Telephone numbers in India

Telephone numbers in India are administered under the National Numbering Plan of 2003 by the Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India. The numbering plan was last updated in 2015. The country code "91" was assigned to India by the International Telecommunication Union in the 1960s.[1]

India telephone numbers
Location of India
Location
CountryIndia
ContinentAsia
RegulatorDepartment of Telecommunications
TypeClosed
NSN length10
Numbering planNational Numbering Plan - 2003
Last updated13 April 2015
Access codes
Country calling code+91
International call prefix00
Trunk prefix0
STD code map of India
A public call office (PCO) in Auroville, India

Fixed-line (landline) numbers

Subscriber trunk dialling (STD) codes are assigned to each city, town, or village. These codes can be between 2 and 8 digits long, with the largest metropolitan areas and cities having the shortest (two-digit) codes:

Second-tier cities and metropolitan areas, as well as large or particularly significant towns have three-digit area codes:

The first-ever long-distance subscriber trunk dialling (STD) call in India was made between the cities of Kanpur and Lucknow in 1960.

The total length of all phone numbers (area code and the phone number) is constant at 10 digits. For example, the number 7513200000 signifies the area code 751 (the area code for Gwalior) followed by the phone number.

Fixed-line or landline numbers are at most 8 digits long.

Fixed-line operators

Due to the availability of multiple operators offering fixed-line (landline) services (either wired or wireless), there is an operator code for each telephone number, which is the first digit in the phone number.[2][3]

OperatorPrefix
BSNL / MTNL2
Reliance Communications3
Airtel4
MTS / HFCL5
Tata Indicom6
Datacom Solutions7

For example, a number formatted in the style (020) 3xxx-xxxx represents a fixed-line number in Pune operated by Reliance Communications, while (011) 2xxx-xxxx is a fixed-line number in Delhi operated by MTNL, and (07582) 2xx-xxx is a fixed-line number in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh operated by BSNL.

Format for dialling fixed-line numbers

No prefix is required to call from one landline to another within the same area code, as variable-length dialling rules apply. A prefix of the number zero + the area code is required to dial from a landline phone in one STD code area to another. The same prefix of the number zero + the area code is required to dial any fixed-line number in India from a mobile phone, irrespective of the area code.

For example, to dial a landline number in Indore, one would have to dial

  • from a landline in Indore: the phone number
  • from a landline in Mumbai: 0731 and then the phone number
  • from any mobile phone in India: 0731 and then the phone number
  • from outside India: +91, then 731, and then the phone number

Before 10 March 2009, as per Department of Telecommunications memorandum dated 9 February 2009.[4][5] there were some exceptions to this general rule for STD areas falling close to each other (within a radius of 200 kilometre), where "0" can be replaced with "95" e.g. to dial Delhi from Gurgaon, one dials 9511+landline number.

Mobile numbers
Main article: Mobile telephone numbering in India

A typical mobile number in India is "+91 xxxx-nnnnnn". The first four digits initially indicated an operator's code, while the remaining six digits are unique to the subscriber. However, with mobile number portability in place, the first four digits no longer indicate a particular operator.

Short code

There are many businesses in the Indian market who rent keywords on a monthly basis, whose characters on a typical mobile phone keypad represent short codes. Short codes are five digits in length and have to start with the digit '5' like 58888 as of 2007. Previously, they were four-digit in number and could be of any combination, like 8888 or 7827. The current five digits can be extended by three digits further representing 3 additional characters. Messages sent to these short codes are commonly referred to as Premium Rate SMS Messages and have a cost per message depending on the operator as well as the service and the company.

Telemarketing

Telemarketers have been issued 10-digit telephone numbers starting with 140 (140XXXXXXX) by the Department of Telecommunications on TRAI's request.[6][7]

Notes
1.^ The Chandigarh Capital Region is a metropolitan area that consists of areas in the union territory of Chandigarh, and the states of Punjab and Haryana.

References
  1. White Book, Volume 2, Part 1, International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee, International Telecommunication Union, 1969, page 31
  2. "National Numbering Plan – a revised approach suggested by TRAI for achieving greater transparency and efficiency" (PDF). trai.gov.in. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. March 2009. pp. 9–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-03.
  3. "Local Phone Number Formats in India". IndiaCallingInfo.com. CallingGuides.com. Retrieved 2018-01-25.
  4. "DoT Memorandum 10th Feb 09" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  5. TRAI for 10-digit landline numbers to meet crunch
  6. Trai fails to set deadline on pesky calls
  7. 'Publishing tariff plans by telecom service providers mandatory'
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