Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland
Numbers on the Irish telephone numbering plan are regulated and assigned to operators by ComReg. Overview. Telephone numbers in Ireland are part of an open numbering plan that allows variations in number length. The Irish format is similar to systems used in many parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and France, where geographical numbers are organised using a logic of large regional prefixes, which are then further subdivided into smaller regions. It differs from UK numbering, which originated as alphanumeric codes based on town names. Irish Mobile and non–geographic  numbers are fixed length and do not support local dialling. The trunk prefix codice_1 is used to access numbers outside the local area and for all mobile calls. This is followed by an area code, referred to as a National Dialling Code (NDC), the first digit of which indicates the geographical area or type of service (e.g. mobile). Calls made from mobile phones and some VoIP systems always require the full area code and phone number. In common with most European countries, the trunk prefix codice_1 must be omitted when calling Irish numbers from abroad. General structure of Irish numbering . Irish area codes vary in length, between one and three digits (excluding the leading codice_1), and subscribers' numbers are between five and seven digits. As optional local dialling is facilitated, Irish geographic numbers cannot begin with 0 (trunk prefix), 1 (special number prefix) or 999 (emergency services). However, mobile numbers use the full range of digits, as local dialling is not supported on mobile networks, and the area code must always be dialled. A migration to a standard format, codice_4, is in progress; however, to avoid disruption, this process is only being carried out as needed, where existing area  codes and local numbering systems have reached full capacity. There is currently no plan to move to a closed numbering system. Number Formats. Irish geographic numbers vary in length from area to area, but follow standard formats within each area code. The area code, or prefix, is normally separated by a space, or less commonly, may be displayed in parentheses (brackets). Numbers are usually grouped into easy to read clusters, separated by spaces or hyphens for ease of use. The use of spaces is recommended by ComReg for ease of compatibility with online services, such as linking to a phone  number in a mobile browser, copying and pasting into mobile diallers etc Other characters, such as codice_5 or codice_6 are not used as separators. Area codes / prefixes are always separated from the subscriber number. Merging or reformatting these tends to cause confusion or make numbers look unfamiliar. While formats vary, numbers are usually printed (e.g. in telephone directories) as follows: Geographic: Non-geographic Mobile Mobile M2M (Machine to Machine) Alphanumeric dialling, using letters as mnemonics for advertising etc is supported, but is rarely used. Geographical numbering. Irish geographical numbering is structured on a regional basis and follows a logical  hierarchy. These directory areas correspond approximately to the following geographical regions: The Midlands is covered by several regional codes. Except for the codice_16 area, each area is further subdivided into smaller areas (NDCs). Usually, the main city or town in the area is codice_24 e.g. codice_25 (Cork), codice_26 (Limerick), codice_27 (Galway). Regional overview. ComReg maintains a map of area codes here. Mobile services. Mobile phone numbers start with the prefix codice_28 and are part of a closed numbering plan, which means that a mobile phone number must have 10 digits. Calls to landlines and other mobiles require the area code  on a mobile phone. New numbers are assigned on prefixes and ranges managed by a specific operator. However, as full mobile number portability has been in operation since 2003, it is no longer possible to reliably identify which network a particular number is on. For example, a newly assigned Three number would begin with codice_29, but may have been ported to another operator in the meantime. Direct to voicemail number. Mobile phone numbers also have their own voicemail number. To access this, the number codice_30 should be put after the prefix. For example, the mobile number codice_31 has the voicemail  number codice_32. On some networks, when the direct to voicemail number is called, the voicemail greeting for that network is played (e.g. Vodafone, eir Mobile), while others request a phone number followed by the voicemail greeting for that number (e.g. Three). Users can press the hash key (codice_33) to gain access to the voicemail box. Calls to Northern Ireland. Although Northern Ireland is part of the UK numbering plan, a special arrangement exists for calling Northern Irish landlines from the Republic of Ireland. Calls to Northern Ireland can be dialled using the codice_34 prefix or by dialling the number in  the full international format. Most Irish operators treat calls to Northern Ireland at national or even local rates. Similar charging arrangements apply when calling the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland. For example, to reach Belfast landline codice_35, subscribers can dial either codice_36 or codice_37. Northern Ireland mobile phones use the same mobile numbering and networks as other parts of the UK – calls must be dialled using the codice_38 format. International calls. In common with all EU countries, the international access code is codice_39. Numbers should be dialled as follows: codice_40. All mobile phones and some VoIP services also support  the international E.164 number format, so a codice_41 may be optionally used instead of codice_39. Operator services. General operator assistance no longer exists in Ireland. Emergency services. The emergency number for Ireland is codice_70. This is harmonised across the EU. To avoid confusion, the long–established codice_71 continues to be advertised alongside codice_70. Either number can be dialed. SMS emergency service. codice_70 can also be contacted by SMS. While the service is open to all users, it is primarily aimed at the deaf community. Pre-registration is required. Further information can be found at 112.ie. Premium rate numbers. Premium rate  voice. Irish premium rate telephone numbers start with codice_74 and are read in two-digit blocks e.g. codice_75 is "fifteen fifty". The rates given below