New Numbering Plan Introduced next sunday

The New National Numbering Plan (NNP) will be introduced at midnight next Sunday, October 31. In the Azores, which lies in a different time zone, the new numbering plan will come into effect from 23.00. All telecommunications operators will simultaneously adopt the new numbering system.

The telephone numbers to be used from Sunday onwards are definitive. They will always have to be dialled in full, otherwise telephone connections will not be made.

From midnight on Sunday, mechanisms will also enter into effect designed to correct calls made using the old numbers. This service consists in a recorded message, which will alert callers of the changes.

The information lines provided by the Instituto das Comunicações de Portugal (ICP) and by telecommunications operators will of course remain in service. Mobile operators will also have an automatic conversion service for numbers recorded in their clients' SIM cards.

Clients of any operator may seek information from ICP, and access the Institute's Internet site National Numbering Planhttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=36478. All information concerning the new National Numbering Plan will be available in the above address, including an automatic converter for telephone numbers.

There is every reason to believe that the new plan will be introduced without problems. In the fixed network, Portugal Telecom expects that the network will switch to the new plan without any interruption in services. Some difficulties may however be experienced in sporadic cases.

For Optimus, the technical procedures necessary for the introduction of the Numbering Plan will be rapidly implemented, but the service may be interrupted for a few minutes.

For Telecel, speed will be a key factor, although the service may be interrupted for a few minutes.

For TMN, communications are likely to be maintained without interruption, in the transition to the new National Numbering Plan.

In all of these cases, the introduction of the new numbering plan may affect the networks, due to possible dialling errors of new numbers or users who repeatedly dial numbers from the old plan.

Independently of these different scenarios, emergency calls to the National Emergency Service, 112, are guaranteed. For this purpose, mobile networks will have the capacity to directly forward emergency calls. All 112 service stations in the country will have at least one telephone of each mobile network. This procedure was successfully tested last Saturday.

Alongside the guidance services provided by ICP since last June, which will remain in operation, users will also be advised to contact operators, who will offer a set of client information and support services including the following:

Portugal Telecom:

• 155: free phone number for information about the NNP, for residential clients.
   
• 0800 22 31 10 (800 22 31 10, from October 31): free phone number for alterations in the Fixed Telephone Service, for corporate clients.
   
• Portugal Telecom's Internet site: http://www.portugal-telecom.pthttp://www.telecom.pt/InternetResource/PTSite/PT

Optimus:

• 155: free phone number for information about the NNP.
   
• Sending written messages to all 0933 clients alerting them of the changes.
   
• Provision in the operator's shops of equipment that enables automatic conversion of the telephone numbers recorded in the YES cards of the operator's clients.
   
• Optimus's Internet site: http://www.optimus.pthttp://www.optimus.pt/

Telecel:

• 155: free phone number for information about the NNP.
   
• Sending of written messages to all clients with unidentified pre-paid 0931 cards, alerting them of the changes, together with information that has already been included in the invoices of identified clients.
   
• Information campaign on the day prior to the introduction of the plan.
   
• Provision in the operator's shops of equipment that enables automatic conversion of the telephone numbers recorded in the YES cards of the operator's clients.
   
• Telecel's Internet site: http://www.telecel.pt/ - ver http://www.vodafone.pthttp://www.vodafone.pt/main/particulares

TMN:

• 155: free phone number for information about the NNP.
   
• Sending from Friday October 29, of written messages to all 0936 clients alerting them of the changes.
   
• Provision of a voice message whenever users access their Voice Mail service, alerting users to the changes.
   
• Provision in the operator's shops of equipment that enables automatic conversion of the telephone numbers recorded in the YES cards of the operator's clients.
   
• TMN's Internet site: http://www.tmn.pthttps://www.meo.pt/

In order to facilitate dialling of numbers, we also advise users to remember the following:

• Change address books, whether in paper or electronic format (e.g. stored in the memory of portable phones).
   
• Reprogramme fax memories.
   
• Contact family members and friends in Portugal or abroad, informing them of the changes, bearing in mind that numbers will be changed throughout Portuguese territory. The international access code for Portugal, ''351'' is maintained.
   
• Reconfirm with the company providing you with a home alarm service, in the event that you use such a service, that the necessary alterations have been made.

Attention is drawn to the fact that there will be no change in the following situations:

• 112 calls. The National Emergency Number is maintained in the new National Numbering Plan.
   
• Tariff rates. No price change will result from the new telephone numbering plan.
   
• Dialling abroad from Portugal. This remains the same.

The new National Numbering Plan has a very simple structure, provided that you consider the following principles:

1. All telephone numbers will have 9 digits. From Sunday onwards, if a telephone number has more or less than 9 digits, it is incorrect. One of the exceptions are short numbers such as 112 (emergency) or 117 (forestry protection).
    
2. Area codes will always be dialled, irrespective of the location of the caller. The network or geographical location of the caller is no longer relevant. A telephone number will always remain the same, irrespective of the situation.
    
3. The "0" at the beginning of all dialling codes will disappear and will be substituted by other numbers from 2 to 9. The exception is calls abroad, which will continue to commence with "00".

In a simplified form, different categories of telephone numbers will now begin with the following numbers:

Consult:

• Numbering https://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?categoryId=36478