Ten Digit Telephone Numbers To Begin In June

[The Coder]

I am going to have a lot of conversations like this:

"okay, so to call me, you need to add a '66', then you need to drop the first '0'. Now you need to add an extra '8' after the '6'. No, not the first '6', the last '6'. No, that '6' is at the middle of my number, you need to add it after the 3rd '6'. That's right, the 3rd '6' after you added the 2 '6's "

LOL yes, post of the week and it would be a good joke if it wasn't true! It reminds me of how they took something simple like what floor you are on in my condo and created a jumble of letters and numbers mashed together as the system used instead. Then I peek in the stairwells where they number them correctly with just an ascending number so the firemen can understand it. I am sure these type systems are very clear to the person who dreamed them up, but they create millions of unnecessary frustrating incidences because one guy made a bad call and he'll never admit to it and probably just scoff at the scope of the problem if challenged by it.

Another good one is the subway. The problem is there is a gap between train and platform. There are two solutions (1) eliminate the gap by engineering requirements or (2) announce over a loud speaker to every person on every train at every stop on every day loudly to "mind the gap between train and platform" in both English and Thai. Of course we all know what some moron chose to do for their brand new state of the art machine. Brilliant.

[lomatopo]

I am going to have a lot of conversations like this:

"okay, so to call me, you need to add a '66', then you need to drop the first '0'. Now you need to add an extra '8' after the '6'. No, not the first '6', the last '6'. No, that '6' is at the middle of my number, you need to add it after the 3rd '6'. That's right, the 3rd '6' after you added the 2 '6's "

Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number?

66 (0)8n nnn nnnn

It's funny how a simple change can cause such consternation.

[The Coder]

Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number?

66 (0)8n nnn nnnn

It's funny how a simple change can cause such consternation.

It's funny how you glossed over that (0) part so easily. It certainly frustrated me from making my first call to Thailand successfully. I thought gee, I'll just dial the country code, then the number, but no things are not so simple. You need educated on how (0) works. There are other problems with the (0) scheme such as telling someone who is going to fly in "call me at this number if you have any problems in transit". You need to give them 2 numbers--one you explain is to be used if outside the country and another if inside the country. Or you have a go at educating them on how (0) works, but it is real easy for a newbie to mistakingly reverse the (0) usage since it works illogically (the further you are away, the fewer digits you need). Sure after you trip over this enough times it becomes second nature, but why force everyone to trip over it in the first place?

Currently domestically, we dial 9 digits. If it were implemented properly 9 digits would provide 1 billion unique numbers (yes, 1,000,000,000) which is way more than their proposed 10 digit scheme is going provide! The new 10 digit system just makes a messy and error prone system that much worse. If as you said it was as simple as "Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number", then I would have rather seen them fix the 9 digit system instead of making a bad system even worse.

[slim]

Surely if they did NOT expire the numbers there would be even fewer numbers around

Not logical.

If everyone who bought a Thai mobile could keep the same number forever - there wouldn't be a problem.

Edited February 15, 2006 by slim

[astral]

Surely if they did NOT expire the numbers there would be even fewer numbers around

Not logical.

If everyone who bought a Thai mobile could keep the same number forever - there wouldn't be a problem.

Where I live in the Middle East I have 3 days after my money runs out to re-charge

otherwise I loose the number.

Thailand could easily do the same. It would free up vast banks of numbers.

[Anon999]

The UK went through the same thing some years ago. I think they changed three times, and each time there would be enough numbers for the foreseeable future. There have been 11 digits for a while now, so maybe it's time for a change.

ted

Yes and you can dial a local number without using the STD prefix. However, it must have been more than 3 changes for some places in London and where you can still see buildings with 01, 071, 081, 0171 and 0181 prefixes, not to mention the (for how long?) 0207 and 0208. Many major cities had a complete change of number which was very confusing although there was period of overlap when it was possible to use the old and new numbers.

[raro]

<snip>

Guess who'll pay for that software upgrade? - the customers

But ..... WOOHOO - a perfect excuse to finally shift off AIS - if the number change is compulsory, then why not upgrade to a cheaper and more "politically correct" service provider?

.

..since two weeks I cannot see anything politically incorrect using AIS....

[spog]

Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number?

66 (0)8n nnn nnnn

the problem with that is that they will look at the number they currently have for me, see that the nnn nnnn is the same and assume that they already have my new number.

