Telephone numbers in China

Telephone numbers in China are organized according to the Chinese Telephone Code Plan. The numerical formats of landlines and mobile phones are different: landlines have area codes, whereas mobile phones do not. In major cities, landline numbers consist of a two-digit area code followed by an eight-digit inner number. In other places, landline numbers consist of a three-digit area code followed by a seven- or eight-digit internal number. The numbers of mobile phones consist of eleven digits.

China telephone numbers
Location
CountryChina
ContinentAsia
RegulatorMIIT
TypeOpen
Access codes
Country calling code+86
International call prefix00
Trunk prefix0
Map of the area codes

When one landline is used to dial another landline within the same area, it is not necessary to specify the area code. The target number must be prepended between different regions with the trunk prefix, which is 0.

Calling a mobile phone from a landline requires the addition of the "0" in front of the mobile phone number if they are not in the same area. Mobile to landline calls requires the "0" and the area code if the landline is not within the same place. Mobile to mobile calls does not require the "0om outside mainland China.

The Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are not part of this numbering plan and use the country codes +852 and +853, respectively.

In addition, there have been rumors suggesting that the PRC numbering plan once reserved the "026" space for Taiwan (currently +886). However, Yang Peifang, an assistant chief engineer at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), denied such a claim. He pointed out that even after China is unified, Taiwan would continue to hold on to its current "+886" area code, just like Hong Kong and Macau, because possessing multiple international area codes is considered a resource.[1]

Mobile phones

In mainland China, mobile phone numbers have 11 digits in the format 1xx-XXXX-XXXX (except for 140–144, which are 13-digit IoT numbers), in which the first three digits (13x to 19x) designate the mobile phone service provider.

Before GSM, mobile phones had 6-digit (later upgraded to 7-digit) numbers starting with nine. They had the same numbering format as fixed-line telephones. Those numbers were eventually translated into 1390xx9xxx, where xx were local identifiers.[2]

The oldest China Mobile GSM numbers were ten digits long and started with 139 in 1994, the second oldest 138 in 1997, and 137, 136, 135 in 1999. The oldest China Unicom numbers started with 130 in 1995, the second oldest at 131 in 1998. Keeping the same number over time is somewhat associated with the stability and reliability of the owner. The 5th to the seventh digit sometimes relates to age and location.

China's mobile phone numbers upgraded from 10-digit to 11-digit, with 0 added after 13x, and thus HLR code became 4-digit long to expand the capacity of the seriously fully crowded numbering plan.

In 2006, 15x numbers were introduced.[3] In late 2008, 18x and 14x (for data plans or IoT) were introduced. In late 2013, 17x were introduced. In 2017, 16x and 19x were introduced.

In December 2016, each cell phone number was required to be consigned to a real name in mainland China.

Mobile service providers can be identified by the first three or four digits as follows:

PrefixProviderNetwork
130–132China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM
133China Telecom1LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
134(0–8)China MobileLTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
1349ChinasatSatellite
135–139China MobileLTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
140 (13 digits) China Unicom (IoT) LTE/WCDMA/GSM
141 (13 digits) China Telecom (IoT) LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
144 (13 digits)China Mobile (IoT)LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
145China Unicom (formerly Data-plans only)LTE/WCDMA
146 China Unicom (IoT) LTE/WCDMA/GSM
147China Mobile (formerly Data-plans only)LTE/TD-SCDMA
148China Mobile (IoT)LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
149 China Telecom (formerly Data-plans only) LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
150/1/2/7/8/9China MobileLTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
153China Telecom1LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
155/6China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM
162 China Telecom (VNO) LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
165 China Mobile (VNO) LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
166China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM
167China Unicom (VNO)LTE/WCDMA/GSM
170(0/1/2)China Telecom (VNO)LTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
170(3/5/6)China Mobile (VNO)LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
170(4/7/8/9)China Unicom (VNO)LTE/WCDMA/GSM
171China Unicom (VNO)LTE/WCDMA/GSM
172/8 China Mobile LTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
173/7China TelecomLTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
174(00-05)ChinasatSatellite
1749Inmarsat2Satellite
175/6China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM
180/1/9China TelecomLTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
182/3/4/7/8China MobileLTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
185/6China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM
190/1/3/9China TelecomLTE/CDMA2000/cdmaOne
192China Broadcasting NetworkLTE/WCDMA/GSM
195/7/8China MobileLTE/TD-SCDMA/GSM
196China UnicomLTE/WCDMA/GSM

