As many people already know, 0207 telephone numbers are associated with London. However, there are some common misconceptions about 0207 phone numbers. These tend to arise from the way in which they were introduced. Read on to find out more about the history of 0207 numbers and the way they work these days.
To begin with, 0207 telephone numbers have only been around for a couple of decades. When UK local area codes were introduced in the 1950s so that people could make calls from one exchange to another without the need for an operator, the capital was assigned 01. For many years, callers from Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester and Bristol would simply start the number they needed to dial with 01 if they wanted to speak to a business in London. However, people calling within London would often be overcharged for a local call if they added the 01 code. Due to this problem and rising demand for new telephone numbers among businesses and householders alike, a decision was made to drop the old 01 coding system.
In May 1990, the British network provider introduced two new dialling – or STD – codes for the capital. These were 071 for inner London and 081 for everywhere else. Just five years later, the need for greater uniformity with the rest of the UK’s dialling system meant that 071 and 081 became 0171 and 0181 respectively. Crucially, however, the geographical nature of these codes was dropped at this time. In other words, 0171 and 0181 numbers could relate to any location in the capital and a few places just outside of it, too.
By June 1999, the network operator decided a further alteration was needed to cope with the ever-growing demand for London-based phone numbers. It was at this time that the capital was given the new STD code of 020. Today, all London numbers, both business and residential, begin with 020. What’s more, there are several types of 020 numbers, including 0207, of course. It is important to note, however, that 0207 numbers don’t necessarily relate to inner London. Nevertheless, they continue to do so in many people’s minds because of the old 071 coding that preceded it.
As such, obtaining an 0207 – compared to another London-based STD – is often seen as preferable, especially among businesses that want to appear as though they operate from Central London. According to Cleartone Communications, a leading supplier of 0207 business numbers throughout the UK, utilising a London telephone number is now possible from any location, not just the capital. This is because business calls to an 0207 number can be redirected to any existing phone number, including both landlines and mobile phones.
As such, firms in rural Wales, Cornwall or Norfolk can all benefit from publishing an 0207 number and making it seem as though they’re based in the capital. Indeed, companies with offices in places like Nottingham, Southampton or Edinburgh, for example, can all do the same. Given how many London-based businesses operate from home or out of a van providing mobile services, being able to publish an 0207 number but answer calls to it on a mobile phone is extremely appealing. Thanks to the way the network now operates, this is entirely possible with modern 0207 business numbers.
