World Telephone Numbering Guide

Updated 2 June 2011

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Romania

+40

Number Format

Area Code:            1-3 digits (see note below)
Subscriber Number:    5-7 digits (see note below)
Trunk Prefix:         0
International Prefix: 00

Until 14 June 2002, the only 1-digit area code is Bucharest (1); all other geographic codes are 2-digit codes. Non-geographic services such as freephone (800) use 3-digit area codes.

Area Code plus Subscriber Number should total 9 digits (as of 14 June 2002; formerly this total was 8 digits).

Area code information

3 May 2008 - all domestic calls require full 10 digits

Romania introduced a closed dialling scheme to require that all calls within that country use 10 digits - the trunk prefix '0', area code and subscriber number.

Calling from outside Romania was not affected; the sequence of country code +40, then area code and subscriber number remained unchanged.

Short codes of 9xxx format were also changed according to whether the code was of local or national scope. National-scope short codes were prepended with digit '1' while local short codes were prepended with the trunk prefix and area code e.g. '021' for Bucharest then the previous 9xx or 9xxx short code number.

The 10-digit domestic dialling was introduced in permissive state on 3 May 2008. The dialling scheme became mandatory 1 August 2008 where calls dialled with less than 10 digits in the old format were blocked with a recorded message. The dialling became fully mandatory 1 October 2008 with old format calls declared as nonexistent.

112 emergency short code was not changed.

Sources: ANC (National Authority for Communications of Romania) announcement (31 July 2008) and ANC announcement of 23 April 2008

(News courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

September 2003 - +40 3xxxxxxxx available for new carriers

Since the national renumbering from June 2002, and the subsequent opening of the telecom market on 1 January 2003, 32 fixed/wireline telecom carriers requested numbering ranges from the Romanian regulator ANRC. Numbering capacity was limited within the existing +40 2xxxxxxxx range, therefore ANRC opened +40 3xxxxxxxx range to accomodate the demands for new numbers.

+40 3xxxxxxxx is a closed numbering range. +40 2xxxxxxxx remained an open part of the national numbering plan, but ANRC announced its intention to eventually close the entire national numbering plan.

Source: ANRC announcement (17 September 2003, via ITU).

16 December 2002 - national numbering plan update

The National Regulatory Authority for Communications (ANRC) published the latest edition of its national numbering plan regulation.

The basics of the 14 June 2002 national renumbering remained in place. This document likely updated certain aspects such as short codes and carrier selection.

Carrier selection codes are of the form 10xxx (the third and fifth digits cannot be '0'; the fourth digit can be any value).

National short codes are of the form 11x. 112 is the national emergency number, consistent with European standard.

Local short codes have 3 or 4 digits, either 9xx or 9xxx. Short codes cannot be of the ranges 90x or 90xx.

The leading digit of the national numbers (excluding trunk prefix '0') represents specified categories of service. An open numbering system exists for the +40 2 (international format) or 02 (domestic format) series of numbers - that is, dialling a subscriber number within an area code does not require use of trunk prefix '0' or area code. Closed numbering formats require dialling all digits of the national number, including trunk prefix.

Int'l  Domestic  Category
=====  ========  ========
+40 1     01     Not assigned; reserved for national 01xx short codes
+40 2     02     Geographic numbers (open system)
+40 3     03     Geographic or non-geographic numbers (closed system)
+40 4     04     Not used
+40 5     05     Not used
+40 6     06     Not used
+40 7     07     Mobile
+40 8     08     Non-geographic numbers (freephone, voting)
+40 9     09     Non-geographic numbers (premium)
+40 0     00     Not assigned; 00 is international prefix

See ANRC numbering information.

14 June 2002 - national renumbering

On 14 June 2002, 0000 Romanian time, area codes will be expanded by one digit. The area code and subscriber number will then total 9 digits (not counting the trunk prefix).

Permissive/parallel dialling of both the old and new numbering formats is in effect from 14 June 2002 until 14 September 2002.

After the change, the leading digit of the area code will signify the type of service as follows:

2   geographic/fixed services (Romtelecom)
3   fixed service suppliers (geographic or non-geographic numbers)
4   reserved for future use - to be determined by regulator
5   reserved for future use - to be determined by regulator
6   reserved for future use - to be determined by regulator
7   mobile
8   freephone / non-geographic services
9   premium (not assigned as of January 2002)

Area codes for geographic fixed services will be changed by prepending the digit '2' to the existing area code. Thus, Bucharest's area code changes from +40 1 to +40 21. The subscriber numbers following the area code will not be changed.

The existing 6-digit mobile subscriber numbers which follow the mobile area code remain unchanged.

The mobile area code changes from 2 digits to 3 digits, where the new code begins with digit '7'. The second digit of the mobile area code will indicate the carrier.

The mobile area code changes for June 2002 are as follows:

Old Code   New Code   Carrier
========   ========   =======
   90        740      Mobil Rom
   91        721      Mobifon
   92        722      Mobifon
   93        723      Mobifon
   94        744      Mobil Rom
   95        745      Mobil Rom
   96        766      Cosmorom
   98        788      Telemobil

Non-geographic service numbers in the 8xx range of area codes (including 800 freephone service) will be expanded by adding digit '0' immediately after the three-digit area code.

For example, a freephone number 0800 12345 will become 0800 012345. For international format, +40 800 12345 becomes +40 800 012345.

Likewise, in domestic format, 08xx xxxxx numbers for other services (Intelligent Network) will become 08xx 0xxxxx. In internationally format, +40 8xx xxxxx becomes +40 8xx 0xxxxx.

Emergency service short codes are to be standardised in the 11x format (e.g. 112 would be the standard European emergency number).

Future carrier access short codes are reserved as 10x or 10xx format.

Details of the June 2002 renumbering were originally announced by Romtelecom.

Reference: Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announcement (23 January 2002, via ITU).

31 March 2002 - access code to Moldova changes from 02 to 099

Prior to 31 March 2002, callers in Romania can use 02 instead of 00373 to dial to Moldova. After that date, the access code becomes 099 to allow for the national renumbering in 14 June 2002.

Sources:

1. January 2002 Romania numbering document via ITU.

2. MCTI page on renumbering (in Romanian).

3. MCTI document (Word format) on renumbering (in English).

(Information courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

1992 - national renumbering

The first stage of this major renumbering started 15 November 1992 with the change of Bucharest from area code 0 to 1, and prepending the digit 9 to all other area codes (e.g. old code 21 became 921).

Subsequently, at some date not exactly determined, these codes were again changed to a new format where area code and subscriber number totals 8 digits. Bucharest area code remained 1, but area codes outside Bucharest that temporarily began with 9xx were changed to new 2-digit codes.

Other information

Major carrier is Romtelecom, the first public telecom system.

RCS/RDS is another notable carrier, which has operated public phones.

Major mobile carriers are Cosmote (Romtelecom), Digi Mobil (RCS/RDS), Orange, Vodafone, Zapp (bought by Cosmote in 2009, although separate brand, (source, Wall-Street, 2 July 2009)).

Regulator is ANRCTI (formerly ANRC, MCTI).

Further information may be available at Romania Phone blog

(updated regulator, carrier links courtesy Raluca Avram (RomaniaPhone.com), Marius Condor)

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