Cell Phone Numbers History

To find out something about the cell phone number history we have to look into the history of mobile phones because the numbers could not exist without cell phones. After the first landline phone has been invented and implemented into the world lots of people have thought how to improve it.

That’s how today we have digital landline phones on fiber optics with additional services like ADSL, VDSL internet connection, DSL television, and other services. Although landline has so many benefits it still lacks something – the mobility. Many times in the history of phone development people have been wandering how to have a phone in a car, or let’s say on a beach or on a mountain.

The landmark for a revolution in the world of communication has been set by Martin Cooper in 1973 that successfully made the first ever portable handset. In this revolution entered also Bell and AT&T who had made other prototypes. In a few year  the child in the communication industry has become a full grown up adult with such great attraction power and charisma that let the old landline companies way behind seducing consumers at a large scale.

Cell phone manufacturers found that there is an insatiable market for these devices. Modern day phones had integrated other functions besides that of making calls like browsing internet, listening music, watching movies, organizers and many others. It would take hours to discuss all functions found in modern day cell phones.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) try to promote common standards among all countries for cell phone numbering. These are just recommendations and countries are using them as a guide that’s why we find international numbers with variable length up to 15 digits. When it comes to area codes every country has its own rules.

United States and Canada uses a fixed length area code from three digits, Australia and New Zealand have an area code of one digit. Argentina, Austria, United Kingdom and Germany have an area code of variable length from 2 to 5 digits. Japan has area codes from 1 to 5 digits, Syria and Peru from 1 to 2. There are also area codes incorporated into subscriber’s number in Spain and Norway.

The area code is used by phone companies to determine the cost of a call, usually the cost of a call inside an area is lower than outside calls. In United States because of the state regulations usually the cost of a call is higher than the one outside the state regulated by the competition among phone companies.

Cell phone numbering is regulated by governmental organizations from every country. You should know that a phone numbering system from an international cell phone service provider is different from a country to another. You have to look for information for a particular country numbering system if you want to clarify that. This information is important if you are calling from a network from another and you pay according to the network dialed.  Anyway check your phone company to find the cost of calls from your calling plan and what includes this.