Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: julian@bongo.uucp (julian macassey) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: London (UK) New Area Codes. Message-ID: Date: 19 Jul 89 01:34:23 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood CA U.S.A. Lines: 35 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 246, message 5 of 8 It appears that British Telecom is changing the London area code from 01 to 071 for central London and 081 for Outer London. I read this in the July 1st edition of the New Scientist - not exactly a reliable source of Telco info. But I have read nothing here about it yet, and am sure some of would like to know. I am also sure that I will be flamed from the UK for not getting my facts right. So here are the facts as I have divined them from California: The change is to 2 digits if you consider the 0 digit is a leader as the 1 digit is in the U.S. i.e. 1(213). Paraphrased here is the New Scientist article: There are currently 4 million subscribers in the London (01) area code. British Telecom says the practical limit is 4.5 Million which will be reached some time in late 1990. Central London currently has 1.5 Million subscribers. Outer London has 2.5 Million. Note that the standard London phone number is a 7 digit number, just like the U.S. a three digit CO code and a four digit subscriber suffix. i.e. 353-4622. The Changeover will be May 6 1990. The master plan they say is to have all major cities with a 3 digit (0NN) area code. The New Scientist moans and groans about the inconvenience and futility of it all. Alas, the usual moaning and groaning of people who wake to find they have a new area code. And a final question for all amateur spooks and freaks of old: What exactly was the FEDeral manual exchange in London during the sixties? Does it still exist? Yours -- Julian Macassey, n6are julian@bongo ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian n6are@k6iyk (Packet Radio) n6are.ampr.org [44.16.0.81] voice (213) 653-4495