[Jai Yen Yen]

Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number?

66 (0)8n nnn nnnn

It's funny how a simple change can cause such consternation.

It's funny how you glossed over that (0) part so easily. It certainly frustrated me from making my first call to Thailand successfully. I thought gee, I'll just dial the country code, then the number, but no things are not so simple. You need educated on how (0) works. There are other problems with the (0) scheme such as telling someone who is going to fly in "call me at this number if you have any problems in transit". You need to give them 2 numbers--one you explain is to be used if outside the country and another if inside the country. Or you have a go at educating them on how (0) works, but it is real easy for a newbie to mistakingly reverse the (0) usage since it works illogically (the further you are away, the fewer digits you need). Sure after you trip over this enough times it becomes second nature, but why force everyone to trip over it in the first place?

Currently domestically, we dial 9 digits. If it were implemented properly 9 digits would provide 1 billion unique numbers (yes, 1,000,000,000) which is way more than their proposed 10 digit scheme is going provide! The new 10 digit system just makes a messy and error prone system that much worse. If as you said it was as simple as "Wouldn't it be easier to just give them your new phone number", then I would have rather seen them fix the 9 digit system instead of making a bad system even worse.

I think you are grossly exaggerating the problem. When you first called Thailand, did you try once - with the zero - fail, ask someone, succeed, then forget what you just learnt, dial again - with the zero - fail, ask someone again, succeed, forget again..... Just how many times did you "trip over this" before it sank in? How many times was "enough" for you?

Here's another big number for you to remember: 28,200,000 That's the number of results Google gives when you search for "initial zero international numbers".

The phone number on my business card is: +66 (0) 2253-3xxx

The + means dial your international access code (011 if you're in the USA, 00 for most other countries)

The 66 is my country code - Thailand

The (0) in brackets means "dial the zero only if you're in Thailand"

The rest is my Thai number.

I'd give you the full number so we could chat about this, but the chances of you getting through are so slim....

[Thanh-BKK]

Hello

And not to mention that this system is pretty much the same in most countries? I.e. every country where a number starts with a leading zero. When i'm in germany, to call my home town i have to dial 06781 followed by the number. From another country, i have to dial +496781 followed by the number. The zero is not used.

Mobile numbers in Germany are 11 digits and have always been, with the leading "0", a three digit "area code" and the seven digit phone number.

Area codes for cities can be as short as 3 digits (Berlin 030, Hamburg 040 etc) including the leading zero, but most common are 4- and 5-digit area codes inclusive that leading zero.

Landline numbers can be from 3 to xx digits - depending of the number of phones in that area, my grandparents had a 4-digit line (06785xxxx) and in that same village were several numbers with just three (06785xxx). When i got ISDN i was allocated a number with six digits (06781xxxxxx) and i have seen landline numbers with 12 digits too (0611xxxxxxxxxxxx).

Thaikland follows the system to keep all numbers, landlines and mobiles, the same number of digits, possibly due to the vast amounts of paperwork that is required for even the smallest tasks here. All details have to be keyed into computers, and when all phone numbers have the same length, only a certain type of document/excel table etc has to be used. Imagine for Germany where you waste lots of space on documents in fields for phone numbers because you can always expect anywhere between six to seventeen digits alltogether.

I prefer the thay way

Regards.....

Thanh

[grahamb]

I'd give you the full number so we could chat about this, but the chances of you getting through are so slim....

[britmaveric]

Hello

And not to mention that this system is pretty much the same in most countries? I.e. every country where a number starts with a leading zero. When i'm in germany, to call my home town i have to dial 06781 followed by the number. From another country, i have to dial +496781 followed by the number. The zero is not used.

Mobile numbers in Germany are 11 digits and have always been, with the leading "0", a three digit "area code" and the seven digit phone number.

Area codes for cities can be as short as 3 digits (Berlin 030, Hamburg 040 etc) including the leading zero, but most common are 4- and 5-digit area codes inclusive that leading zero.

Landline numbers can be from 3 to xx digits - depending of the number of phones in that area, my grandparents had a 4-digit line (06785xxxx) and in that same village were several numbers with just three (06785xxx). When i got ISDN i was allocated a number with six digits (06781xxxxxx) and i have seen landline numbers with 12 digits too (0611xxxxxxxxxxxx).

