Number Conservation and Overlays
As the number of lines in use continues to grow some areas are close to full capacity. In the late-1990s, Ofcom signalled a number of areas of concern.
| By 2005 | By 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 01202 | Bournemouth | 01204 | Bolton |
| 01203 | Coventry | 01344 | Ascot |
| 01223 | Cambridge | 01582 | Markyate |
| 01224 | Aberdeen | 01604 | Northampton |
| 01273 | Brighton | 01706 | Rochdale |
| 01274 | Bradford | 01733 | Peterborough |
| 01332 | Derby | 01753 | Iver |
| 01483 | Guildford | ||
| 01642 | Middlesbrough | ||
| 01772 | Preston | ||
| 01782 | Stoke-on-Trent | ||
| 01865 | Oxford | ||
| 01902 | Wolverhampton | ||
| 01942 | Wigan | ||
Of these only Coventry was addressed by migration to the 024 code and eight digit subscriber numbers.
In November 2010, Ofcom proposed to abandon renumbering and instead provide capacity by starting to use local numbers beginning '0' and '1', and removing the option of dialling locally using just the subscriber number. Once the supply of new numbers released by this measure is exhausted Ofcom propose introducing additional, overlay area codes to run in tandem with current codes. It is anticipated that the overlay codes would not be required before 2022.
Under this policy Bournemouth numbers can no longer be dialled locally from 1 November 2012.
Read more about this topic: Telephone Numbers In The United Kingdom
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