World Telephone Numbering Guide

Updated 31 December 2008

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Greece

+30

Number Format

Area Code:            n/a (formerly 1-3 digits)
Subscriber Number:    10 digits (formerly 5-7 digits)
Trunk Prefix:         n/a (formerly 0)
International Prefix: 00

In the format which existed before the 2001-2002 national renumbering: Geographic subscriber numbers: area code plus subscriber number normally totalled 8 digits.

The 2001-2002 national renumbering is now complete, and there is no longer an area code as such - all numbers are 10-digit national numbers for local and long distance calls within Greece, and the trunk prefix '0' is no longer used.

Area code information

yasou.org

May 2008 - new number ranges

Recent mobile number ranges include +30 690 xxxxxxx for Wind mobile and +30 698 xxxxxxx for CosmOTE.

(News courtesy Spyros Bartsocas)

September 2007 - Vodafone +30 695

Vodafone was assigned the new number range +30 695.

Source: Vodafone press release, 25 September 2007. (Tip courtesy Spyros Bartsocas)

July 2007: New number range reports

New number ranges reported (official website sources not yet found):

Range            Service
-----            -------
+30 500 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 501 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 502 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 503 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 504 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 505 xxxxxxx  VPN
+30 600 xxxxxxx  Satellite communications:
+30 700 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 701 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 702 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 703 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 704 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 705 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 706 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 707 xxxxxxx  Personal numbering
+30 891 xxxxxxx   Data Access
+30 896 xxxxxxx   Data Access

(Source: Spyros Bartsocas)

June 2007: New Athens number ranges

Athens numbers of the form +30 21 1xxxxxxx are now in service (see Federation of Greek Industries (SEV) contact page). There are also now numbers in the following ranges:

+30 21 2xxxxxxx
+30 21 3xxxxxxx (carrier OTE)
+30 21 4xxxxxxx (carrier OTE)
+30 21 5xxxxxxx (one prefix assigned, July 2007)
+30 21 9xxxxxxx

For the second largest city, Thessaloniki, the following ranges are reported in effect:

+30 231 0xxxxxx
+30 231 1xxxxxx
+30 231 2xxxxxx
+30 231 3xxxxxx
+30 231 4xxxxxx
+30 231 9xxxxxx

This indicates expanded numbering ranges within Athens besides +30 210 xxxxxxx format since the 2001-2002 national renumbering.

(courtesy Spyros Bartsocas, Chris Ward)

July 2001 to October 2002 - national renumbering

All Greece telephone numbers were renumbered to national 10-digit numbers. This was a staged process that commenced 8 July 2001 and completed in October 2002.

Process for fixed or wireline numbers

For fixed/wireline numbers, new 10-digit numbers were formed in July 2001 by taking the existing trunk prefix (0) then the existing area code, then adding a new digit '0', then the existing subscriber number. In October 2002, the initial '0' digit of that modified number was replaced by the digit '2', completing the change.

The following example shows the process for an Athens number, (01) 1234567 in national format, or +30 1 1234567 in international format:

Before 8 July 2001: Dial 1234567 within Athens, or 01 1234567 elsewhere in Greece. Outside Greece, use +30 1 1234567.

8 July 2001: Dial 01 0 1234567 anywhere in Greece (local or long distance). From outside Greece, +30 1 0 1234567 is now in service. However, the old dialling formats could still be used until 20 January 2002.

20 January 2002: Must now use 01 0 1234567 within Greece, or +30 1 0 1234567 calling into Greece. Attempts to dial with the old formats result in a recorded advisory message.

October 2002: Within Greece, the initial '0' became a '2': 21 0 1234567. Calling into Greece, the digit '2' is added after the country code 30: +30 21 0 1234567. There was no word on whether this part of the renumbering had its own permissive dialling period.

Process for mobile numbers

Mobile numbers remained unchanged until October 2002, at which time the new national mobile numbers began with the digit '6'.

In October 2002, within Greece, a mobile number call of the form 09x xxxxxxx changed to 69x xxxxxxx (replace trunk prefix 0 with the digit '6').

