World Telephone Numbering Guide

Updated 29 February 2008

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Israel

+972

Number Format

Area Code:            1-2 digits (see note below)
Subscriber Number:    6-7 digits
Trunk Prefix:         0
International Prefix: 00 (see note)

Area Codes are 2 digits for special/mobile services, 1 digit for conventional wireline services.

International prefix note: 012, 013, 014 may also be international prefix, depending on the carrier selected.

Area code information

April 2005 - Jawall mobile numbers become 7-digit

Jawall (Palestinian) mobile subscriber numbers are now consistently 7-digit, following +972 59 (also via +970 59). No details on migration from former 6-digit mobile numbers, nor were specific dates of change given. However, new 7-digit subscriber numbers were reported to begin with digits '8' and '9' according to PalTel information. The general Israel mobile migration involved prepending '9' to existing 6-digit mobile numbers, however, and this mostly seems to be the case for Jawall.

Source: MOC announcement (14 April 2005, via ITU).

8 December 2004 - numbering plan update

The national telecom regulator announced the following number ranges in use for Israel:

+972 2 xxxxxxx    Jerusalem region
+972 3 xxxxxxx    Tel Aviv region
+972 4 xxxxxxx    Haifa and North regions
+972 50 xxxxxxx   mobile - Pelephone
+972 51 xxxxxxx   mobile - reserved
+972 52 xxxxxxx   mobile - Cellcom
+972 53 xxxxxxx   mobile - reserved
+972 54 xxxxxxx   mobile - Partner
+972 55 xxxxxxx   mobile - reserved
+972 56 xxxxxxx   mobile - reserved
+972 57 xxxxxxx   mobile - Mirs
+972 58 xxxxxxx   mobile - reserved
+972 59 xxxxxx(x) mobile - Jawall [moving to 7-digit subscriber numbers]
+972 6 xxxxxxxx   reserved
+972 77 xxxxxxx   VOIP telephony - HOT Telecom
+972 7x xxxxxxx   (except +972 77) reserved - non-geographic service
+972 8 xxxxxxx    Hashfela and South regions
+972 9 xxxxxxx    Hasharon region

Source: MOC announcement (8 December 2004, via ITU)

1 November 2004 - Mobile code changes complete

New format 7-digit mobile subscriber numbers is now mandatory in Israel; old format numbers are no longer usable.

20 April 2004 - Mobile code changes

Mobile subscriber numbers in Israel will be expanded to 7 digits on 20 April 2004. A permissive dialling period continues until 1 November 2004. After that time, recorded announcements will be reached until 30 April 2005 when dialling the old format numbers.

The conversion will also consolidate mobile area codes so that each carrier will have its subscriber numbers under a single area code in the +972 5x range. Mobile numbers in +972 6x range moved to +972 5x, freeing numbering capacity for future purposes.

Mobile subscriber numbers will be prepended by a digit according to the existing area code, as indicated in the following table:

Old format      New format       Carrier
==========      ==========       =======
+972 50 xxxxxx  +972 50 5xxxxxx  Pelephone
+972 51 xxxxxx  +972 50 7xxxxxx  Pelephone
+972 52 xxxxxx  +972 52 2xxxxxx  Cellcom
+972 53 xxxxxx  +972 52 3xxxxxx  Cellcom
+972 54 xxxxxx  +972 54 4xxxxxx  Partner-Orange
+972 55 xxxxxx  +972 54 5xxxxxx  Partner-Orange
+972 56 xxxxxx  +972 50 6xxxxxx  Pelephone
+972 57 xxxxxx  +972 57 7xxxxxx  Mirs
+972 58 xxxxxx  +972 52 8xxxxxx  Cellcom
+972 64 xxxxxx  +972 52 4xxxxxx  Cellcom
+972 65 xxxxxx  +972 52 5xxxxxx  Cellcom
+972 66 xxxxxx  +972 54 6xxxxxx  Partner-Orange
+972 67 xxxxxx  +972 54 7xxxxxx  Partner-Orange
+972 68 xxxxxx  +972 50 8xxxxxx  Pelephone

The general pattern is that the last digit of the existing area code is used to prepend the existing 6-digit subscriber number. The exceptions are for the existing Pelephone area codes +972 50 and +972 51, so that their subscriber numbers will not commence with digits '0' or '1'.

This scheme would also allow a future migration to a scheme where all mobile numbers are under a single +972 5 area code, followed by 8-digit mobile subscriber numbers, which would also allow mobile number portability.

Information from Bezeq (carrier) also requested international carriers to allow for both old and new mobile format lengths effective 1 October 2003 (that is, allow for 11 or 12 digits past the international prefix, including country code +972).

