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Abbreviated dialing is the use of a very short digit sequence to reach specific telephone numbers, such as those of public services. The purpose of such numbers is to be universal, short, and easy to remember. Typically they are two or three digits.
Carriers refer to the shortened number sequences as abbreviated dialing codes (ADCs). Unlike SMS short codes, they are generally not automatically synchronized across carriers. ADCs are provisioned separately for mobile networks versus landline networks.
The most commonly known examples are emergency telephone numbers such as 9-9-9, 1-1-2 and 9-1-1. Other services may also be available through abbreviated dialing numbers, such as the other of the eight N11 codes of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) besides 9-1-1. [1] State highway departments in recent years have used abbreviated dialing codes to allow drivers to obtain information about road conditions or to reach the state highway patrol. Examples are *55 in Missouri and Oklahoma, or *FHP which connects to the Florida Highway Patrol. [2] In December 2019, the Federal Communications Commission proposed making 9-8-8 a national number in the United States for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. [3] On July 16, 2022 it was officially implemented as the toll-free, nationwide telephone number for the hotline. [4]
Privileged group-number, system-number, and enhanced-number lists provide access to numbers that typically would be restricted.
For text messaging, the technical equivalent is a short code; however, these are rented by their private users rather than being universal and for public services.
Vertical service codes may also be considered as abbreviated dialing, though these are often prefixed by the special touch-tone characters * and # (or often 11 for pulse dialing) instead of using only numerals. Most are used to access calling features rather than a called party, and some are specific to each telephone company. Some are used only locally or regionally (such as *FHP (*347) to reach the Florida Highway Patrol); other codes as short as one numeral (like *1) are used to report breaking news or traffic to the newsrooms of local news radio or TV stations.
A mobile dial code (MDC) is a phone number, typically preceded by a * or #, that allows the request and receipt of information directly to a mobile phone. MDCs are also known in carrier terminology as "abbreviated dialing codes" (ADCs). Mobile dial codes are dialed just like a regular telephone number. The caller can be presented with any one of a variety of responses that an advertiser defines: a voice or IVR call, a text message, a video or audio clip, a mobile coupon, game or an application.
These types of dialing options can be used for a number of things. "Pound two-fifty" (#250) is an MDC commonly used in radio & TV advertising. Callers are able to dial #250 for a voice-activated, hands-free connection to a business. Callers are prompted to say a keyword or key-phrase, which corresponds to an advertiser (e.g., "Food For The Poor" causes a connection to that non-profit charity). #250 is the only MDC that is functional on all significant mobile carriers in the US and Canada, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, cSpire and several smaller regional carriers (in Canada, on Rogers, Bell Mobility, Telus, Freedom Mobile, Eastlink, Sasktel, Fido, and Videotron). [5]
Usage for each number varies by location. Below are specific numbers, as used in various regions.
this section provides sub-sections for various regions. the sub-sections are not necessarily hierarchical; a region comprising a large country can be equal in level to a region comprising one or more continents.
In the United States, an N11 code (pronounced Enn-one-one) is a three-digit dialing code used in abbreviated dialing in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). These dialing codes provide access to special local services, such as 911 for emergency services, which is a facility mandated by law in the United States. The FCC specified how the N11 codes of 211, 311, 511, 711 and 811 codes would be used for various types of public information under NANP. [7] [8]
N11-numbers provide access to special services. For example,
411 and 611 are commonly used in the United States, but not officially assigned by the Federal Communications Commission.
The designation for special use in the NANP prevents their use as area codes and central office prefixes, eliminating about 8 million telephone numbers from assignment.
911, sometimes written 9-1-1, is an emergency telephone number for Argentina, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Fiji, Jordan, Iraq, Mexico, Pakistan, Maldives, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency numbers, dialing 911 for whatever purpose is a crime in most jurisdictions. Penalties for abuse or misuse of 911 can range from probation or community service to fines and jail time. Offenders can also be ordered to undergo counseling and have their use of telephones restricted or suspended for a period of time as a condition of probation.
