Telephone numbers in Gibraltar

Last updated

Gibraltar telephone numbers
Location
Country Gibraltar
Continent Europe
Regulator Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
Access codes
Country calling code +350
International call prefix 00
Trunk prefix None

The Gibraltar telephone numbering plan is the system used for assigning telephone numbers in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. It is regulated by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA), which holds responsibility for telecommunications.

Contents

The country calling code to Gibraltar is +350, which was assigned to the territory by the International Telecommunication Union in the late 1960s. [1] When calling abroad from Gibraltar, the international call prefix is 00. [2]

History

Site of the first telephone exchange in City Mill Lane. Telex1.jpg
Site of the first telephone exchange in City Mill Lane.

Gibraltar's first telephone exchange was set up in 1886 as a private enterprise and then taken over by the Government of Gibraltar. In the 1970s there were three generations of automatic telephone exchange equipment in use with four and five-digit numbers, the latter prefixed with the digit '7'. [3]

The volume of calls grew and a System X digital exchange was installed and was taken over by a privatised telephone operator, Gibtel, which also operate a GSM network.

Direct telephone connections between Gibraltar and Spain were severed in 1969, when land communications between both territories were halted by the government of Francisco Franco, as a result of the Spanish sovereignty claim, and were not restored until 1986. [4]

However, Gibraltar remained subject to restrictions after that date, which affected the expansion and modernisation of Gibraltar's telecommunications infrastructure. These included a refusal to recognise Gibraltar's International Direct Dialling (IDD) code (+350) which restricted the expansion of Gibraltar's telephone numbering plan, and the prevention of roaming arrangements for Gibraltar GSM mobile phones in Spain and vice versa. [5] Following the signing of the Córdoba Accord between the Governments of Gibraltar, the United Kingdom and Spain in September 2006, these restrictions were removed with effect from 10 February 2007.

New numbering plan

Since 1 October 2008 telephone numbers for landlines and mobile phones in Gibraltar have been eight digits long. Prior to this date, landline numbers consisted of five digits starting with either 4, 5 or 7, while mobile phone numbers remained unchanged. Since this date all calls to existing Gibtelecom five-digit landline number have to be prefixed with 200, making the numbers eight digits long. [6]

Thus 52200 became 20052200 and when dialled from outside Gibraltar +350 20052200.

CTS (Gibraltar) Limited, an alternative telecommunications provider began to offer a landline service prefixed with 216 and a mobile service with numbers prefixed by 606. This company ceased to operate in 2013. [7]

Since September 2015, U-mee, a provider of fibre broadband services, has offered a fixed line telephone service called U-mee Talk, in which numbers will be prefixed with the digits 222. [8]

Since late 2017, Gibfibrespeed, a provider of fibre broadband services, has offered a fixed line telephone service, in which numbers are prefixed with the digits 225, [9] The GRA itself has announced regular updates to the numbering plan, and Gibfibrespeed as a fixed line operator is also licensed to provide carrier routing and transit services. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

Telecommunications in Eritrea are under the authority of the Government of Eritrea.

Communications in Gibraltar comprise a wide range of telephony systems, Internet access, broadcasting and satellite control. There is also printed and online media. Regulation of telecommunications and broadcasting are the responsibility of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA), established by means of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority Act in 2000.

Telecommunications in Haiti Internet, radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones.

Telecommunications in the Philippines are well-developed due to the presence of modern infrastructure facilities. The industry was deregulated in 1995 when President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act 7925. This law opened the sector to more private players and improved the provision of telecom services are better and fairer rates, leading to the creation of many telecommunication service providers for mobile, fixed-line, Internet and other services.

Telecommunications in Trinidad and Tobago include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet.

A toll-free telephone number or freephone number is a telephone number that is billed for all arriving calls. For the calling party, a call to a toll-free number from a landline is free of charge. A toll-free number is identified by a dialing prefix similar to an area code. The specific service access varies by country.

