Telephone numbers in Switzerland

Last updated

Telephone numbers in Switzerland are defined and assigned according to the Swiss telephone numbering plan administered by the Swiss Federal Office of Communications. The plan has been changed several times and the most recent reorganization was implemented in March 2002.

Contents

Telephone numbers in Switzerland
Location
Country Switzerland
Continent Europe
Format0xx xxx xx xx
Access codes
Country code +41
International access 00
Long-distance 0

Plan of 2002

The Swiss telephone numbering plan implements the ITU-T recommendation E.164 and is designated E.164/2002, based on its last major revision in 2002. It is a closed numbering plan, [1] which means that all telephone numbers, including the area code, have a fixed number of digits. Swiss area codes are officially termed national destination codes (NDC). A complete telephone number consists of ten digits: 0xx xxx xx xx. Two formats are distinguished: three digits for the NDC and seven digits for the subscriber number, and four digits for the NDC and six digits for the subscriber number. However, a few exceptions exist.

The associated dial plan requires that all numbers, even for local calls, must be dialed with the assigned NDC, in contrast to previous plans. When dialing from within the country, a prefix 0 must be dialed.

The plan was amended a few times, e.g., the transition of numbering zone 01 into 044 and 043.

National destination code

Karte Telefonvorwahlen Schweiz.png

The national destination code (NDC) is the area code for Swiss telephone numbers. Within Switzerland the trunk code 0 must be dialed before the NDC, while it is not needed from international locations.

Telephone numbers are portable between numbering zones (ZN) or between mobile operators, and therefore an NDC does not imply that a caller is actually located in a particular zone or is serviced by any particular mobile operator. For landlines it is now merely an indication of the region where the number was originally attributed to a subscriber.

The national destination codes are the following. [2]

Short codes

Short dialing codes are assigned for special services or network features. [3] [4]

Alternate proposed plan

Instead of E.164/2002, another more ambitious numbering plan was proposed. In this plan the prefix 0 was discarded, and the area codes were defined differently, with 20 to 49 for geographic areas, 50 to 59 reserved, 60-69 for nationwide numbering, 70-79 for mobile services, 80-89 for shared-cost and toll-free numbers, and 90 for premium-rate services. The plan was not implemented because it required too many phone number and prefix changes, with associated high costs.

Changes

After 2002

The area code 01 was replaced with 044 (Zurich)

Between 1996 and 2002 (plan 2002)

On 29 March 2002 the Swiss dialing plan changed to a closed dialing plan, i.e. the zone prefix become mandatory also for local calls.

Until 1996 (plan 1996)

The previous plan removed a lot of area prefixes and added the seventh digit in phone numbers (usually a phone number (0cc) yx xx xx became (0dd) zzx xx xx).

International borders

The German municipality of Büsingen am Hochrhein, an enclave within the canton of Schaffhausen, uses the Swiss telecom network, with numbers having the prefix 052, alongside that of Germany, from which numbers must be dialled in the international format as 004152. [6]

The Italian municipality of Campione d'Italia, an exclave within the Swiss canton of Ticino, uses the Swiss telephone network and is part of the Swiss numbering plan, although some Italian numbers are in use by the municipal council, which use the same +39 031 numbering range as the town of Como. [7]

Liechtenstein previously used the Swiss telephone numbering plan with the area code 075. [8] (This was dialled as +41 75 from outside Switzerland and Liechtenstein). [9] However, on 5 April 1999, it adopted its own international code +423. [10] Consequently, calls from Switzerland now require international dialling, using the 00423 prefix and the seven-digit number. [11]

Related Research Articles

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.

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.

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

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

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

The French telephone numbering plan is used in Metropolitan France, French overseas departments and some overseas collectivities.

Telephone numbers in Japan consist of an area code, an exchange number, and a subscriber number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Numbers on the Irish telephone numbering plan are regulated and assigned to operators by ComReg.

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

The dialling plan for mobile networks and new landline operators is closed; all subscriber numbers must be dialled in full. For landline numbers starting with 02, the dialling plan used to be open; the trunk digit and area code could be omitted if the caller was in the same area code as the callee. However, starting May 3, 2008, all landline numbers must be dialled in full.

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.

Telephone numbers in Oceania use a variety of area codes to denote their location along with their own area code depending on the country's geographic makeup. They also have other prefixes to denote different types of mobile services and international calls. There are exceptions because of regional variations and time zones. 

<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).

Telephone numbers in Luxembourg employ a closed dialling system, whereby all numbers are dialed in the same format whether from within Luxembourg or from abroad. There is no trunk prefix like "0".

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

Telephone numbers in Italy are managed by the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM), a national regulatory authority for the communication industry located in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Norway</span> Norway telephone codes

Telephone numbers in Norway have the country code "+47" and up to the first 2 digits of the phone number will indicate its geographic area. Emergency services are 3 digits long and start with the number "1". Mobile numbers vary in length, either 8 digits or 12 digits.

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

The regulation of telephone numbers in Germany is the responsibility of the Federal Network Agency of the German government. The agency has a mandate to telecommunications in Germany and other infrastructure systems.

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.

<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.

National conventions for writing telephone numbers vary by country. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) publishes a recommendation entitled Notation for national and international telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and Web addresses. Recommendation E.123 specifies the format of telephone numbers assigned to telephones and similar communication endpoints in national telephone numbering plans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telephone numbers in Georgia (country)</span>

Telephone numbers in Georgia consist of 9 digits and follow a closed numbering plan in which the initial 2 or 3 digits indicate the service or area code and the remaining 6 or 7 digits identify the subscriber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natel</span>

Natel is a generic trademark used in Switzerland and in Liechtenstein for 'mobile phone'.

References

  1. OFCOM (March 2010). "E.164 national numbering plan of Switzerland". Federal Office of Communications. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  2. OFCOM (5 May 2009). "Number blocks and codes". Federal Office of Communications. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  3. eOFCOM (5 May 2009). "List of allocated numbers". Federal Office of Communications. Retrieved 5 May 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. Swisscom (5 May 2009). "Service Numbers". Swisscom. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2009.
  5. (fr) Chronique 1996 p. 8
  6. Übernachten
  7. Comune di Campione d'Italia
  8. International Literary Market Place, R.R. Bowker Company, 1998, page 378
  9. Doing Business in Liechtenstein, Price, Waterhouse Center for Transnational Taxation, 1991, page 123
  10. Legal Guide to Audiovisual Media in Europe: Recent Legal Developments in Broadcasting, Film, Telecommunications and Global Information Society in Europe and Neighbouring States, The Observatory, 1999, page 77
  11. Wandermagazin Schweiz, Volume 72, Issues 5–8, page 25