1 – China Unicom before 2009

2 – Operated by China Transport Telecommunication & Information Center

Calling formats

To call phone numbers in China people ous, the following format is used:

  • For fixed phones:

xxx xxxx | xxxx xxxx Calls within the same area code

0yyy xxx xxxx | 0yyy xxxx xxxx Calls from other areas within China

+86 yyy xxx xxxx | +86 yyy xxxx xxxx Calls from outside China

  • For mobile phones:

1nn xxxx xxxx Calls to mobile phones within China

+86 1nn xxxx xxxx Calls to mobiles from outside China

Area 1 – Capital Operation Center

The prefix one is used exclusively by the national capital, Beijing Municipality.

  • Beijing – 10 (formerly 1, abolished after GSM was introduced, to avoid conflict with mobile phone numbers with prefix 0 added (e.g. 0139-xxxx-xxxx))

Area 2 – Country Communication System Operating Center

These are area codes for the municipalities of Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing, as well as several major cities with early access to telephones. These cities have upgraded to an 8-number system in the past decade. All telephone numbers are 8-digit in these areas.

3 - Formerly 811, 814, 819, 810, 829, abolished 1997.
4 - Formerly 410, 413, abolished 2011,[4] and 414, abolished in 2014.[5]
5 - Formerly 832, 833, abolished 2010.[6]
6 - Formerly 910, abolished 2006.[7]

Area 3 – Northern China Operation Center

These are area codes for the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Henan.

Hebei – 31x 33x

Shanxi (山西) – 34x 35x

Henan – 37x 39x

8 - Formerly 378, abolished.
9 - Formerly 397, abolished.

Area 4 – Northeastern China Operation Center

These are area codes for the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia, and the provinces in Northeast China (Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang). Additionally, numbers starting 400 are shared-pay (callers are charged local rate anywhere in the country) numbers .

Liaoning – 41x 42x

Jilin – 43x 44x

10 - Hunchun formerly 440, abolished
11 - Meihekou, Liuhe, Huinan formerly 448, abolished

Heilongjiang – 45x 46x

12 -Acheng formerly 450, abolished.
13 - Jiagedaqi and Songling are de facto under the administration of the Daxing'anling
Prefecture, uses 457.

Inner Mongolia – 47x 48x

14 - Jiagedaqi and Songling are de facto under the administration of the Daxing'anling
Prefecture, uses 457.

Area 5 – Eastern China Operating Center

These are area codes for the provinces of Jiangsu, Shandong (predominantly), Anhui, Zhejiang and Fujian.

Jiangsu – 51x 52x

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in Jiangsu.

Shandong – 53x 54x

Anhui – 55x 56x

15 - Split from Fuyang in 2000, no new area code allocated.

Zhejiang – 57x 58x

Fujian – 59x 50x

16 - Kinmen, Matsu, and Wuchiu are under the international calling code of +886.

Area 6 – Supplement for Shandong(63x), Guangdong(66x), Yunnan(69x)

All area codes with prefix 6 were assigned in recent years. This prefix (+866) previously was reserved for Taiwan, which is now assigned (+886).[8]

Shandong – 63x

While most areas in Shandong use the prefix 53x 54x, some sites also use the prefix 6.

Guangdong – 66x

While most areas in Guangdong use the prefix 75x and 76x, some sites also use the prefix 6. The provincial capital Guangzhou uses code 20.

Yunnan – 69x

While most areas in Yunnan use the prefix 87x and 88x, a couple of areas also use the prefix 6.

Area 7 – Central-Southern China Operating Center

These are area codes for the central provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong (predominantly), Jiangxi, and the autonomous region of Guangxi.

