dik@uunet.UU.NET (Dik T. Winter) (07/29/88)
%> From: covert%covert.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (John R. Covert) %> Date: 26 Jul 88 21:29 %> Subject: No, 903 is *not* Mexico %> As has been mentioned a number of times recently in this digest, 903 is %> no longer assigned. 706 reaches those parts of Mexico that can be dialed %> with +52 6xx xxxxx; 905 reaches Mexico City (normally +52 5 xxx xxxx). Excuse me. I had the correct number on file but did not look closely enough because it is too far away. %> Neither 905 nor 706 can be used from outside the U.S. and Canada. True enough. I cannot use it. %> %> Date: Wed, 27 Jul 88 08:58:46 EDT %> From: alanine.phri!roy@phri (Roy Smith) %> Subject: International dialing %> Interestingly enough, these area codes only cover part of Mexico. I %> can call Mexico City using area code 905, but to call Cuernavaca (about 100 %> km south of Mexico City) I have to dial 011-73-.... i.e. international I would expect 011-52; 73 means dialling into the USSR. %> prefix, country code, etc). Note that Mexico is one of those (many) places %> where phone numbers are not uniform in length throughout the contry; Mexico %> City has US-style 7 digit phone numbers (although they usually punctuate it %> xxx-yy-zz instead of xxx-yyyy). Cuernavaca numbers are only 6 digits. I %> wonder if that has anything to do with it? Probably not. 905 area code is a hack, and as far as I understand it ought to go away when full 011 dialling is available. Note that there are only very few countries where the phone numbers are uniform in length. North america, France and Belgium I remember, I know no other country. In many countries even the numbers within a city are not equal length. In Amsterdam subscriber numbers are 6 or 7 digits. And in Germany, if you count private exchanges (or how do you call it?), numbers can vary a lot. For instance to get the Siemens operator in Munchen takes only 5 digits, to get an extension requires 8 digits. Also in Rome subscriber numbers vary from 4 to 7 digits. %> %> Another tidbit. I was in Wales (UK) this summer and needed to call %> Dublin, Ireland from a public pay phone. I asked the operator how to place %> the call and she said I should dial "trebble aught one" (0001). What she %> didn't tell me was that I should follow that with the local Dublin phone %> number; I thought she was telling me how to dial a generic international %> call, with 0001 to be followed by the Ireland country code. Yes, that is a bit confusing around here in Europe. A number of countries have shortcut dialling conventions for nearby countries. The UK to many Irish exchanges, also Austria to Germany, Italy and Yugoslavia. Most of the PTT's around here issue a booklet named 'International dialling' or something like that. And you need it. For instance although international access is the same throughout the country in most countries, it is not so in Portugal or the DDR (and some other east-european countries).