An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and dialed quickly. Some countries have a different emergency number for each of the different emergency services; these often differ only by the last digit.
999 is an official emergency telephone number in a number of countries which allows the caller to contact emergency services for emergency assistance. Countries and territories using the number include Bahrain, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cook Island, Eswatini, Ghana, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Kenya, Macau, Malaysia, Mauritius, Niue, Poland, Qatar, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Seychelles, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.
The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1 and has the telephone country code 1. Some North American countries, most notably Mexico, do not participate with the NANP.
111 is the emergency telephone number in New Zealand. It was first implemented in Masterton and Carterton on 29 September 1958, and was progressively rolled out nationwide with the last exchanges converting in 1988.
A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, reachable by a system of destination code routing. Telephone numbering plans are defined in each of the administrative regions of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and in private telephone networks.
An N11 code is a three-digit dialing code used in abbreviated dialing in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The mnemonic N stands for the digits 2 through 9 and thus the syntax stands for the codes 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, 811, and 911. These dialing codes provide access to special local services, such as 911 for emergency services, which is a facility mandated by law in the United States. The (FCC) in CC Docket 92-105, specified how the N11 codes of 211, 311, 511, 711 and 811 codes would be used for various types of public information under NANP.
In the United Kingdom, telephone numbers are administered by the Office of Communications (Ofcom). For this purpose, Ofcom established a telephone numbering plan, known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, which is the system for assigning telephone numbers to subscriber stations.
Telephone numbers in the Netherlands are administered by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation of the Netherlands. The telephone numbering plan may be grouped into three general categories: geographical numbers, non-geographical numbers, and numbers for public services.
Ten-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure in the countries and territories that are members of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It is the practice of including the area code of a telephone number when dialing to initiate a telephone call. When necessary, the ten-digit number may be prefixed with the trunk code 1, which is referred to as 1+10-digit dialing or national format.
Telephone numbers in Hong Kong are mostly eight-digit. Fixed land line numbers start with 2 or 3, mobile (cellular) phone numbers with 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, pager numbers with 7 and forwarding service with 8. Since the end of 1989, there have been no area codes within Hong Kong.
The area code 868 is assigned to Trinidad and Tobago, a member of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). The telephone numbering plan for the country is known as the National Numbering Plan. It is part of a system used for assigning telephone numbers in Trinidad and Tobago, and functions as a part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It is regulated by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, which holds responsibility for telecommunications in the country.
Area code 246 is the telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for Barbados. The sequence 246 spells BIM on an alpha-numeric telephone keypad, a nickname for the island.
112 is a common emergency telephone number that can be dialed free of charge from most mobile telephones and, in some countries, fixed telephones in order to reach emergency services.
119 (one-one-nine) is an emergency telephone number in parts of Asia and in Jamaica. From May 2020, 119 was introduced in the United Kingdom as the single non-emergency number for the COVID-19 testing helpline in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. From January 2022, 119 was introduced in Romania as the single non-emergency number for reporting cases of abuse, neglect, exploitation and any other form of violence against the child.
The New Zealand telephone numbering plan describes the allocation of telephone numbers in New Zealand and the Pitcairn Islands.
The area code 671 is the local telephone area code of the United States territory of Guam. It was created with the beginning of permissive dialing on July 1, 1997, replacing Guam's previous International Telecommunication Union country code 671 at the end of permissive dialing on July 1, 1998.
Telephone numbers in Canada follow the fixed-length format of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) of a three-digit area code, a three-digit central office code, and a four-digit station or line code. This is represented as NPA NXX XXXX.
988 is a telephone number used in some North American (NANP) countries for a suicide prevention helpline. In the United States, it is known as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In Canada, it is known as the 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline.
A telephone number is a sequence of digits assigned to a landline telephone subscriber station connected to a telephone line or to a wireless electronic telephony device, such as a radio telephone or a mobile telephone, or to other devices for data transmission via the public switched telephone network (PSTN), or other public and private networks. Modern smart phones have added a built-in layer of abstraction whereby individuals or businesses are saved into a contacts application and the numbers no longer have to be written down or memorized.