National rate | 0990 xxxxxx | 0870 5xx xxxx |
| 0321 | Vodafone Freephone | 0321 xxxxxx | 0808 0xx xxxx |
| 0331 | VoData premium rate | 0331 | Unknown |
| 0336 | VoData premium rate | 0336 | Unknown |
| 0338 | Mercury premium rate | 0338 | Unknown |
| 0345 | BT Lo-Call | 0345 xxxxxx | 0845 7xx xxxx |
| 0374 5 | National rate | 03745 xxxxxx | 0870 4xx xxxx |
| 0541 | Mercury AreaCall | 0541 xxxxxx | 0870 1xx xxxx |
| 0632 | Premium rate | 0632 | 09xx |
| 0640 | Mercury premium rate | 0640 | 09xx |
| 0645 | Mercury LocalCall | 0645 xxxxxx | 0845 9xx xxxx |
| 0660 | Mercury premium rate | 0660 | 09xx |
| 0696 | Premium rate | 0696 | 09xx |
| 0696 | Premium rate | 0696 | 09xx |
| 0696 6 | Jersey Telecoms premium rate | 0696 6 | 09xx |
| 0696 8 | Manx Telecoms premium rate | 0696 8 | 09xx |
| 0696 9 | Guernsey Telecoms premium rate | 0696 9 | 09xx |
| 0839 | Mercury premium rate? | 0839 xxxxxx | Unknown |
| 0853 | Premium rate | 0853 | 09xx |
| 0881 | Mercury premium rate | 0881 | 09xx |
| 0890 | Premium rate | 0890 | 09xx |
| 0891 | BT ValueCall | 0891 xxxxxx | 0906 5xx xxxx |
| 0894 | BT premium rate | 0894 | 09xx |
| 0896 | Premium rate | 0896 | 09xx |
| 0897 | BT premium rate | 0897 | 09xx |
| 0898 | BT premium rate | 0898 | 09xx |
| 0930 | Premium rate | 0930 | 09xx |
| 0941 | Premium rate (Pagers?) | 0941 xxxxxx | 07641 xxxxxx |
| 09567 | FleXtel Personal Numbering | 0956 7xxxxx | 070 107x xxxx |
| 0990 | BT NationalCall | 0990 xxxxxx | 0870 5xx xxxx |
| 0991 | Mercury premium rate | 0991 | 09xx |
The 0500 (Mercury FreeCall) code has remained, but no new numbers have been allocated in it since 28 April 2001.
Mobile numbers
The following changes were made to mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
numbering ranges to bring them in the 07xxx mobile numbers range.
| Code | Operator | Before BNC | After BNC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0370 | Vodafone | 0370 xxxxxx | 07770 xxxxxx |
| 0374 | Vodafone | 0374 xxxxxx | 07774 xxxxxx |
| 0378 | Vodafone | 0378 xxxxxx | 07778 xxxxxx |
| 0385 | Vodafone | 0385 xxxxxx | 07785 xxxxxx |
| 0390 | Orange | 0390 xxxxxx | 07790 xxxxxx |
| 0401 | BT Cellnet | 0401 xxxxxx | 07701 xxxxxx |
| 0402 | BT Cellnet | 0402 xxxxxx | 07702 xxxxxx |
| 0403 | BT Cellnet | 0403 xxxxxx | 07703 xxxxxx |
| 0410 | BT Cellnet | 0410 xxxxxx | 07710 xxxxxx |
| 0411 | BT Cellnet | 0411 xxxxxx | 07711 xxxxxx |
| 0421 | Vodafone | 0421 xxxxxx | 07721 xxxxxx |
| 0441 | Vodafone | 0441 xxxxxx | 07741 xxxxxx |
| 04481 | 04481 xxxxxx | 07781 xxxxxx | |
| 0456 0 | Orange | 0456 0xxxxx | Unknown |
| 0456 1 | Orange | 0456 1xxxxx | Unknown |
| 04624 | 04624 xxxxxx | 07624 xxxxxx | |
| 0467 | Vodafone | 0467 xxxxxx | 07767 xxxxxx |
| 0468 | Vodafone | 0468 xxxxxx | 07768 xxxxxx |
| 0498 | Vodafone | 0498 xxxxxx | 07798 xxxxxx |
| 0585 | BT Cellnet | 0585 xxxxxx | 07885 xxxxxx |
| 0589 | BT Cellnet Vodafone? |
0589 xxxxxx | 07889 xxxxxx |
| 0802 | BT Cellnet | 0802 xxxxxx | 07802 xxxxxx |
| 0831 | Vodafone | 0831 xxxxxx | 07831 xxxxxx |
| 0836 | Vodafone | 0836 xxxxxx | 07836 xxxxxx |
| 0839 | Vodafone | 0839 xxxxxx | 07839 xxxxxx |
| 0850 | BT Cellnet | 0850 xxxxxx | 07850 xxxxxx |
| 0860 | BT Cellnet | 0860 xxxxxx | 07860 xxxxxx |
| 09307 | One-to-One | 0930 7xxxxx | 07930 7xxxxx |
| 0956 | One-to-One | 0956 xxxxxx | 07956 xxxxxx |
| 0958 | One-to-One | 0958 xxxxxx | 07958 xxxxxx |
| 0961 | One-to-One | 0961 xxxxxx | 07961 xxxxxx |
| 0966 | Orange | 0966 xxxxxx | 07966 xxxxxx |
| 0973 | Orange | 0973 xxxxxx | 07973 xxxxxx |
| 0976 | Orange | 0976 xxxxxx | 07976 xxxxxx |
| 0979 7 | Jersey Telecom | 0979 7xxxxx | 07797 7xxxxx |
Pager numbers
The following codes for pager numbers were also changed, so that all are in the 076xx range:| Code | Operator | Before BNC | After BNC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0399 → 01399 |
VodaPage | 0399 xxxxxx → 01399 xxxxxx |
076 99xx xxxx |
| 0399 0 → 01399 0 |
VodaPage | 0399 0xxxxx → 01399 0xxxxx |
Discontinued by 2001-04-28 |
| 0426 → 01426 |
BT Paging | 0426 xxxxxx → 01426 xxxxxx |
076 26xx xxxx |
| 0459 → 01459 |
VodaPage/PageOne | 0459 xxxxxx → 01459 xxxxxx |
076 59xx xxxx |
| 01523 | PageOne | 01523 xxxxxx | 076 23xx xxxx |
| 01893 | BT Paging | 01893 xxxxxx | 076 93xx xxxx |
| 0336 7 | Vodafone | 0336 7xxxxx | 076 637x xxxx |
| 0385 4 | Vodata? | 0385 4xxxxx | Unknown |
| 0385 6 | Vodata | 0385 6xxxxx | Unknown |
| 04325 | BT Paging | 04325 xxxxxx | 076 25xx xxxx |
| 04624 | Isle of Man? | 04624 xxxxxx | 076 24xx xxxx |
| 0660 | PageOne | 0660 xxxxxx | 076 61xx xxxx |
| 0839 | PageOne | 0839 xxxxxx | 076 61xx xxxx |
| 0881 | PageOne | 0881 xxxxxx | 076 81xx xxxx |
| 0941 | Orange (HPL) | 0941 xxxxxx | 076 41xx xxxx |
| 0941 1 | Orange (HPL) | 0941 1xxxxx | 076 411x xxxx |
