I just got an iNum
The number starts, as expected, with 883, followed by 1 and a bunch of zeroes. The last seven digits spell I-FIB-BOB (or I-FIB-ANA), if you consider 1 to be I. Alright, it’s not that easy to remember, but it’s not bad for a number that’s completely free and portable, being untied to any particular country. Such numbers are HD-enabled and SMS-reachable from the following carriers:
- Canada: Bell Mobility, Fido, Rogers, WIND
- UK: Orange, Vodafone
- USA: T-Mobile
access numbers
Though a great idea, the numbers are not reachable from all the carriers yet. Fortunately, there are local access numbers in 45 countries, meaning that these numbers can be accessed at the cost of a local call.
| Country | City | Access Number |
|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | +54 1159839500 |
| Australia | Sydney | +61 280148200 |
| Austria | +43 720880500 | |
| Bahrain | +973 16199200 | |
| Belgium | Brussels | +32 28081771 |
| Brazil | Rio De Janeiro | +55 2135219966 |
| Brazil | Sao Paulo | +55 1137119355 |
| Bulgaria | Sofia | +359 24917555 |
| Canada | Calgary | (403) 775-1446 |
| Canada | Edmonton | (780) 669-9257 |
| Canada | Halifax | (902) 982-6937 |
| Canada | London | (519) 488-9336 |
| Canada | Montreal | (514) 907-7500 |
| Canada | Ottawa | (613) 686-4519 |
| Canada | Quebec City | (418) 8000384 |
| Canada | Toronto | (416) 800-4303 |
| Canada | Toronto | (647) 724-8777 |
| Canada | Vancouver | (778) 786-3497 |
| Canada | Winnipeg | (204) 272-8182 |
| Chile | Santiago | +56 25813444 |
| Croatia | Zagreb | +385 17776363 |
| Cyprus | Nicosia | +357 22030500 |
| Czech Republic | Prague | +420 246019777 |
| Denmark | +45 69918686 | |
| El Salvador | +503 21131899 | |
| Estonia | +372 6681881 | |
| Finland | Helsinki | +358 942419200 |
| France | Paris | +33 170619800 |
| Georgia | Tbilisi | +995 32473846 |
| Greece | Athens | +30 2111768444 |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | +85258080177 |
| Hungary | Budapest | +36 19980500 |
| Ireland | Dublin | +353 15262600 |
| Israel | Tel Aviv | +972 37219555 |
| Italy | Rome | +39 0662207777 |
| Japan | Tokyo | +81 345209777 |
| Latvia | +371 67652500 | |
| Luxembourg | +352 20880108 | |
| Malta | +35627780107 | |
| Mexico | Guadalajara | +52 3346242977 |
| Mexico | Mexico City | +52 5511678222 |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | +31 208080808 |
| New Zealand | Auckland | +64 99250499 |
| Norway | Oslo | +47 21031306 |
| Panama | +507 8322488 | |
| Peru | Lima | +51 17085500 |
| Poland | Warsaw | +48 223982688 |
| Puerto Rico | Bayamon Norte | (787) 395-7140 |
| Romania | +40 318103500 | |
| Singapore | +65 31581212 | |
| Slovakia | Bratislava | +421 233002555 |
| Slovenia | Ljubljana | +386 16001422 |
| Spain | Madrid | +34 911883777 |
| Sweden | Stockholm | +46 852500111 |
| Switzerland | Zurich | +41 435006262 |
| United Kingdom | London | +44 2033556363 |
| United States | Chicago | (312) 253-4880 |
| United States | Houston | (713) 474-2323 |
| United States | Los Angeles | (213) 221-3799 |
| United States | New York | (646) 843-6969 |
| United States | Phoenix | (602) 354-9444 |
| United States | San Diego | (619) 330-9640 |
| United States | San Francisco | (650) 360-0999 |
history and related
A few years ago, the International Telecommunication Union created two country codes (882 and 883) to “serve as a catch-all for telephone services not dedicated to a single country”. These are not the only such “pseudo-country-codes”; here’s a few more similarly “exotic” codes:
- Global Mobile Satellite System (GMSS) – +881
- Inmarsat – +870 SNAC, +871 Atlantic E, +872 Pacific, +873 Indian, +874 Atlantic W
- European Telephony Number Space (ETNS) – +388
- International Freephone Service (UIFN) - +800
- International Premium Rate Service (IPRS) - +979
- International Shared Cost Service (ISCS) - +808
- International Telecommunications Public Correspondence Service (ITPCS) - +991
- Telecommunications for Disaster Relief (TDR) +888
- Universal Personal Telecommunications (UPT) +878
The Defense Switched Network followed AUTOVON (AUTOmatic VOice Network) and is a “widespread PBX system for military uses”:
- 312 Continental United States (CONUS)
- 313 Caribbean, Central America
- 314 Europe
- 315 Pacific, Indian Oceans
- 317 Alaska
- 318 Southwest Asia
- 319 Canada
You can find below Voxbone’s president talking about it.
Sources / More info: inum.net, wiki-int-net, wtng-special-services, itu, rebtel-iphone-app
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