number<\/a> varies by country, but there are rules for grouping numbers and using spacing.<\/p>\nA phone number can have several components, including an area code and an international country code. It can also have a prefix that helps to identify it as a British number inside the UK or a number from somewhere else outside the country.<\/p>\n
Area Code<\/h2>\n
The number of digits used in a telephone number is the area code. This is the number that you see on shops, vans, and business cards, as well as the number you dial if you want to contact someone in a different part of the country.<\/p>\n
The UK phone system is divided into areas with unique area codes. Each area has its code, and if you\u2019re calling someone from outside the UK, you\u2019ll need to know that code.<\/p>\n
Area codes can be as long or short as you need to be able to reach the person you\u2019re trying to call. Some are just two digits (like 00 or 05), while others are ten digits long.<\/p>\n
There are about forty area codes that have ten digits. These are usually called \u201cmixed\u201d area codes because they share the four digits with twelve five-digit area codes, which restricts which initial digits can be used for subscriber numbers in those areas.<\/p>\n
Historically, the first ten digits were used for geographic numbers, and the final seven were used for non-geographic numbers. Since 2001, the system has been changed so that all geographical and non-geographic numbers have 9 or 10 significant digits after the leading 0 (national destination code and subscriber number).<\/p>\n
The format of the area code for each region can be confusing because it depends on what type of number you\u2019re calling. There are three digits for London, four for most other large cities and surrounding areas, and six or more digits for smaller towns.<\/p>\n
Some cities also have a longer area code that includes a mixture of four and five digits. These include a large city and a small town in the South East of England.<\/p>\n
A few other areas use a longer area code that only includes five digits. These are called \u201c01xxx\u201d \u2013 the first three digits represent a local area code, and the last eight are the actual telephone number.<\/p>\n
This is the oldest format of the UK numbering plan and was used in twelve smaller towns and villages. Previously these were in a five or four-digit format and were changed to a three-digit format in 1995 as a part of PhONEday.<\/p>\n