Hubei – 71x 72x

Hunan – 73x 74x

17 - Formerly 733, abolished.
18 - Formerly 732, abolished.

Guangdong – 75x 76x

Guangxi – 77x 78x

19 - Split from Wuzhou Prefecture, original area code inherited.
20 - Split from Liuzhou Prefecture, original area code inherited.
21 - Split from Yulin Prefecture, original area code inherited.
22 - Split from Nanning Prefecture, original area code inherited.

Jiangxi – 79x 70x

Area 8 -Southwestern China Operating Center

These are area codes for the provinces of Sichuan, Hainan, Guizhou, Yunnan (predominantly) and the autonomous region of Tibet.

Sichuan – 81x 82x 83x

Guizhou – 85x 86x

23 - Formerly 852, 853, abolished 2014.[10]

Yunnan – 87x 88x

24 - Dongchuan formerly 881, incorporated into 871

Tibet/Xizang – 89(1–7)

Hainan – 898

All telephone numbers are 8-digit in Hainan.

Area 9 – Northwestern China Operating Center

These are area codes for northwestern regions including the provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu and Qinghai, as well as the autonomous regions of Ningxia and Xinjiang.

Shaanxi (陕西) – 91x 92x

Gansu – 93x 94x

25 - Shared area code due to small size.

Ningxia – 95x 96x

Qinghai – 97x 98x

26 - Area under the administration of Golmud uses 979, other landlines within the prefecture use 977.

Xinjiang – 99x 90x

Emergency numbers

From within Mainland China, the following emergency numbers are used:

In most cities, the emergency numbers assist in Mandarin Chinese and English.

Starting from 2012 in Shenzhen, an implemented system upgrade to unify three emergency reporting services into one number, 110. A similar approach is being installed in more cities in China to make them more convenient.

Dialing 112, 911, and 999 (outside Beijing without area code 010) plays a recording message about the correct emergency numbers in Chinese and English twice: "For police, dial 110. To report a fire, dial 119. For ambulance, dial 120. To report a traffic accident, dial 122." on China Mobile and China Unicom phones, NO SERVICES will be redirected. The error messages "Number does not exist" will be played on China Telecom phones, and NO SERVICES will be redirected.

Others

From within Mainland China, the following special numbers are used:

(ex. 962288 in Shanghai – Shanghai foreigner assistant hotline, calls outside Shanghai is people will play 021-962288, or a message will reach error message or undesired service)

International Access Code

The international access code from the PRC is 00. This must also be used for calls to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau from the Chinese mainland, together with their separate international codes, as follows:

place! Prefix
(All countries) 00 CountryCode AreaCode SubscriberCode
Taiwan00 886 xxx xxx xxx[11]
Hong Kong00 852 xxxx xxxx[12]
Macau00 853 xxxx xxxx[13]
NANP 00 1 xxx xxx xxxx
UK 00 44 xxxxxxxxxx
Japan 00 81 xxxxxxxxx

See also

References
  1. Shen, Saixing (December 18, 2007). "信产部权威专家解密区号分配史：026和台北无关". Southern Weekly. Southern Weekly. Southern Weekly. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  2. "中国手机号码设计及长度的演变_显赫的破墙_新浪博客". blog.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  3. "提示信息 - 通信人家园 - Powered by C114". www.txrjy.com. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
  4. "沈阳、抚顺、铁岭正式开始共用"024"长途区号-搜狐新闻".
  5. "股人网 - Powered by Discuz! Archiver".
  6. "成都眉山资阳三地将共用长途区号028_新闻中心_新浪网".
  7. "西安咸阳今夜电话同区号-搜狐新闻".
  8. The story of Taiwan's calling code, Taipei Times, October 5, 2010
  9. Nanhai No.1 & Guangdong Maritime Silk Road Museum Archived 2016-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "贵阳遵义安顺实现通信同城化 共享区号0851".
  11. China Vista, Eugene Law, China Intercontinental Press, 2004, page 519
  12. China International Business: The Monthly Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, P.R.C, Issues 7–12, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, 2002
  13. China Law, Issues 1–6, 2008, page 50
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