Dialling Codes

[EvianBaby]

Why do phone numbers in this country all start with zero? Isn't the 0 kind of redundant?

[dzug2]

No it isn't.

I can dial a local number without using the dialling code

I wouldn't be able to do that if a dialling code started with say 4 rather than 04

The 0 connects you to the network rather than keeping you on the local exchange

[Old_Geezer]

Strictly speaking the zero is not part of the subscriber's number. It is a sign to the local exchange that this isn't a local number and the call will have to be passed to the next exchange between caller and called.

[New Judge]

In fact your contention that “0” is redundant is exactly the opposite to what has happened with UK telephony. Prior to 1958 the only time a caller dialled zero at the start of a call was to call the operator (and then he dialled just zero). Up to 1958 callers could only directly dial numbers in their own local area (none of which began with “0”). If they wanted to call elsewhere they had to contact the operator who would connect them manually.

In 1958 Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) was introduced (Bristol being the first city to benefit from it). STD was gradually rolled out across the country and to contact anywhere other than your local area STD codes were provided for each town or group of towns. These all begin with “0”.

As dzug and OG say, if you want to contact a number in your own area (i.e. in the area served by the same STD code) you only need to key the second part of the number. From elsewhere the full number, including the STD code, is needed. So to contact Brighton 456789 from outside Brighton you key 01273 456789. If you are calling from within the 01273 area only 456789 is needed. This principle only applies to landlines. When calling from a mobile the full number is always needed ((even if you’re standing on Brighton pier).

However, when calling from abroad the “0” is redundant. To call Brighton 456789 from a country with IDD (International Direct Dialling) access one usually dials 0044 1273 456789 (though the “0044” - the code to access the UK - may vary slightly in some countries)

[HowardLink]

0 represent that you are using long distance cell. The communicate line is different.