During August 1 – September 30, 2008, Romania will complete the final stage of closing the National Numbering Plan. At the end of this stage, all the telephone numbers will have 10 digits.
Starting tomorrow, only the fixed telephone numbers dialled with a prefix shall be operational. Each time the subscribers dial a telephone number without using a prefix, a voice message or an SMS will warn them on the new number format and the call will no longer be redirected to the destination.
The subscribers of fixed telephony providers cannot be reached unless the caller dials the whole national number, consisting of 10 digits (prefix + local number), for all types of calls – local or national.
For example, a subscriber located in Constanta will be able to call another subscriber in Constanta by dialling 0241 xxx xxx or 0341 xxx xxx, depending on the called party’s provider of fixed telephone services. In Bucharest, the local number consisting of seven digits will be dialled together with the prefix ”021” or ”031”.
Moreover, the current format of short numbers will also be changed to make a clear difference between the numbers for national public interest services (the time, Romtelecom subscriber directory, Romtelecom technical assistance etc.) and numbers providing access to local public interest services – at county level (Gendarmerie, taxi, „Hello, Mr. Mayor”, various technical assistance services etc.). Short numbers for national public interest services will consist of four digits, the first of which will be 1, followed by the current 3-digit number (e.g., 1958 for the service telling the time, irrespective of the caller’s county). Numbers for local public interest services will consist of seven digits, including the specific prefix and the current short number (e.g.: dial 0248956 for the Arges Gendarmerie, 0267956 – for the Covasna Gendarmerie, 0219361 – for TAROM Bucharest Info). In view of preserving the seven-digit format, the special current 3-digit numbers used in Bucharest and in the Ilfov county shall double their last digit (e.g., dial 0219566 – for the Bucharest Gendarmerie).
Both the unique emergency call number – 112 – and the mobile telephony numbers remain unchanged.
In addition to the information provided by voice messages and by the other means used by the operators concerned to disseminate this change for their own subscribers, starting with August, ANRCTI will provide five million information brochures to be made publicly available by the post offices throughout the country. ANRCTI has also launched a cost-free telephone line – 0800.855.855 (available exclusively on the Romtelecom network). Detailed information and a guide on the new dialling of telephone numbers are already available on ANRCTI’s website, www.anrcti.ro.
Starting October 1, the users who dial a number in the old format, shall be prompted with a number unavailability message.