Telephone numbers in Italy
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Telephone numbers in Italy are managed by the Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni (AGCOM), a national regulatory authority for the communication industry located in
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
. Italian telephone numbers are defined by an
open telephone numbering plan A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...
that assigns subscriber telephone numbers of six to eleven digits. In addition, other short codes are used for special services. The plan is organized by types of services, indicated by the first digit. Geographic landline numbers start with the digit ''0'', while mobile telephone numbers start with ''3''. Four types of emergency services use three-digit telephone numbers in the group ''11X'', including
112 112 may refer to: *112 (number), the natural number following 111 and preceding 113 *112 (band), an American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia **112 (album), ''112'' (album), album from the band of the same name *112 (emergency telephone number), t ...
for the
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
. Other initial digits denote other services, such as toll-free numbers. The dialing procedures for callers mandate that the full telephone number is always dialed, including the
area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...
, which is called ''prefix'' (''prefisso'' in
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
). Since 1998, the leading ''0'' of landline numbers has to be included also when calling from abroad, in contrast with the practice in many other countries. The
country code Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes (geocodes) developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The term '' ...
for calling Italy from abroad is ''39''. For calling foreign destinations from Italy, the
international call prefix An international call prefix, international dial-out code or international direct dial code (IDD code) is a trunk prefix that indicates an International call, international phone call. In the dialling sequence, the prefix precedes the country call ...
is ''00'', as is standard in most European countries. Italian regulations prescribe no fixed rules for grouping the digits of telephone numbers for printing or display. Various grouping schemes are commonly used and a telephone number is likely to be written or pronounced differently by different people. Commonly used formatting or punctuation characters include the space character, the dot, full stop, and the hyphen.


Number format

The minimum length of telephone numbers is three digits and the maximum is twelve.


Landline service

Landline numbers start with the digit ''0'' and are 6 to 11 digits long, although they are rarely shorter than 9. They are composed of a variable length prefix followed by a variable length subscriber number. Prefixes are assigned on a geographical basis, starting from the north of the country; for example:
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
has prefix "06",
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
has "02",
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
has "081", and
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
has "011".


Mobile telephone service

Mobile telephone numbers start with the digit ''3'' and are generally ten digits long. It is still possible, but rare, to find nine-digit numbers, which were the first to be assigned. The group of the first three digits of a mobile telephone number (''prefix'') identifies the
mobile network operator A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a wireless service provider, wireless carrier, cellular company, or mobile network carrier, is a provider of wireless communications services that owns or controls all the elements necessary to sell ...
that assigned the number, but since 2002,
mobile number portability Mobile number portability (MNP) enables mobile telephone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that ...
is possible and thus any number can end up being managed by any carrier. Some network operators allow the caller to insert additional digits for redirecting calls to voice mail. For example, dialing, "363397550176" might connect to the voice mail service of the telephone number "3397550176". The extra digits vary based on the network operator managing the service.


Emergency and service numbers

Emergency and service numbers start with the digit ''1''. Four emergency numbers are currently in use, but a process has been started to consolidate them with ''112'', previously assigned to the gendarmerie, already the unique emergency number in some areas. Calls to 112 are answered within seconds and in multiple languages. The complete list of emergency numbers is: * "112": Gendarmerie (
Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
) * "113": State Police (
Polizia di Stato The ''Polizia di Stato'' (State Police or P.S.) is one of the national police forces of Italy. Alongside the Carabinieri, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agencies ...
) * "114": Helpline for children, handled by "SOS Il Telefono Azzurro Onlus" * "115": National Fire Department (
Vigili del Fuoco The Vigili del Fuoco is Italy's institutional agency for fire and rescue service. It is part of the Ministry of Interior's ''Dipartimento dei Vigili del Fuoco, del Soccorso Pubblico e della Difesa Civile'' (Department of Firefighters, Public Re ...
) * "118": Regional Emergency Medical Service Other service numbers are: * "10...": Carrier selection codes, to be prepended to the dialed number; * "116000": Hotline for missing children, handled by "SOS Il Telefono Azzurro Onlus"; * "117": Financial Gendarmerie (
Guardia di Finanza The ''Guardia di Finanza'' (G. di F. or GdF) () (English: literal: ''Guard of Finance'', paraphrased: ''Financial Police'' or ''Financial Guard'') is an Italian law enforcement agency under the authority of the Minister of Economy and Finance. ...
); * "12xx": Directory services; ** "1240": Directory service provided by Italiaonline; * "15xx": Public utility services; ** "1515": Fire department (forestry), handled by
Corpo Forestale dello Stato The State Forestry Corps (Italian: ''Corpo forestale dello Stato'' or ''CFS'') was a national police agency in Italy. It was established on 15 October 1822 by Charles Felix of Sardinia as Amministrazione forestale per la custodia e la vigilanza ...
; ** "1525": Environmental emergencies; ** "1518": Road information, handled by CCISS; ** "1530": Maritime assistance and rescue, handled by Italian Navy Coast Guard; * "194...": Customer care services; * "19696": Helpline for children, handled by "SOS Il Telefono Azzurro Onlus";


Special-rate numbers

Special-rate numbers start with ''8'' and include toll-free numbers (called ''green numbers'', ''numeri verdi'' in Italian, starting with "80..."), shared-rate numbers ("84...") and premium-rate services ("89...").


