Type closed Country calling code +972 | NSN length 8 or 9 | |
Regulator Israeli Ministry of Communications | ||
Telephone numbers in Israel consist of an area code and a subscriber number. The dial plan type in Israel is closed, and "0" is the internal Trunk prefix in Israel. Israel's country calling code is +972.
Contents
- History
- Structure and format
- International call prefix
- Area codes
- Geographic area codes
- Cellular and mobile devices area code
- Non geographic nationwide area code
- Special numbers
- Kosher numbers
- References
When dialing an Israeli number from inside of Israel, the format is :
"0 - Area/network operator code (A/N) - subscriber number (X)"
When dialing an Israeli number from outside Israel, the format is :
"+972 - Area/network operator code (A/N) - subscriber number (X)"
History
Until the 1990s, telephone numbers in Israel had 6 digits (except in its early days), and until the 2000s, there were 8 area codes allocated to Bezeq, by region. Currently numbers have seven digits and Bezeq controls 6 area codes - 2 (Jerusalem), 3 (Gush Dan), 4 and 6 (Haifa and northern areas) were merged, as well as 7 (south), 8 (Shfela) and 9 (Sharon).
With the influence of VOIP long distance was deregulated in Israel. According to the Israel Ministry of Communication a VOIP number may be ported to a landline carrier and vice versa providing the option to have, say, a northern number in the south of the country. Numbers may not be ported, say, from the north to the south of the country on the same kind of line (e.g., VOIP to VOIP or landline to landline). Mobile number portability between cellular providers was introduced in late 2007.
Structure and format
The format for calls to landlines within the same area code is XXX-XXXX (7 digits subscriber number). For calls to a landline outside the local area, the area code is prefixed and the format becomes (0A) XXX-XXXX for calls to landlines, where "0A" is the area code.
The format for calls to cellular mobile phones is 05N-XXX-XXXX, where "05N" is the mobile operator indicator. The format for calls to VOIP lines is 07N-XXX-XXXX, where "07N" is the VOIP operator indicator.
When calling from outside of Israel, the leading "0" in area codes is not dialed, and the format is +972-A-XXX-XXXX for calls to landlines, +972-5N-XXX-XXXX for calls to mobile lines, +972-7N-XXX-XXXX for calls to VOIP lines.
International call prefix
For calling from Israel to another country: choose operator, and dial its international access code, then dial destination country code and then the rest of the local number.
Area codes
Due to mobile number portability, a mobile phone with a prefix of one provider can be associated with a different provider.
Geographic area codes
When dialing within one of the geographical area codes (2, 3, 4, 8, 9) the prefix can be dropped (so instead of dialing (0A)XXX-XXXX you can dial XXX-XXXX).
Cellular and mobile devices area code
Non-geographic nationwide area code
Non-geographic nationwide area code can be used by Landline and VoIP operators.
Special numbers
Special numbers include emergency and aid services, along with technical support and other provider services:
100 - Police101 - Ambulance Service102 - Fire Fighters103 - Electric Corporation104 - Home Front Command (Information about how to act in war and earthquake)106 - Municipal Call Center <in most cities>107 - Municipal Call Center <in some cities>108 - Municipal Call Center <in some cities>109 - Municipal Call Center <in some cities>110 - Police information service118 - Ministry of Social Affairs emergency service1201 - Mental health first aid1255 XXX - Hospital Information Center <only in times of emergency>*XXXX - (Star and 4 digits) Speed dial service1234 - Bezeq-Card service (Bezeq lines only)1455 - Speaking clock - Time and date in Israel and around the world142 - Collect Call144 - Telephone Listings Information166 - Bezeq technical support199 - Bezeq customer service164 - Bezeq business customer service1 599 XXX XXX - Business Toll1 700 XXX XXX - Business Toll1 80X XXX XXX - Toll Free1 90X XXX XXX - PremiumNote - The Israeli telecommunication infrastructure is available and used extensively in the Palestinian Territories too.Kosher numbers
Kosher phones and networks are essentially phones with Haredi rabbinical approval that can be used for communication without entertainment functionality or connectivity. This is a line that has a pre-defined prefix and it is blocked to content that Haredi activists feel is not appropriate for their community. Such blocking includes cellular internet access, chat rooms, SMS, etc. It should not be imputed that other phones are not kosher according to Jewish law, as evidenced by the fact that a very large number - if not the majority - of observant Orthodox Jews worldwide do not restrict themselves to "kosher" phones; rather the description "kosher" phones is a loose one, implying an added level of stringency accepted by some communities.
Some mobile plans include a large allocation of minutes to kosher numbers, which are:
+972 50 41X XXXX - Pelephone+972 52 71X XXXX - Cellcom, second range+972 52 76X XXXX - Cellcom, first range+972 53 31X XXXX - Hot Mobile+972 54 84X XXXX - Partner, first range+972 54 85X XXXX - Partner, second range+972 58 32X XXXX - Golan Telecom (official kosher numbers; introduced 2014-01-01)+972 58 31X XXXX - Golan Telecom (not officially kosher)+972 58 37X XXXX - Golan Telecom (not officially kosher)