are from ComReg and are indicative only. One must check with their specific telephone service provider for exact rates. Premium rate SMS. A special codice_76 code is used for free–of–charge SMS. Premium rate services in Ireland are regulated by ComReg. Non–geographic numbers (Freephone & Standard rate). Irish non-geographic numbers consist of two national prefixes and the international freephone service. Where high volume 'bursty traffic' is anticipated, such as on-air radio competition  lines, the first two digits of the phone number are always codice_80. For example: codice_81 or codice_82. This allows the telephone network to manage traffic during number analysis, even before the call is routed. Ireland's non-geographic numbers and pricing structures were simplified and old shared-cost prefixes were withdrawn on 1 January 2022. These changes mean that calls to non-geographic numbers are either freephone, or always included in call bundles, ensuring consumers are not confused by out of bundle, or other unusual charges. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, several numbers in the codice_83 and codice_84 ranges will  remain in service until 2023. This is to avoid disruption to essential health services during a time of high volumes of calls. These will remain in service until 30 November 2023, alongside new numbers that have replaced them. Advertising of these numbers will cease. Calls to these numbers will be charged on the same basis as calls to landlines or codice_77 and included in call bundles. Freephone numbers are free to call from mobile handsets, however the recipient can elect to refuse mobile–originated calls or choose to accept calls only from predefined geographical region(s). NB: codice_78 can only be  dialled from within Ireland. Numbers should never be printed or presented in the international format codice_87 as these clash with working Dublin landline numbers in the codice_16 area codice_89. Alternative geographic numbers, or an codice_77 number should be used instead, if international access is required. Following a 2019 review of non–geographic numbers Comreg decided to withdraw and close the codice_83, codice_84 and codice_49 number ranges by 1 January 2022. During the transition period, these ranges were geo–rated (charged as if they are geographical numbers). From August 2019, various telecoms providers announced price changes which took effect on, or  just before, 1 December 2019, including Virgin Media Business, in2tel, Virgin Media, eir, Tesco Mobile, Three, Digiweb, Pure Telecom, 48 months and Sky. From 1 January 2022 callers to the withdrawn prefixes receive recorded announcements. Carrier preselect is normally used where the exchange automatically uses the customer's preferred provider(s). Line information codes. These services give the user more information about their phone line (applicable only to lines provided using the OpenEir access network.) Check preset carrier. Check which carrier a subscriber is using for each category of call: Call management services / supplementary service codes. Special short codes are used  to control various supplementary services offered by digital local exchanges. These services were first introduced as PhonePlus in 1981, on the first generation of Alcatel E10 and Ericsson AXE digital exchanges used in Ireland, and were rolled out nationally throughout the 1980s. These services are available on all Irish PSTN lines, regardless of operator. There is a more expansive range of services available, but these are the most commonly used. Different codes apply on cable telephony lines, such as those provided by Virgin Media Ireland and on VoIP providers. PSTN lines and some ISDN services. Call forwarding (unconditional). When this  service is active, the dial tone changes to a two–frequency 'siren' tone. Alarm / reminder call. Most exchanges confirm setup with a verbal announcement; however, some exchanges may use a ringing tone to indicate successful service setup and a busy tone to indicate an error/invalid code. Services on Virgin Media Ireland cable network. Redial last number called. The subscriber will either hear a tone or a voice message to confirm services have been set up or deactivated. Number changes. Several major number changes have occurred since 1990. The telephone number changes in Dublin and Cork took several years to  complete, as they were busier area codes with few available lead digits. Other number changes took place in just one step, with all numbers being changed simultaneously. To minimise disruption simultaneous working was enabled, allowing old numbers to remain mapped and active for a run-in period of one year. Caller ID only displayed the new numbers. This was followed by recorded announcements which remained active for at least a year, advising callers of the number change. Eventually this would be replaced by a dialling error message. 1990 - 1994. Dublin (01) changes to 7-digits. 1998–2000. Cork (021) changes to  7 digits. Possible future changes. All local numbers with the area code codice_16 are currently 7–digits, but may change to 8–digits in the future, although breaking the city into separate area codes would match the rest of the national system. A review and public consultation on the future of Ireland's numbering plan was undertaken. Historical numbering. Defunct non-geographic codes. All of the above were withdrawn on 1 January 2022. Defunct operator services. A range of numbers from codice_306, codice_307 and codice_308 were once used for various Telecom Éireann customer service and account service lines. Historical Northern  Ireland access codes. Belfast could previously be reached by dialling codice_291 in place of the UK area code codice_314. Historical Great Britain access codes. Until the early 1990s, the codice_43 numbering range was originally used for calls to Great Britain, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with the Irish prefix codice_316 replacing the UK trunk code codice_1. Calls to British cities using the director telephone system were also possible using shorter codes: codice_318 was replaced with codice_331 and codice_332 when codice_16 was split into the area codes codice_47 and codice_335 in 1990. Use of codice_43 for this  purpose was discontinued in 1993, when the international access code changed from codice_287 to codice_39, with calls to Great Britain (but not Northern Ireland) requiring the country code codice_339 and the area code in full. References. Sources