Numbers on the Irish telephone numbering plan are regulated and assigned to operators by ComReg.

Overview

Telephone numbers in Ireland are part of an open numbering plan that allows variations in number length. The Irish format is similar to systems used in many parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium and France, where geographical numbers are organised using a logic of large regional prefixes, which are then further subdivided into smaller regions. It differs from UK numbering, which originated as alphanumeric codes based on town names.

Irish Mobile and non–geographic numbers are fixed length and do not support local dialling.

The trunk prefix 0 is used to access numbers outside the local area and for all mobile calls. This is followed by an area code, referred to as a National Dialling Code (NDC), the first digit of which indicates the geographical area or type of service (e.g. mobile).

Calls made from mobile phones and some VoIP systems always require the full area code and phone number.

In common with most European countries, the trunk prefix 0 must be omitted when calling Irish numbers from abroad.

General structure of Irish numbering

Irish area codes vary in length, between one and three digits (excluding the leading 0), and subscribers' numbers are between five and seven digits.

As optional local dialling is facilitated, Irish geographic numbers cannot begin with 0 (trunk prefix), 1 (special number prefix) or 999 (emergency services). However, mobile numbers use the full range of digits, as local dialling is not supported on mobile networks, and the area code must always be dialled.

A migration to a standard format, 0xx xxx xxxx, is in progress; however, to avoid disruption, this process is only being carried out as needed, where existing area codes and local numbering systems have reached full capacity. There is currently no plan to move to a closed numbering system.

Number formats

Irish geographic numbers vary in length from area to area, but follow standard formats within each area code.

The area code, or prefix, is normally separated by a space, or less commonly, may be displayed in parentheses (brackets). Numbers are usually grouped into easy to read clusters, separated by spaces or hyphens for ease of use.

The use of spaces is recommended by ComReg for ease of compatibility with online services, such as linking to a phone number in a mobile browser, copying and pasting into mobile diallers etc

Other characters, such as / or . are not used as separators.

Area codes / prefixes are always separated from the subscriber number. Merging or reformatting these tends to cause confusion or make numbers look unfamiliar.

While formats vary, numbers are usually printed (e.g. in telephone directories) as follows:

Geographic: 01 XXX XXXX – Dublin area 0XX XXX XXXX – All other 7-digit areas 0XX XXX XXX – 6-digit areas 0XX XXXXX – 5-digit areas 0X0X XXXXX – 5-digit areas

Non-geographic 1800 XXX XXX – Freephone/Toll Free 0818 XXX XXX – Standard Rate

Mobile 08X XXX XXXX

Mobile M2M (Machine to Machine) 088 XXXXX XXXXX

Alphanumeric dialling, using letters as mnemonics for advertising etc is supported, but is rarely used.

Geographical numbering

Irish geographical numbering is structured on a regional basis and follows a logical hierarchy.

These directory areas correspond approximately to the following geographical regions:

01 – Greater Dublin Area 02 – Cork 04 – Northeast 05 – Southeast 06 – Midwest and Southwest 07 – Northwest 09 – West

The Midlands is covered by several regional codes.

Except for the 01 area, each area is further subdivided into smaller areas (NDCs). Usually, the main city or town in the area is 0x1 e.g. 021 (Cork), 061 (Limerick), 091 (Galway).

Regional overview Directory area National Dialling Codes (NDCs) Region and cities / towns0101 – single NDC for entire regionDublin area: extends to certain parts of Wicklow, Meath and Kildare.02021 to 029 Cork area:

021: Metropolitan Cork 022: Mallow 023: Bandon 024: Youghal 025: Fermoy 026: Macroom 027: Bantry 028: Skibbereen 029: Kanturk040402, 0404, 041 to 047 and 049 Northeast and Midlands:

0402: Arklow 0404: Wicklow 041: Drogheda 042: Dundalk and Carrickmacross 043: Longford 044: Mullingar 045: Newbridge and Naas 046: Navan and Edenderry 047: Monaghan 049: Cavan and Oldcastle050504, 0505, 051 to 053, 056 to 059 Midlands and Southeast:

0504: Thurles 0505: Roscrea 051: Waterford, New Ross and Carrick–on–Suir 052: Clonmel 053: Wexford 056: Kilkenny 057: Portlaoise and Tullamore 058: Dungarvan 059: Carlow, Athy and Baltinglass06061 to 069 Midwest and Southwest:

061: Limerick, Shannon and Scarriff 062: Tipperary 063: Charleville 064: Killarney 065: Ennis 066: Tralee 067: Nenagh 068: Listowel 069: Newcastle West07071 and 074 Northwest

071: Sligo and Carrick–on–Shannon 074: Letterkenny09090, 091, 093 to 099 West and Midlands

090: Athlone, Ballinasloe and Roscommon 091: Galway 093: Tuam 094: Castlebar and Castlerea 095: Clifden 096: Ballina 097: Belmullet 098: Westport 099: Kilronan

ComReg maintains a map of area codes here.

Mobile services Mobile phone numbers start with the prefix 08x and are part of a closed numbering plan, which means that a mobile phone number must have 10 digits. Calls to landlines and other mobiles require the area code on a mobile phone.

New numbers are assigned on prefixes and ranges managed by a specific operator. However, as full mobile number portability has been in operation since 2003, it is no longer possible to reliably identify which network a particular number is on. For example, a newly assigned Three number would begin with 083, but may have been ported to another operator in the meantime.