Other numbers

Numbers starting with ''4'' are used for network-specific phone services like voice mailbox and various information services; they can be free, non-premium or premium. Included in this category are, among others: * "40...": free operator internal services; * "455...": fundraising services for social purposes by non-profit agencies, organizations and associations and government; * "47...": mass call services; The digit 5 has been reserved for
VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP) networks, such as the Internet. The terms Internet t ...
numbers. Finally 7 is used for internet services such as virtual fax numbers and dial up internet access ("70...").


Unassigned numbers

Numbers starting with the digits ''2'', ''6'' and ''9'' are currently unassigned and reserved for future purposes.


Historical number formats


Trunk code removal

In the past it was possible to omit the prefix when calling from a landline to another landline in the same area. The digit "0" was the trunk code and it had to be removed when calling from abroad. This changed in 1998, with a transition period lasting from 19 June to 31 December. The new dialing procedures require dialing the full number for all calls. The main advantage is the availability of millions of previously reserved phone numbers. The change was widely advertised with a campaign named "Fissa il prefisso" ("Attach the prefix"). It was originally intended to replace the leading ''0'' with ''4'' for landlines. This was scheduled for implementation commencing 29 December 2000, but never happened. Instead, ''4'' was assigned to identify network services. Example for calling the landline subscriber number xxxxxxxx in Rome: * xxxxxxxx: from within Rome, before 1998; * : from within Rome, after 1998; * : from outside Rome, both before and after 1998; * : from abroad, before 1998; * : from abroad, after 1998.


Mobile numbers prefix shortening

Until 2001 a leading "0" was part of any mobile phone number, but it has been removed. Example for calling the mobile phone number ': * : from within Italy, before 2001; * : from within Italy, after 2001; * : from abroad, both before and after 2001.


Other changes

Several other smaller changes occurred over the years: for example the prefix for toll free numbers changed from "167" to "800" in 1999. * "116": Used to be assigned to Road help ( ACI); It has changed to 803116. Some new number starting with 116 has been assigned to special services (for example the 116000 for missing children, already described above, or the 116117 assigned to non-urgent medical assistance)


Special relations with other countries


Campione d'Italia

The Italian
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
Campione d'Italia Campione d'Italia ( Comasco: , ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Como in the Lombardy region of Italy and an enclave surrounded by the Swiss canton of Ticino (it is also an exclave). At its closest, the enclave is less than from the rest of ...
, an
exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
within the
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...
canton of
Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
, uses the Swiss telephone network and is part of the Swiss numbering plan, with local numbers using the +41 91 numbering range, although some Italian numbers are in use by the municipal council, which use the same +39 031 numbering range as the town of
Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco dialect, Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and ...
.


San Marino

The Italian
enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
has its own country code 378, but landline numbers can be reached using the Italian country code as well: the prefix "0549" is assigned to San Marino. Dialing either "+378xxxxxx" or "+390549xxxxxx" will reach the same number. Mobile phone customers are sometimes assigned Italian phone numbers.


Vatican City

The country code 379 is assigned to
Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...
, but it is not used: telephone numbers in Vatican City are integrated into the Italian numbering plan. Vatican landline telephone numbers are in the form "+3906698xxxxx", "+39" being the country code for Italy and "06" the prefix for Rome.


See also

*
List of dialling codes in Italy This is a list of dialing codes used in Italy Zone 1 - Liguria, Piedmont, and Aosta Valley * 010 – City of Genoa and surroundings * 011 – City of Turin and surroundings * 0122 – Metropolitan City of Turin – Susa Valley area * 0123 – Me ...
* List of Italian telephone companies *
Telecommunications in Italy Telephones - main lines in use: 19.52 million (2019) Telephones - mobile cellular: 79.48 million (2019) Telephone system: well-developed, fully automated telephone and data services ''domestic:'' high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay tr ...
*
Internet in Italy The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Italy is .it and is sponsored by Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche. The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. Currently Internet access is availab ...


References


External links


National ITU-T E.164 numbering plan for country code +39
{{Telephone numbers in Europe Italy communications-related lists
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
Telecommunications in Italy