From outside Greece, the digit '6' was added after the country code: +30 9x xxxxxxx became +30 6 9x xxxxxxx. There was no word on whether a permissive dialling period was in effect from October 2002.

Process for freephone and shared cost numbers

An existing freephone or shared cost number had the format 080x xxxxx.

8 July 2001: the digits '11' were added between the area code and subscriber number to form interim freephone and shared cost numbers. That is, new 080x 11 xxxxx numbers are formed from 080x xxxxx. A permissive dialling period of old and new formats was in effect until 20 January 2002.

20 January 2002: The interim 11-digit format must be dialled; the old 080x xxxxx 9-digit format was taken out of service.

October 2002: The 080x 11 xxxxx numbers were reduced to their 10-digit format by eliminating the leading '0'. The national number became 80x 11 xxxxx, without using any leading trunk prefix.

There were no details regarding access from other nations; freephone and shared cost services may be restricted to within Greece.

Process for other non-geographic numbers

Premium rate numbers were converted to 10-digit national numbers beginning with '9', by adding the digits '11' after the old (090) code, then dropping the leading '0'.

Paging numbers were converted to national numbers beginning with '6', by first adding the digit '0' after the old (092) code, then changing the leading '0' to '6'.

Dial-up numbers (such as Internet access) will be converted to national numbers beginning with '8', by first adding the digit '2' after the old (096) code, then changing the leading '0' to '8'.

30 September 2001: initial conversion of numbers was introduced (this introduction date differed from the 8 July 2001 date used for fixed/wireline, freephone or shared code numbers);

20 January 2002: initial conversion of numbers must be used (mandatory time);

October 2002: second conversion of numbers to replace the leading '0' with a digit signifying the type of service.

The following illustrates the conversion process for these numbers:

Service type   Existing    -->  30 Sept 2001 *  -->  October 2002
============   ==========       ==============       ============
Premium rate:  090 xxxxxx  -->  090 11 xxxxxx   -->  90 11 xxxxxx

Paging:        092 xxxxxx  -->  092 0 xxxxxx    -->  692 0 xxxxxx

Dial-up:       096 xxxxxx  -->  096 2 xxxxxx    -->  896 2 xxxxxx

*: Previous format could be dialled until 20 January 2002.

There were no details regarding access to these numbers from outside Greece. However, if Paging number access is allowed, for example, the renumbering converted +30 92 xxxxxx to +30 92 0 xxxxxx initially, then +30 692 0 xxxxxx, following the format of +30 followed by the October 2002 format national numbers.

Renumbering information

Announcements on the Greece renumbering programme were available from national telecom regulator EETT:

(updates courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

1999: cellular numbers become 2-digit area codes

All cellular numbers became 2-digit area codes (domestically, 93, 94 or 97) followed by 7-digit subscriber number, as of September 1999 but prior to the 2001-2002 national renumbering.

Other Information

Number ranges

Number range   Service
------------   -------
00             international prefix
1...           short codes
162xx          carrier selection
163xx          carrier selection
17nx           carrier selection (n=2-9)
118xx          directory enquiries
160xx          carrier pre-selection
2xxxxxxxxx     geographic numbers
3              future geographic numbers
4              unused
50 xxxxxxxx    personal numbers
6...           mobile
692 0xxxxxx    OTE pagers
693 xxxxxxx    Wind (formerly TIM Hellas until June 2007)
694 xxxxxxx    Vodafone
696 01xxxxx    OTE Tetra
697 xxxxxxx    CosmOTE
699 xxxxxxx    Q-Telecom
70 xxxxxxxx    VPN (70xxxx-xxxx)
8...           special services
800 xxxxxxx    freephone
801 xxxxxxx    shared cost (local rate)
807 xxxx       calling card
896 xxxxxxx    internet access
901 xxxxxxxx   premium

EPAK

Area code 965 is EPAK, which translates as Single Number of Panhellenic Coverage. Subscribers on 965 include Internet Service Providers who use this code for dial-in and support (information current to September 1999).

General information

National telecom regulator is EETT.

OTE is the incumbent carrier.

CosmOTE is a mobile carrier.

Wind (formerly TIM Hellas) is another carrier.

(Additional information courtesy Spyros Bartsocas, David Guy).

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