Mobile network operators (MNOs)

NDC Network Notes083 and 086Three Ireland086 previously belonged to O2, formerly Digifone, formerly Esat.085eir mobile previously known as Meteor and eMobile087Vodafone Ireland formerly Eircell

Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs)

NDC Network Notes083BlueFace (defunct) Hosted on Three085GoMo Hosted on eir mobile087An Post Mobile Hosted on VodafoneClear Mobile Hosted on Vodafone089 48 Hosted on Three. Numbers begin with 2 and 4 Tesco Mobile Lycamobile Hosted on Three. Numbers begin with 9Sky MobileHosted on Vodafone Virgin Mobile Hosted on Three. Numbers begin with 60 and 61

M2M (Machine to Machine) Communication NDC Network Notes088 All networks Reserved for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, using the format 088 xxxxx xxxxx. This prefix was originally used for the Eircell TACS network active from 1985 to 2001.

Direct to voicemail number Mobile phone numbers also have their own voicemail number. To access this, the number 5 should be put after the prefix. For example, the mobile number 08x xxx xxxx has the voicemail number 08x 5 xxx xxxx.

On some networks, when the direct to voicemail number is called, the voicemail greeting for that network is played (e.g. Vodafone, eir Mobile), while others request a phone number followed by the voicemail greeting for that number (e.g. Three). Users can press the hash key (#) to gain access to the voicemail box.

Calls to Northern Ireland Although Northern Ireland is part of the UK numbering plan, a special arrangement exists for calling Northern Irish landlines from the Republic of Ireland.

Calls to Northern Ireland can be dialled using the 048 prefix or by dialling the number in the full international format. Most Irish operators treat calls to Northern Ireland at national or even local rates. Similar charging arrangements apply when calling the Republic of Ireland from Northern Ireland.

For example, to reach Belfast landline 90xx xxxx, subscribers can dial either 048 90xx xxxx or 00 44 28 90xx xxxx.

Northern Ireland mobile phones use the same mobile numbering and networks as other parts of the UK – calls must be dialled using the 00 44 7xxx xxx xxx format.

The 048 prefix cannot be used as +353 48 xxxx xxxx, as the 048 prefix is a special access code, not an Irish area code. It tells Irish networks to route the remaining eight digits to Northern Ireland’s +44 28 area code. ComReg specifies the valid formats as 048 xxxx xxxx or 00 44 28 xxxx xxxx.

International calls

In common with all EU countries, the international access code is 00.

Numbers should be dialled as follows: 00 – country code – area code – local number.

All mobile phones and some VoIP services also support the international E.164 number format, so a + may be optionally used instead of 00.

Reserved numbers 03 – reserved for future changes in the numbering plan 07 – all except 0707, 0700, 071, 074 and 076 are reserved without assigned purpose 0707 – reserved for personal numbering 0800 – reserved

Special numbers 00 – international access 020 91x xxxx – drama use (although the rest of 020 is free) 0700 – personal numbering 076 – VoIP services – (being withdrawn.) 080 – mailbox for landline users (formerly access code for Northern Ireland) 089 011 0xxx – drama use

Speed dial short numbers to contact carriers

1901 – eir 1902 – Digiweb 1903 – Tesco Mobile 1904 – BT Ireland 1907 – Vodafone Ireland 1908 – Virgin Mobile Ireland 1910 – Magnet Networks 1913 – Three Ireland 1977 – NUACOM Ireland 1923 – Lycamobile Ireland

Operator services General operator assistance no longer exists in Ireland. 118xx – Directory enquiries (multiple commercial providers offer a variety of services in this number range)

Emergency services The emergency number for Ireland is 999. However, the 112 code also accesses the emergency operator. This code is harmonised across the EU. Either can be dialled.

Services provided Ambulance Garda Síochána Fire and rescue Irish Coast Guard Cliff and mountain rescue

SMS emergency service

112 can also be contacted by SMS. While the service is open to all users, it is primarily aimed at the deaf community.

Pre-registration used to be required. Further information can be found at Sending a text to 112.

Premium rate numbers

Premium rate voice Irish premium rate telephone numbers start with 15 and are read in two-digit blocks e.g. 1550 is "fifteen fifty".

The rates given below are from ComReg and are indicative only. One must check with their specific telephone service provider for exact rates.

NDC Maximum price (ComReg) Notes1512 €0.50 per call Premium rate untimed1513 €0.70 per call1514 €0.90 per call1515 €1.20 per call1516 €1.80 per call1517 €2.50 per call1518 €3.50 per call1520 €0.30 per minute Premium rate timed1530 €0.50 per minute1540 €0.70 per minute1550 €1.20 per minute1560 €1.80 per minute1570 €2.50 per minute1580 €2.40 per minute1590 €3.50 per minute1598 Premium rate adult non–live1599 Premium rate adult live

Premium rate SMS

NDC Maximum price (ComReg) Notes51XXX Same as local SMS Local SMS53XXX €0.30 per SMS58XXX variable price – see advertising59XXX

A special 50XXX code is used for free–of–charge SMS.

Premium rate services in Ireland are regulated by ComReg.

Non–geographic numbers (Freephone & Standard rate)

Irish non-geographic numbers consist of two national prefixes and the international freephone service.

0818 – Charged as landline call, and are included in bundled minutes. 6-digit numbers in the format 0818 XXX XXX 1800 – Freephone / toll free (from all Irish mobile and landlines. 6-digit numbers in the format 1800 xxx xxx 00 800 – Freephone / toll free (from all Irish mobile and landlines. 8-digit numbers in the format 00 800 xxxx xxxx

Where high volume 'bursty traffic' is anticipated, such as on-air radio competition lines, the first two digits of the phone number are always 71. For example: 1800 71x xxx or 0818 71x xxx. This allows the telephone network to manage traffic during number analysis, even before the call is routed.