Thaikland follows the system to keep all numbers, landlines and mobiles, the same number of digits, possibly due to the vast amounts of paperwork that is required for even the smallest tasks here. All details have to be keyed into computers, and when all phone numbers have the same length, only a certain type of document/excel table etc has to be used. Imagine for Germany where you waste lots of space on documents in fields for phone numbers because you can always expect anywhere between six to seventeen digits alltogether.

I prefer the thay way

Regards.....

Thanh

Not in the UK!!!

[raro]

Hello

Landline numbers can be from 3 to xx digits - depending of the number of phones in that area, my grandparents had a 4-digit line (06785xxxx) and in that same village were several numbers with just three (06785xxx). When i got ISDN i was allocated a number with six digits (06781xxxxxx) and i have seen landline numbers with 12 digits too (0611xxxxxxxxxxxx).

<snip>

Thanh

Not in the UK!!!

....and if your German area code has 5 but the local number only 3 digits, you're being ousted for living in the sticks....

[BangnaBound]

Maybe I just missed this, but why is the leading 0 even necessary? In terms of combinations, isn’t ‘all numbers having a leading 0 ‘equal to‘ no numbers having a leading 0’? And how does adding and 8 to all numbers improve the situation? I guess it would add more available combinations if the 8 is just added to mobile numbers.

Too many passwords and phone# to remember all ready. Without my mobile’s contact directory, I can’t call anyone.

[Jai Yen Yen]

Maybe I just missed this, but why is the leading 0 even necessary? ...

Think of it this way: the first zero you dial is not part of the telephone number. You dial it just to wake up the telephone exchange. It's like knocking on the door and saying "Oy! I want to make a phone call!". Then you dial the numbers to get through.

So when you call someone inside the country you're in, you dial a zero, then the area code and then the local number.

But when you dial from outside the country, you dial the international access code "00" or "011" and then dial the area code and local number. You don't need the zero in front of the area code because the telephone exchange is already awake.

[NightFall]

crybabies:

we did it in israel last year:

first== we had 055, 054 067 etc.... with nine digits

then we had to add a 4 or a 2

so 052 became 0522 somewhere along the way but not always in the middle with no logic, so they published a little chart with all the old numbers and the changes

when u dialled you were shunted to the new number for six months after getting a recording saying the new number; after that, u had to dial the new number but most of us used the little chart to do the changeover... orange kindly changed all the old numbers in phone memory to the new numbers through computer

business cards: well, everyone just crossed out the old and added the new

for a while there were lots of crossed over calls, especially from overseas but it worked out in the end...

i guess this is different from the american system??? which i ahve yet to figure out??

americans have a system? we've had 10 digit numbers for ages, but you only had to use the first three if you were calling "long distance" in your "local calling area" (same area code) you didn't have to dial the area code. but they keep threatening to force us to use it. my celphone comopany already requires area code all the time... so no big. but dialing "1" before long distance is antiquated. like most of american 'systems'

[BangnaBound]

Maybe I just missed this, but why is the leading 0 even necessary? ...

Think of it this way: the first zero you dial is not part of the telephone number. You dial it just to wake up the telephone exchange. It's like knocking on the door and saying "Oy! I want to make a phone call!". Then you dial the numbers to get through.

So when you call someone inside the country you're in, you dial a zero, then the area code and then the local number.

But when you dial from outside the country, you dial the international access code "00" or "011" and then dial the area code and local number. You don't need the zero in front of the area code because the telephone exchange is already awake.

Ah… so you need to wake’em up to get where you want to go.

I hadn’t realized that the Thai telephone system shared so much in common with the mini-bus drivers. This explains a lot.

[lomatopo]

Has anyone heard any updates on this issue? Is June still the expected cut-over time-frame? Is a grace period expected whereby for some period of time old numbers will be completed, perhaps with a recording, or will the systems just drop the call?

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

[billd766]

quote lomatopo Posted Today, 2006-03-16 11:29:02

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

I would have though that any mobile operator, Thai or foreign owned would have to comply with the laws of Thailand and if the NTCC ever gets going properly (hollow laugh) and passes that particular law, the former Thai owned AIS will HAVE to comply.

On the other hand what NTCC?

[breconion]

Maybe I just missed this, but why is the leading 0 even necessary? ...

Think of it this way: the first zero you dial is not part of the telephone number. You dial it just to wake up the telephone exchange. It's like knocking on the door and saying "Oy! I want to make a phone call!". Then you dial the numbers to get through.

