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Brand new area code allocation post-BigNumber for a new town, chosen to be significantly different from the area codes of the adjacent areas of Gravesend and Dartford. [14] 01988 — Wigtown (WT8) 01989 — Ross-on-Wye, Wye Valley (WV9) 01990 — unused; 0990 was Wentworth (WW0) – numbers were transferred to 0344 [notes 14]
This is the format used by most areas. It has a four-digit area code (after the initial zero) and a six digit subscriber number, and is known as 4+6 format. These area codes were changed by adding a "1" directly after the initial zero as a part of PhONEday in 1995. Just short of 581 areas use this format, and the area codes range from 01200 to ...
When dialling a UK number from abroad the zero is omitted and replaced by the calling country's international call prefix followed by 44, the country code for the UK. Thus a call to the Euston exchange discussed above from the United States would be to 011 (US international prefix) 44 20 (London) 73871234.
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 1 June 1999, the new 020 code for London was introduced to replace the 0171 and 0181 codes, re-unifying the London telephone area under one code as it had been under the 01 area code. All the previous seven-digit numbers had a 7 or 8 prefixed to them: (0171) xxx xxxx became (020) 7xxx xxxx (0181) xxx xxxx became (020) 8xxx xxxx
Of the 16 area codes freed up for alternative use in the 1980s, at least 11 were re-used for other services. For example, the 0401 area code was re-allocated to Cellnet mobile services. Five of the area codes remained unused, including 01632, which is now partially reserved for fictitious telephone numbers. In 1995, the PhONEday changes for ...
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. Similar misunderstandings came about with a few other area codes.
PhONEday followed a change made in May 1990, when the old London area code 01 was released from use, permitting all United Kingdom geographic numbers to begin with this prefix. Originally planned in 1991 to take place in 1994, [ 2 ] in 1992 the change was postponed until the Easter Sunday bank holiday in 1995.