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The 020 area code fully replaced older area codes for London on 22 April 2000, following multiple telephone number changes during the 1990s. [ notes 1 ] As is the case for other codes in the UK, the 020 area code may also be used for services without any physical presence in the area, such as private networks or virtual numbering. [ 1 ]
From 22 April 2000, the 0171 and 0181 codes stopped working and callers dialling an 020 number from another 020 number could omit the 020 (in keeping with local dialling historically). The following diagram shows the history of London's code, starting with the original unified 01 code and ending with the reunified 020 code:
01x1 yyy yyyy [seven-digit local number] 020 to 029 0113 to 0119 0121 to 0191 020: ... Previously 0181 — Outer London (now 020) – previously 081. 01820 — unused.
Recently, the carrier TalkTalk have inadvertently released parts of the 020 0011 range to the general public, [12] with these numbers currently being in use. For example, the charity Give a Car used the number 020 0011 1664 for a while, but recently switched to a proper London number.
The Big Number change meant that London returned to a single area code again (as in the old 01 days), with no "inner/outer" split. Existing London numbers acquired the prefixes 7 or 8, but from that point on (020) 7xxx xxxx and (020) 8xxx xxxx numbers were assigned or reused anywhere in the London area covered by the single (city-wide) 020 code.
Some widespread misunderstandings about area codes came about with the Big Number Change, most notably with London area codes. There is a widespread but erroneous assumption that London has several area codes – 0203, 0204, 0207 and 0208 – whereas, in fact, it has just one: 020 .
Each city with a director system was assigned a three-digit code, in which the second digit corresponded to the first letter of the city name on the telephone dial, except London which had the two-digit code 01. Codes were later changed (e.g., London became 020, and Manchester 0161). 01 London; 021 Birmingham; 031 Edinburgh; 041 Glasgow; 051 ...
The number could be dialled as 387-1234 or spoken to a manual exchange operator as Euston 1234. London manual exchanges were gradually converted to Director automatic exchanges from 1927. Holborn was the first, at midnight on Saturday 12 November, a local and tandem exchange.