So when you call someone inside the country you're in, you dial a zero, then the area code and then the local number.

But when you dial from outside the country, you dial the international access code "00" or "011" and then dial the area code and local number. You don't need the zero in front of the area code because the telephone exchange is already awake.

Not quite correct.

The leading 0 goes back to the days of step by step dialing. You wake up the exchange to wanting a call by lifting the handset. Technically by lifting the handset you close a switch in the telephone and cause a current to flow through your telephone, it is this current detected by the telephone exchange that recognises you want to make a call.

In days of mechanical exchanges local numbers could be dialed directly even the 4 digit number in the village. To dial the next village you had to dial the village code then the number.

The leading 0 was to get to trunks to get out of your local area.

During the transition from mechanical exchanges to digital, there was several steps, the village/town code was added to the numbers, the final step being to add the national code 0181 etc.

With modern digital switches there is no need for the leading 0 it is a throwback to the olden days.

That is from a landline.

From a mobile it is slight more complex but as a user it seems seamless, even world roaming, the only time it may seem slow is when you first switch on your mobile after you get off your flight.

[sriracha john]

Has anyone heard any updates on this issue? Is June still the expected cut-over time-frame? Is a grace period expected whereby for some period of time old numbers will be completed, perhaps with a recording, or will the systems just drop the call?

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

Haven't heard of any updates... but I'm hoping they actually do it as I've already informed everyone of my number change effective in June. In hindsight, probably not the best move.

Will this fall by the wayside just like registering SIMS did?

Will this be yet another project that gets put on hold due to the election??

mai frickin' loooooo....

[breconion]

Has anyone heard any updates on this issue? Is June still the expected cut-over time-frame? Is a grace period expected whereby for some period of time old numbers will be completed, perhaps with a recording, or will the systems just drop the call?

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

Haven't heard of any updates... but I'm hoping they actually do it as I've already informed everyone of my number change effective in June. In hindsight, probably not the best move.

Will this fall by the wayside just like registering SIMS did?

Will this be yet another project that gets put on hold due to the election??

mai frickin' loooooo....

I doubt it as Thailand really is suffering from lack of mobile numbers. And it takes a lot of pre planning (5555) as it includes every country in the world to be notified as well.

Land lines next

Edited March 16, 2006 by breconion

[Sturbuc]

....

Not quite correct.

The leading 0 goes back to the days of step by step dialing. You wake up the exchange to wanting a call by lifting the handset. Technically by lifting the handset you close a switch in the telephone and cause a current to flow through your telephone, it is this current detected by the telephone exchange that recognises you want to make a call.

In days of mechanical exchanges local numbers could be dialed directly even the 4 digit number in the village. To dial the next village you had to dial the village code then the number.

The leading 0 was to get to trunks to get out of your local area.

During the transition from mechanical exchanges to digital, there was several steps, the village/town code was added to the numbers, the final step being to add the national code 0181 etc.

With modern digital switches there is no need for the leading 0 it is a throwback to the olden days.

That is from a landline.

From a mobile it is slight more complex but as a user it seems seamless, even world roaming, the only time it may seem slow is when you first switch on your mobile after you get off your flight.

Hey, maybe i am wrong but

- i have to dial the subscribers number only if im in the same area (landlines)

- "0" to get access to another area ore specified nation-wide service-numbers, including mobiles

- "00" to get access to international subscribers

to have the telephone exchange know how to interprete the digits dialled.

Some networks allow mobile users to dial without an area code if the subscriber is in the same area (because they know where you are).

I think this doesn't need to be explained.

But the only thing i fear is that my local phone company now charges me a higher rate to call my girlfriend's AIS Mobile because the know it's a mobile number. (As they didn't cope with the widesread of prefixes of new Thai Mobiles, the rate is the same as for landlines...) 200%

The rest is unspoken

[breconion]

Don't know where you come form but that is still the case in a few countries now. Where I work is a case in question. Immediate local numbers can still be dialled as 7 digit numbers but other "same area" numbers have to have the area code added. Its like a halfway house for change. Other countries where I have worked still have no leading 0 but have 8 digit numbers.

00 is not always used for international access

Case in question Thailand 001 another where I have worked or holidayed used a single 0 . This is one reason why mobiles use the + to indicate a international number. Somebody did use their head on thid one.

