On Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:11:27 +0100, Orchid Win7 v1 wrote:

> http://consumers.ofcom.org.uk/phone/numbering/dial-the-code/
> 
> Due to telephone number exhaustion, they're asking everybody to upgrade
> to IPv6 - er, I mean, they're changing the numbering plan.
> 
> Currently, all area codes start with 0. But that means you cannot assign
> anybody a telephone number that starts with 0, see? So they're making it
> so you always have to dial the area code. That way, we know it's the
> area code because it's at the beginning of the number, not because it
> starts with a 0.
> 
> Rather than, say, add new area codes or something, which would only
> affect people assigned these new numbers.
> 
> Still, I guess it could be worse...

Yes, you could live in the Utah 801 area code.

From some parts of the 801 area code, you *must* dial a '1' first, 
because it's a long distance call, even though it's the same area code.

Calling my neighbor used to not require the area code.  Now it does 
(that's pretty uniform in the US these days).

So, I used to call 555-1212.

Then, when it changed to 10-digit dialing, it was 801-555-1212.

Then they decided that part of it was long-distance, so you had to dial 
1-801-555-1212, but ONLY if you're in the part that's far enough away 
that it's long distance.  If you weren't, you'd get one of this series of 
tones:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_information_tones

(Played at high volume, which in and of itself was enough to piss me off)

Followed by either:

"The number you have dialed requires that you dial '1' before the number."

*OR*

"The number you have dialed is not a long distance call, and does not 
require the '1' before the number."

(messages to that effect, I don't recall any more what the specific 
language is)

And you'd have to hang up and dial the freakin' number again with (or 
without) the 1 as directed.

So you couldn't even always dial a '1' (or leave it out) and have it just 
put the call through, even though your intention was absolutely clear.

Jim

-- 
"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and 
besides, the pig likes it." - George Bernard Shaw

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