ian@unipalm.co.uk (Ian Phillipps) (12/21/90)
>When I lived in England in 1970 .... A telephone >number (area code, etc) was not the same throughout the country. From >one city, your home number would be something totally different from >what it would be in another city. The result being that if you were >out of your home town and wanted to call home, you couldn't just dial >it from memory ... you had to find a local telephone book with all the >right codes. Well, that's what they want you to believe. Just dial the code, as given with a leading "0", and one of two things happen: (1) you get through - and I'm told aren't charged any more. (2) in the "big city" areas with 3+3+4 pattern numbers (e.g. London, Manchester, Glasgow), you may get a rcorded message telling you to leave off the area code. You can ignore the "dial 9 for Clacton" instructions if you like. It's an interesting fact that eight out of ten Americans are confused by telephone numbers being different lengths. If you're one of these, don't even try to talk to Germany (W) where numbers differ by several digits on a single exchange! >I don't know if they have updated the system since then ... yes - >It's noticably improved in the last five years or so. >and North America. Where else can you order a pizza from a cellular >phone while driving home ... ? Well, in Cambridge, England for one - call Flying Pizza on 0223 244874.