Sources: Ministry of Communications announcement (PDF format)

MOC announcement (via ITU, 4 May 2004)

2001 - Mobile code changes

At some unknown date in 2001 some new mobile codes were placed into service:

64 - Cellcom (in addition to 52, 53, 58)
67 - Orange (in addition to 54, 55)
68 - Pelephone (in addition to 50, 51, 56)

2000? - toll-free, premium code changes

At some point, some key toll-free and premium codes were changed, with the following shown in domestic format:

Former domestic premium area code 056 was changed to 1956 (no leading 0)
Former domestic premium area code 057 was changed to 1957 (no leading 0)
Former toll-free code 177 (no leading 0) was changed to 1800 (no leading 0)

The above numbers are intended for domestic calling - the toll-free and premium services are presumably unavailable for calls from outside Israel.

The difference between the two current premium codes is that 1956 is for entertainment, and is normally blocked for calling unless opened by subscriber request. 1957 is for informational services, and is available unless a subscriber requests this be blocked.

(details courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

2001 - consolidation of area codes

A report was also in a Jerusalem Post article from August 2000. Subscriber numbers under +972 6 (area code 6) and +972 7 (area code 7) will change area codes in a consolidation as follows:

Numbers in area code (NPA) 6 in Northern Israel (including Metulla) will be moved into area code (NPA) 4 (Haifa).

Numbers in area code (NPA) 7 in Southern Israel (including Negev and Arava) will be moved into area code (NPA) 8 (Shefala).

Permissive dialing mode (old or new format permissible) began December 2000. A mandatory date at which NPA 6 and 7 will be removed from service was to be announced.

The subscriber numbers themselves are reportedly unchanged during this consolidation. As of the permissive calling period, local calling charges apply within each consolidated area code.

Carrier Bezeq has a map of the consolidation.

(news courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig, Jerusalem Post)

2000-2001? - changes to Israel numbering plan

Israel's Ministry of Communications, the telecom regulator, issued a press release on 10 January 1999 announcing it hired Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore) for work towards the future numbering plan.

This press release is available at Israel's Ministry of Communications site.

Approximately February 2000, announcements of area code changes were made in the press to take effect at some unknown date. The area codes in the following list exclude the initial 0 prefix as used domestically:

Subscriber numbers in Area Code 6 (north part of Israel) will be changed to Area Code 4 (Haifa). There is no word on what will be the future use of the Area Code 6 numbering range.

Area Code 50 (Pelephone cellular) numbers will be expanded from 6 to 7 digits, by prepending the digit 6. That is, +972 50 xxxxxx will become +972 50 6xxxxxx.

Area Code 51 (Pelephone cellular) numbers will be changed to Area Code 50, and the digit 7 prepended to the subscriber number. That is, +972 51 xxxxxx will become +972 50 7xxxxxx.

Area Code 52 (Cellcom cellular) numbers will be expanded from 6 to 7 digits, by prepending the digit 2. That is, +972 52 xxxxxx will become +972 52 2xxxxxx.

Area Code 53 (Cellcom cellular) numbers will be changed to Area Code 52, and the digit 3 prepended to the subscriber number. That is, +972 53 xxxxxx will become +972 52 3xxxxxx.

Area Code 54 (Partner-Orange cellular) numbers will be expanded from 6 to 7 digits, by prepending the digit 4. That is, +972 54 xxxxxx will become +972 54 4xxxxxx.

Area Code 55 is reserved for Partner-Orange cellular. While not active as of March 2000, any numbers that were to be assigned under this code will now be assigned under Area Code 54, with 7-digit subscriber numbers beginning with 5 (that is, of the form +972 54 5xxxxxx).

Area Code 58 (Cellcom cellular) numbers will be changed to Area Code 52, and the digit 8 prepended to the subscriber number. That is, +972 58 xxxxxx will become +972 52 8xxxxxx.

Notes on the above changes:

(1) Cellcom subscribers (Area Codes 52, 53, 58) have already been using the new 7-digit number format to call other customers within their service. This was in effect as of 1999.

(2) Area Codes 51, 53, 55 and 58, whose numbers will be consolidated under other Area Codes as above, will be assigned to new cellular competitors after an unspecified sterilisation period in which the codes remain vacant.

There are rumours of a conversion to a closed numbering plan - that is, there would only exist national subscriber numbers, which would be dialled in their entirety whether the call is local or long distance.

(details courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

March 1999 - Palestine to leave Israel numbering plan

Palestine has been assigned country code 970 according to various reports. The telephone network in Palestinian authority territory is expected to leave the Israeli +972 numbering plan. No details on permissive/mandatory dialling periods, if any.

Other information

Regulator is Ministry of Communications.

Specifically see Presentation of National Numbering from MOC.

A major carrier is Bezeq.

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