The fixed telephone numbers within one settlement will now be dialled with prefix “0” and the area code

 

As of 00:00 h. on 10^th of March 2011 a closed dialling of geographic numbers in Bulgaria will be introduced. From this moment on every fixed telephone number in a certain settlement will be dialled with prefix and the area code.

 

The numbers in the same settlement (or group of settlements), which till the moment the customers have dialled without prefix “0” and the relevant area code, will be dialled in a new way – with a prefix and a code. Thus all numbers in Bulgaria will be dialled in the same way. For example, the customers in Sofia should dial “02” before the number of the called subscriber in the same city, these from Plovdiv – “032”, these from Svishtov – “0631”, etc.

 

The way for dialling short numbers for regional services will be also changed. They will be now dialled with a prefix and the relevant geographic code of area center in Republic of Bulgaria. For example, “exact time” in Sofia city and Sofia region will be dialled with “02 180”, from Varna city and Varna region – “052 180”, etc.

 

The transition to a closed dialling will lead to a change only in the dialling of numbers within the same geographic code, since at present when a long-distance dialling and dialling to mobile and non-geographic numbers is made, the whole national significant number is used (area code/code of the network and subscriber number) and prefix “0”.

 

The dialling of the numbers for emergency calls (150, 160, 166 and 112), numbers for provision of harmonized services of social value in the range “116” and the numbers for access to directory enquiry services in the range “118” is not changed.

 

It is expected that the undertakings to which geographic numbers are provided, will inform their subscribers for the change that is forthcoming according to the CRC’s instructions. With the aim to facilitate the customers, within 6 months after the introduction of the closed dialling, when dialling geographic number without a prefix and a code, a voice message with a text will be played, explaining the requirement to dial a prefix and a code before the subscriber’s number.

 

It should be noted that the change in the dialling will not affect the calls’ charging. The calls within the same geographic code remain at the same price according to the applicable by the relevant operator tariff.

 

The change in the way of dialling will allow the use of additional numbering capacity of geographic numbers within the existing geographic codes and the implementation of geographic number portability in the regions, served by analog exchanges.