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The regulation of telephone numbers in Germany is the responsibility of the Federal Network Agency (German: Bundesnetzagentur, BNetzA) of the German government. The agency has a mandate to telecommunications in Germany and other infrastructure systems.
8 geographic zones | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Country | Germany |
| Continent | Europe |
| Regulator | Federal Network Agency |
| Type | Open |
| NSN length | 3 to 13[1] |
| Format | (xx…) xx… |
| Access codes | |
| Country code | 49 |
| International access | 00 |
| Long-distance | 0 |
| List of Germany dialing codes | |
Germany has an open telephone numbering plan. Before 2010, area codes and subscriber telephone numbers had no fixed size, meaning that some subscriber numbers may be as short as two digits. As a result, dialing sequences are generally of a variable length, except for some non-geographic area codes for which subscriber numbers use a fixed-length format. It is not possible to determine unambiguously the end of a phone number from a prefix or the digits already dialed. This feature allows the extension of the length of phone numbers without revoking or changing existing numbers. Mobile telephones are assigned to non-geographic codes, making them readily recognizable.
A new numbering plan was introduced on 3 May 2010. Since then newly assigned landline telephone numbers have a standard length of eleven digits, including the area code. Area codes remained unchanged, variable in length. Exceptions to the eleven-digit rule are the four cities of Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Munich, which are the only cities with two-digit area codes and have ten-digit numbers to avoid exceeding the maximum length of eight digits for a subscriber number.[2]
The German telephone network uses 5,200 geographical area codes, the length of which varies from two to five digits (not including the trunk code 0), with five-digit area codes being assigned only in the New States (prefix 3). In general, geographic area codes start with digits 2 to 9, whereas other non-geographic area codes (including those for cell phones) are assigned to 1 and network services to 11.[3]
Geographic area codes have a length of two to five digits. The maximum length of a complete telephone number is eleven digits.
Numbers for geographic area codes are assigned to carriers in blocks. Subscriber numbers do not start with 0 or 11 and can be dialled without area code from landlines within the same geographic area code.
Originally, the first digits following the area code indicated a smaller service area or the type of the subscriber line (analogue or ISDN). This is no longer true as subscribers can keep their numbers when moving within an area code or when switching from analogue to ISDN. Furthermore, new carriers assign numbers from different blocks.
Non-geographic numbers were originally assigned the prefix 1. However, some of these services have been moved to other area codes.
| Prefix(ex) | In use by | MNP |
|---|---|---|
| 151, 160, 170, 171, 175 | T-Mobile (GSM/UMTS) | yes |
| 152, 162, 172, 173, 174 | Vodafone (GSM/UMTS) | yes |
| 155, 157, 159, 163, 176, 177, 178, 179 | o2 Germany (GSM/UMTS) | yes |
| 156 | 1&1 AG | yes |
| 164, 168, 169 | e*message (pagers) | no |
| Prefix | Rate | rate from landlines | rate from mobile phones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180-1 | time-based rate 1 | 0.039 €/min. | max. 0.42 €/min. |
| 180-2 | per-call rate 1 | 0.06 €/call | max. 0.42 €/min. |
| 180-3 | time-based rate 2 | 0.09 €/min. | max. 0.42 €/min. |
| 180-4 | per-call rate 2 | 0.20 €/call | max. 0.42 €/min. |
| 180-5 | time-based rate 3 | 0.14 €/min. | max. 0.42 €/min. |
| 180-6 | per-call rate 3 | 0.20 €/call. | max. 0.60 €/call. |
| 180-7 | time-based rate 4, first 30 seconds free | 0.14 €/min. after 30s | max. 0.42 €/min. after 30s |
| Prefix | Service Type |
|---|---|
| 900-1 | Information services (no adult content) |
| 900-3 | Entertainment services (no adult content) |
| 900-5 | Other services (including those offering adult content) |
Network services are not dialed with the trunk prefix 0. They resemble local numbers that start with 11 but usually cannot be dialed after an area code.
Before German reunification, East Germany used country code +37. West Berlin was integrated into the West German telephone network, using the same international dialling code (+49) of West Germany, with the area code 311,[7] later changed to 030.[8] Unlike West Germany, from which calls to East Berlin were made using the prefix 00372 (international access code 00, East German country code 37, area code 2),[9] calls from West Berlin required only the short code 0372.[10] Conversely, those made to West Berlin from East Berlin only required the short code 849.[11]
In 1992, two years after reunification, the telephone networks were merged under country code +49.
Geographic numbers in the New States were assigned area codes starting with 3, in some cases followed by the former East German area code (without the initial 0) or a code similar to it. Thus, Leipzig, for example, which had used East German domestic area code 41, was assigned the new area code 341 in the unified telephone system. On the other hand, some area codes were changed: for example, the small town of Zossen used to have East German area code 323, but the new area code is 3377. Area code 30, formerly used by West Berlin, was assigned to the entire reunified Berlin.
The released country code +37 was later reused as the initial digits of several new codes for European countries that became independent states at the time (e.g.: +370 for Lithuania, +374 for Armenia, +375 for Belarus, etc.), as well as some microstates whose telephone networks had formerly been integrated to those of surrounding larger countries (e.g. +376 for Andorra, +377 for Monaco and +378 for San Marino).
The German telephone network became fully digital in 1997, allowing more flexible use of the numbering space.
On 1 January 1998, the Federal Network Agency (named the Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Postal Services at the time) became the numbering authority for telephone numbers in Germany.
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