Until the 1990s, telephone numbers in Israel had 6 digits (except in its early days), and until the 2000s, there were 8 area codes allocated to Bezeq, by region. Currently numbers have seven digits and Bezeq controls 6 area codes - 04 and 06 (Haifa and northern areas) were merged, as well as 07 (south) and 08 (Shfela). Israel's international country code is +972.
With the influence of VOIP long distance was deregulated in Israel. According to the Israel Ministry of Communication a VOIP number may be ported to a landline carrier and vice versa providing the option to have, say, a northern number in the south of the country. Numbers may not be ported, say, from the north to the south of the country on the same kind of line (e.g., VOIP to VOIP or landline to landline). Mobile number portability between cellular providers was introduced in late 2007.
Format: most regular lines are (0X) XXX XXXX for traditional terrestrial lines, or (0XX) XXX XXXX for mobile and VOIP lines. The leading "0" in area codes is only dialed when calling within Israel. When calling from overseas, dial +972 and drop the leading "0" in the area code.
Read more about Telephone Numbers In Israel: Access Codes, Area Codes, Special Numbers, "Kosher" Numbers, See Also
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“It’s a hard feeling when everyone’s in a hurry to talk to somebody else, but not to talk to you. Sometimes you get a feeling of need to talk to somebody. Somebody who wants to listen to you other than “Why didn’t you get me the right number?””
—Heather Lamb, U.S. telephone operator. As quoted in Working, book 2, by Studs Terkel (1973)
“One murder makes a villain, millions a hero. Numbers sanctify, my good fellow.”
—Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
“appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.”
—Bible: Hebrew, 1 Samuel 8:5.
Leaders of ancient Israel asking the last of the judges, Samuel, to appoint a king.