Local number portability (LNP) for fixed lines, and full mobile number portability (FMNP) for mobile phone lines, refers to the ability of a "customer of record" of an existing fixed-line or mobile telephone number assigned by a local exchange carrier (LEC) to reassign the number to another carrier, move it to another location, or change the type of service. In most cases, there are limitations to transferability with regards to geography, service area coverage, and technology. Location Portability and Service Portability are not consistently defined or deployed in the telecommunication industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Australia</span>

The Australian telephone numbering plan describes the allocation of phone numbers in Australia. It has changed many times, the most recent major reorganisation by the Australian Communications & Media Authority taking place between 1994 and 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Singapore</span>

Telephone numbers in Singapore, also known as the National Numbering Plan, are regulated by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA). Due to the small geographical size of Singapore, there are no area or trunk codes; all numbers belong to one numbering area, and thus come in the same 8-digit format. Numbers are categorised based on the first digit, thus providing ten possible categories, of which six are currently in use and the remaining four reserved for future usage.

The Brazilian telephone numbering plan uses a two-digit area code plus eight-digit local phone numbers for landlines and nine digits for mobile lines. Public utility services use short phone numbers, always starting with 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PTCL</span> Pakistani telecommunication company

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL 3G is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan. PTCL provides telephone and internet services nationwide and is the backbone for the country's telecommunication infrastructure despite the arrival of a dozen other telecommunication corporations, including Telenor GSM and ZONG4G The corporation manages and operates around 2000 telephone exchanges across the country, providing the largest fixed-line network. Data and backbone services such as GSM, HSPA+, CDMA, LTE, broadband internet, IPTV, and wholesale are an increasing part of its business. Originally a state-owned corporation, the shareholding of Ptcl was reduced to 62%, when 26% of shares and control were sold to Etisalat Telecommunications while the remaining 12% to the general public in 2006 under an intensified privatization program under Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. However, the 62% of shares still remain under the management of government-ownership of state-owned corporations of Pakistan.

Direct telephone connections between Gibraltar and Spain were severed in 1969, when land communications between both territories were halted by the Spanish leader Francisco Franco, and were not restored until 1986. However, Gibraltar experienced restrictions after that date causing problems with its telecommunications system, as a direct result of the Spanish sovereignty claim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the Philippines</span> Audio telecommunications dialing schemes in the Southeast Asian country

Telephone numbers in the Philippines follow an open telephone numbering plan and an open dial plan. Both plans are regulated by the National Telecommunications Commission, an attached agency under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Spain</span>

The Spanish telephone numbering plan is the allocation of telephone numbers in Spain. It was previously regulated by the Comisión del Mercado de las Telecomunicaciones (CMT), but is now regulated by the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Thailand</span>

Thailand's telephone numbering plan in Thailand is managed by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) in accordance with International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) recommendation E.164.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in India</span>

Telephone numbers in India are administered under the National Numbering Plan of 2003 by the Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India. The numbering plan was last updated in 2015. The country code "91" was assigned to India by the International Telecommunication Union in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Belgium</span>

A telephone number in Belgium is a sequence of nine or ten digits dialed on a telephone to make a call on the Belgian telephone network. Belgium is under a full number dialing plan, meaning that the full national number must be dialed for all calls, while it retains the trunk code, '0', for all national dialling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Panama</span>

All telephone numbers in Panama are seven or eight digits long and there are no area codes. All numbers that both begin with 6 and have 8 digits are mobile numbers. All landline numbers have 7 digits. The first digit of landline numbers may be used to vaguely identify the location of the caller. Mobile phones were also assigned 7 digit numbers until 2005, when they were moved to their own number space with 8 digits. Mobile numbers are recycled if the user is marked as inactive by the mobile service provider, and landline numbers are also recycled if a user cancels their landline phone service.

Gibtelecom is the largest telecommunications provider in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Its headquarters is located on John Mackintosh Square.

References

  1. White Book, Volume 2, Part 1, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee, International Telecommunication Union, 1969, page 30
  2. Whitaker's Almanack 1991, Whitaker and Sons Limited, 1990, page 1064
  3. The Bankers' Almanac and Year Book, T. Skinner., 1981, page 749
  4. Joe Garcia (20 March 1986). "Gibraltar y España estarán unidas directamente por teléfono a partir de esta semana" (in Spanish). El País . Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  5. Gibraltar: British Or Spanish?, Peter Gold, Routledge Press, 2005, page 359
  6. "It's 200 Day!". Gibraltar Chronicle . 1 October 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008.
  7. "GRA to withdraw former CTS numbers". Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 22 May 2013.
  8. "u-mee talk".
  9. "Archived". gibfibrespeed.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2023.[ dead link ]
  10. "The Gibraltar Numbering Plan" (PDF). www.gra.gi. Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2023.