"Colum Mylod" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 30 Dec 2004 23:10:16 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message , Clive D. W. Feather
writes
In article , Tony Bryer
writes
Most of mine are dialled including 020: my phone's memory needs
the 020 prefix entered for Caller ID to work

That's unusual: usually Caller ID lookups in the directory only check
the last 6 digits.

On mobiles that's true but both of the home phones we've had in recent
years require the full code with STD for caller display to work. Maybe
we were just "unlucky"?

Isn't that due to BT sending the CLI for local numbers with the full
code tacked on? In other countries local numbers' CLI is the pure
local number (why else have shorter local numbers?). In most other
parts of the planet local numbers can't be dual-dialled with area
codes in front. Of course BT muddle it up worse with their bad dash
formatting: London nos show up in "02072-221234" format.

Try dialling the local number you know is engaged, then hit 5 for
ringback (ouch, 10p), the CLI will be the number you dialled (no code)
and your phone will probably not recognise it.

If you're dialling a number by hand, I can see why you would want to press
the minimum number of keys. But if you're putting it into the memory, why
not put in the full code? It takes a fraction of a second longer to dial but
it does ensure that the phone can be used anywhere in the country (eg if you
move house).

By the way, how much of a London number can you omit? You can omit the 020
if you're calling from a London number but can you also omit the district
code (the next four digits) if you're calling another number in the same
district?


By the way, how did changing from 0171 xxx yyyy or 0181 xxx yyyy to 020 7xxx
yyyy or 020 8xxx yyyy help alleviate the shortage of available numbers in
London? It didn't increase the number of available phone numbers - all it
did was to change the mapping slightly. OK, so there's scope for additional
district codes beginning with digits other than 7 or 8, but it's not
districts that are in short supply, it's subscriber numbers (the xxxx in the
above example).