Some of these codes, as indicated by the arrow "→", had already been changed during PhONEday to add a "1" after the initial zero, and now they have been changed again.
Numbers for drama
These fictional numbers are made available by Oftel for dramatic purposes, for example for quoting in TV, radio and film. Ofcom explains: "Telephone Numbers recommended for drama purposes cannot be allocated to Communications Providers for their customers because of the potential influx of calls that customers may receive should their Telephone Numbers be shown in a drama."| Number range type | Code area | Before PhONEday | Before BNC | After BNC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Number range | Code | Number range | Code | Number range | ||
| Geographic | Leeds | 0113 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0113 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Sheffield | 0114 0114 (UK dial code) The 0114 dialing code includes the whole of Sheffield, excluding the Fox House area , the Eckington area of North East Derbyshire and the Aston, Aughton, and Ulley areas of Rotherham .... |
496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0114 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Nottingham | 0115 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0115 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Leicester | 0116 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0116 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Bristol | 0117 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0117 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Reading | 0118 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0118 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 | ||
| Geographic | Birmingham | 021 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0121 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0121 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 |
| Geographic | Edinburgh | 031 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0131 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0131 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 |
| Geographic | Glasgow | 041 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0141 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0141 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 |
| Geographic | Liverpool | 051 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0151 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0151 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 |
| Geographic | Manchester | 061 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0161 | 496 0000 to 496 0009 | 0161 | 496 0000 to 496 0999 |
| Geographic | Tyneside/Durham/Wearside | 091 | 498 0000 to 498 0009 | 0191 | 498 0000 to 498 0009 | 0191 | 498 0000 to 498 0999 |
| Geographic | London | 01 | 946 0000 to 946 0009 | 0171 | 946 0000 to 946 0009 | 020 | 7946 0000 to 7946 0999 |
| Geographic | Northern Ireland | 028 | 9018 0000 to 9018 0999 | ||||
| Geographic | Cardiff | 029 | 2018 0000 to 2018 0999 | ||||
| Geographic | No area | 0632 | 960000 to 960009 | 01632 | 960000 to 960009 | 01632 | 960000 to 960999 |
| Mobile | n/a | 07700 | 900000 to 900009 | 07700 | 900000 to 900999 | ||
| UK-wide | n/a | 0306 | 999 0000 to 999 0999 | ||||
| Freephone | n/a | 0808 | 157 0980 to 157 0989 | 0808 | 157 0000 to 157 0999 | ||
| Premium rate services | n/a | 0909 | 879 0980 to 879 0989 | 0909 | 879 0000 to 879 0999 |
Although not directly connected with the official BigNumber changes, these number allocations were updated with the new prefixes and with additional areas, as well as changing from 10 to 1000 numbers allocated per block, around the same time as the other BigNumber changes occurred.
Misunderstandings
Some widespread misunderstandings about area codes came about with the Big Number Change, most notably with London area codes. There is a widespread but erroneous assumption that London has two area codes 0207 and 0208, whereas in fact it has just one: 020. Similar misunderstandings came about with a few other area codes.See also
- Telephone numbers in the United KingdomTelephone numbers in the United KingdomThe UK telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning telephone numbers in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies...
- List of United Kingdom dialling codes
- List of Wales dialling codes
- UK telephone code misconceptions — includes the common "0207" and "0208" misconceptions
External links
- http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/oftel/publications/1999/consumer/qanum999.htm
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/advice/3304080/Bootcamp-116-the-big-number.html
- http://www.area-codes.org.uk/bt_changes.pdf