But the only thing i fear is that my local phone company now charges me a higher rate to call my girlfriend's AIS Mobile because the know it's a mobile number. (As they didn't cope with the widesread of prefixes of new Thai Mobiles, the rate is the same as for landlines...) 200%

Normally international calls are charge out on the international prefix and not on area codes of the countries you call.

check your country advertising you may find there is a cheaper way to call Thailand than using the standard prefix. Calls are not such good quality. In Thailand now can use, I seem to remember, 008 and 009 to prefix international calls but over sub quality circuits. I know the us uses some but dont know them.

Unless the mobile network is using a non standard signalling method, which I doubt, then all numbers must have the prefix included.

BTW the 0 of all in country numbers can be prefixed in a mobile with +country code (ie +44 in UK) and you still pay the same as if you dialled the 0. This allows users with world roaming not to have to keep changing the numbers they dial when roaming.

Most countries have standardised their signalling to ITU, there are always exceptions, America, China, Brazil, Japan, UK and Turkey to name a few, who have their own standard. So not all stated will be correct for all countries but in general is ok.

[astral]

Maybe I just missed this, but why is the leading 0 even necessary? In terms of combinations, isn’t ‘all numbers having a leading 0 ‘equal to‘ no numbers having a leading 0’? And how does adding and 8 to all numbers improve the situation? I guess it would add more available combinations if the 8 is just added to mobile numbers.

Too many passwords and phone# to remember all ready. Without my mobile’s contact directory, I can’t call anyone.

There are seervice numbers that DO NOT start with a 0.

Like 100 or 101 for the operator................

[penzman]

In a while we'll all be saying "Sorry, wrong number"

- Arai khap?

[thohts]

duh!

The easy solution to the number problem is to add a letter somewhere in the mix.

That way, instead of having only 1,000,000,000 possible phone numbers we'd have about 2,400,000,000. possibilities! (if English alphabet)

And everybody knows most of the letter of the English alphabet (ok, not Thai) is be embedded on the phone

So, instead of dialing 02-123-45672 we would dial 02-123-45675!

(I think I've been in Thailand too long.. hehe)

[Donnyboy]

Has anyone heard any updates on this issue? Is June still the expected cut-over time-frame? Is a grace period expected whereby for some period of time old numbers will be completed, perhaps with a recording, or will the systems just drop the call?

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

Haven't heard of any updates... but I'm hoping they actually do it as I've already informed everyone of my number change effective in June. In hindsight, probably not the best move.

Will this fall by the wayside just like registering SIMS did?

Will this be yet another project that gets put on hold due to the election??

mai frickin' loooooo....

Telecom & Technology

18 Jun 06 16:57

Cellphones to go ten-digit

TNA

Mobile-phone users in Thailand will adjust their numbers for 10 digits in September, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) announced on Friday.

NTC expert Direk Charoenphol said NTC ordered all service providers to turn all domestic mobile phones, both previously and newly registered, to be the 10-digit phones from September 1.

“Under the plan, which will result in sufficient numbers to be offered to increasing mobile phone users over the next 30 years, the number '8' will be added after '0' of each number,” he noted.

“This means that the existing number, '09-1234567', for example, will become '089-1234567' then,” he revealed.

All local moblie phone service providers will launch the 10-digit phone service on a trial basis in July.

All of them will have to bear all investment and incurring costs in launching the new service, including those on public relations of the initiative, according to the NTC expert.

“NTC is assessing impacts caused by the change on the Thai economy, most of them are believed to be positive,” he said.

another TIT schedule is kept

[Donnyboy]

Has anyone heard any updates on this issue? Is June still the expected cut-over time-frame? Is a grace period expected whereby for some period of time old numbers will be completed, perhaps with a recording, or will the systems just drop the call?

BTW, I did see mention of local number portability possibly being legislated by the end of this year, although I have my doubts that the Shingapore Mobile Telephone Company would allow such a law to be enacted.

Haven't heard of any updates... but I'm hoping they actually do it as I've already informed everyone of my number change effective in June. In hindsight, probably not the best move.

Will this fall by the wayside just like registering SIMS did?

Will this be yet another project that gets put on hold due to the election??

mai frickin' loooooo....

I doubt it as Thailand really is suffering from lack of mobile numbers. And it takes a lot of pre planning (5555) as it includes every country in the world to be notified as well.

Land lines next

Future TRT Quote

Thailand will lead the world in providing additional digits and will be the hub of the raising of single digits..