subject: International dialling codes explained [print this page] International dialling codes explained International dialling codes explained
The ITU (International Telegraph Union) has a history that harks back to the mid nineteenth century. Initially its main role was to allocate frequencies and standardise telegraph networks. But as technology progressed, its remit advanced to include telephony, radio and other forms of wireless communications. Becoming the International Telecommunication Union after the Second World War and moving its base to Switzerland, its main role changed to allocating frequencies for various communication methods so as to avoid unnecessary interference.
As more and more people around the world felt the need for immediacy in their contact with others, such as for business conference calls, it became necessary for a relatively standardised dialling system to be introduced. This was initially based on the speed it took for rotary dialling to connect to the exchange hence the lower the city code (such as 212 for New York) the quicker it was and also the faster the human exchange operators could hard wire connect calls.
The 1964 CCITT (Consultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy) 'Blue Book' detailed these codes, incorporating some earlier code versions from other countries (such as +44 for the United Kingdom).
Whilst most number coding is assigned, there are a few examples of places that do not seem to have dialling codes of their own. +969 was formerly the People's Republic Of Yemen and is now unassigned, the People's Republic now being under the Yemen number heading of +967.
The Kerguelen Archipelago, in the South Indian Ocean is a notable example of a country that has no international dialling code. It is a French ruled province, but as yet there seems to be no way to hard line communicate with this area. The same is true with Pitcairn Island, which only has satellite phones and cannot be dialled directly.
Should you wish to contact a distance (and no doubt very chilly) associate in the Antarctic, communication with them would depend entirely on where they were based. Although generally the code is 672, you may have to dial your chosen countries code (such as +1 for the USA) to get through to that nation's base. Though dialling the prefix of +91 would produce no results, as India's Antarctic base has now been abandoned!
One of the most obscure dialling codes would be the Vatican City. Dial 379 and the papal city would be connected to you but dial 39-06-698 and you would receive the same communicative result! For the superstitious amongst us, fortunately there is no '666' dialling code (however, Thailand's code is +66).
In these times of changing politics and borders, should any of you feel the need to claim an uninhabited Island and name it after yourself, there are some unassigned numbers still 'up for grabs' - +292 to +297 and +424 to +429 to name a few!
In short in most progressing and advancing technologies, the methods by which we initiate contact with others inevitably changes. Whilst the international dialling code system has been around for many years, it may be seen that eventually an easier method to communicatively travel the world will arise.
