Five new area codes added to the closed local dialling list
So the Ofcom consultation closed last month on changes to making local calls in five new area codes.
From the 1st October 2014, people living in the following area codes will need to dial the whole telephone number, including the area code, regardless of whether they’re calling from a landline (making it the same as if calling from a mobile):
- Aberdeen (01224)
- Bradford (01274)
- Brighton (01273)
- Middlesbrough (01642)
- Milton Keynes (01908)
This follows on from this change being made in Bournemouth, which took effect from the 1st November 2012.
They key things to take away from this are:
- The cost to call the numbers is unaffected. It’s still classed as a local call.
- These changes are designed to prolong the availability of numbers, in their current format, in these areas.
- This is something that will be repeated in other areas in the future, because there are only so many telephone numbers available. Ofcom forecast that there are 25 other area codes that will likely need new supplies of numbers in the next 10 years.
