UK Telephone numbers running out!

[MatthewL]

This is something that bugs me at work, on the majority of our phone systems we give everyone a DDI which is similar to their extension when there is generally no need. As we now have a switchboard we can just give out extension numbers and get people to ring that way. The phone companies have been hiking up DDI prices for sometimes so we haven't bought loads when we have got recent new systems. Just a bug of mine as there is no need for me to have a DDI at work but they have given us all one, I field all my calls through our service desk and they then transfer to my extension number. Effectively mine is only a virtual one as it goes to my mobile but its a bug bear of mine. I hate to think how many numbers we waste on our local range.

[mattx]

Ah, cable. A technology that's only available to around half of the homes in the UK For those unfortunate enough to live outside of a city centre we have to put up with a pair of copper wire installed and maintained by BT.

Installed ? Yes, Maintained by BT ? What planet are you on ?

[webman]

Installed ? Yes, Maintained by BT ? What planet are you on ?

Haha, you got me there!

[sted]

Landline: the thing you get your broadband through...

does 340k count as broadband

You mean cable?

havnt seen virgin (or any of their predecessor companies) lay any in 15+ years and unless you lived on or on the way to a council estate they diddnt wire you up

[glennda]

Surely for people who simply use a landline for a broadband line they could set up a way of not needing to have a number associated with the line. something along the lines of the PC Mac address - surely somewhere along the lines the lines are identifiable which isn't what line it is. simply like all of us do with patch panels.

I'm plugged into port 49576843 so thats the number i need to quote if i'm not going to use a landline

[Arthur]

Surely for people who simply use a landline for a broadband line they could set up a way of not needing to have a number associated with the line.

BT could use the 04 prefix since it's not currently being used for anything. e.g. 040 1234 5678.

[Zoom7000]

Ahem!

[pedant]01 became 071 / 081 then 0171 0181 then 0207 / 0208... we only lived in our flat four years and got the first three dialling codes over that period! [/pedant]

Actually, the dialling code for London is 020 - The 7 and 8 make up part of the actual number. (E.g. 020 XXXX XXXX) It used to be 7 for Inner London and 8 for Outer London, however that has since been dropped as I have an Outer London 020 8XXX XXXX number and the regional office within the same borough in London only 5 mins away from me has 020 3XXX XXXX - So clearly it's not reserved to the 7 and 8 any more as they have introduced the 3.

[elsiegee40]

Actually, the dialling code for London is 020 - The 7 and 8 make up part of the actual number. (E.g. 020 XXXX XXXX) It used to be 7 for Inner London and 8 for Outer London, however that has since been dropped as I have an Outer London 020 8XXX XXXX number and the regional office within the same borough in London only 5 mins away from me has 020 3XXX XXXX - So clearly it's not reserved to the 7 and 8 any more as they have introduced the 3.

I'd moved to Kent by the time of the 0207 0208 thing, so I wouldn't know about the later stuff.

We lived in Sydenham and then Beckenham and got 081 and 0181

[Gatt]

Why do I now have visions of phone numbers going like IPv6..

Imagine it - a HEX based phone number !!

[john]

My Mum lives in Buxton and still has a 5 figure telephone number... it causes so much confusion as everyone expects it be a minimum of 6 digits after the STD code now.

Your mum isn't special in that respect Elsie, I have a 5 digit telephone number up here in Yorkshire still! As do 4 other villages and the associated hamlets sharing the exchanges in these villages It confuses people as the big city near us has 5 digit ones and uses the same area code less one digit!

At work the exchange is running out, I enquired about a few (small number) of DDIs for a project I was involved in, they couldn't give me any in the existing ranges Thus it was have mis-matched ranges or a complete new range. We didn't bother in the end as we used dial by extension on the phone system, which I have enabled at work to save any more DDI buying which is great once people get the hang of it, if they delay too long despite me pausing at the end of "if you know the extension number you require please enter it now *pauses for 3 or 4 seconds* Please press 1 for X...." they still end up at the option 2 as our extensions are all 2** thus they are WTF that doesn't work when it is working fine !

[jinnantonnixx]

Surely for people who simply use a landline for a broadband line they could set up a way of not needing to have a number associated with the line. something along the lines of the PC Mac address - surely somewhere along the lines the lines are identifiable which isn't what line it is. simply like all of us do with patch panels.

I'm plugged into port 49576843 so thats the number i need to quote if i'm not going to use a landline

I'm sort of there with my VOIP adapter. I plug this adapter(link) into a network (any network) and my phone is live with my UK geographic number (which I chose) anywhere in the world.

[Gatt]

Skype anyone?
Though I don't have a skype number - I am considering gettting one though!

[RabbieBurns]

Surely for people who simply use a landline for a broadband line they could set up a way of not needing to have a number associated with the line. something along the lines of the PC Mac address - surely somewhere along the lines the lines are identifiable which isn't what line it is. simply like all of us do with patch panels.

I'm plugged into port 49576843 so thats the number i need to quote if i'm not going to use a landline

its already here in australia..

Naked DSL - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[mats]

Maybe they should stop forcing people to have a landline phone then. Not one of my mates uses their laneline yet need one for broadband - with most actually being on Virgin Media! I'm just about to sign up to VM and don't want a phone but I have to get one as its cheaper than not having one.

I wonder how many numbers are actually in use.

That's me. The Virgin line is useful for debt collectors who are still trying to find the previous owner of the number a yer after I got it. We never use it except for 0800s due to the horrific call costs. It's unplugged most of the time but somehow makes the BB cheaper.