Singapore telephone numbering plan
Encyclopedia
Country Code: +65
International Call Prefix: 001 or 002 or 008
Trunk Prefix
: none
The Singapore telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Numbering Management Department of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
(IDA), taking over the role from the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore upon its formation in December 1999.
Due to the small geographical size of Singapore
, there are no area or trunk codes, with the Public Switched Telephone Network
, Radio
Network and IP Telephony
all belonging to one numbering area, and thus comes in the same 8-digit numbering format. Numbers are categorised based on the first digit, thus providing ten possible categories, of which six are currently in use and the remaining four reserved for future usage.
When making an international call, the required access code may vary. Calling by default is 001 as landlines are by SingTel, 008 for StarHub
and 002 for M1.
services, making numbers eight digits, and on 1 March 2002, the digit '6' was added to existing fixed line telephone numbers.
6xxx xxxx - Fixed Line services inclusive of Fixed Line Voice Over IP services
like StarHub Digital Voice and SingTel mio Voice
8xxx xxxx - Mobile phone services
9xxx xxxx - Mobile phone services Includes Paging Services like SUNPAGE
800 xxx xxxx - Toll-Free International services
1800 xxx xxxx - Toll-Free line services
1900 xxx xxxx - Premium Service
1711(SingTel)/171*(M1) - Speaking clock
999 - Police
995 - Singapore Civil Defence Force/Emergency Ambulance
993 - MOH
Special Ambulance
Service (for suspected cases of H1N1
and SARS)
1777 - Non-Emergency Ambulance
16xx - Service Providers' Customer Services
13xx - Voicemails
18xx - ICC
Similarly, until 1995, calls to Malaysia from Singapore were direct, with only the area code and number being required, hence 03 for Kuala Lumpur
instead of +60 3, but in that year the Subscriber Trunk Dialling
prefix 020 was adopted, owing to the divergence of the two countries' numbering plans.
Numbering have been changed since the liberalization of the telecommunications industry, with new carriers requiring different dialling arrangements system for calls to Malaysia, which require the use of the +60 country code, for example, to call Malaysia using M1, a subscriber would dial 02160, while making the same call using StarHub
, the subscriber would dial 01860.
, Samarinda
, Pekanbaru
and Tanjung Pinang
in Indonesia
require only the code 011, followed by the area code (minus '0') and the subscriber's number, hence to call a number in Batam from Singapore, a subscriber would dial 011 778 xxx xxx, instead of the international code +62 778. Calls to the rest of Indonesia, including those to mobile phones, require international dialling, as do calls made using other carriers in Singapore, such as StarHub and M1.
Other international access codes in the 00x range will select various providers. Access codes in the 0xx range (e.g. 018 - StarHub's VoIP services or 019 - SingTel's VoIP services) will indicate a Tier 1 VoIP provider. Access codes like 1xxx (e.g. 1511) are indicative of a Tier 2 VoIP provider.
International Call Prefix: 001 or 002 or 008
Trunk Prefix
Trunk prefix
A trunk prefix is the number to be dialed in a domestic telephone call, preceding any necessary area codes and subscriber numbers. When the number is called from overseas, the trunk prefix is omitted by the caller. In most countries, such as Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom, the trunk...
: none
The Singapore telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Numbering Plan, is regulated by the Numbering Management Department of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore is a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts .-History:...
(IDA), taking over the role from the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore upon its formation in December 1999.
Due to the small geographical size of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, there are no area or trunk codes, with the Public Switched Telephone Network
Public switched telephone network
The public switched telephone network is the network of the world's public circuit-switched telephone networks. It consists of telephone lines, fiber optic cables, microwave transmission links, cellular networks, communications satellites, and undersea telephone cables, all inter-connected by...
, Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
Network and IP Telephony
Voice over IP
Voice over Internet Protocol is a family of technologies, methodologies, communication protocols, and transmission techniques for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks, such as the Internet...
all belonging to one numbering area, and thus comes in the same 8-digit numbering format. Numbers are categorised based on the first digit, thus providing ten possible categories, of which six are currently in use and the remaining four reserved for future usage.
When making an international call, the required access code may vary. Calling by default is 001 as landlines are by SingTel, 008 for StarHub
StarHub
StarHub Limited is a full-fledged telecommunications company providing a full range of services over mobile, internet and fixed platforms in Singapore...
and 002 for M1.
History
Until 1985, subscribers' telephone numbers in Singapore were six digits, but in that year, these changed to seven digits. In 1995, the digit '9' was added to mobile phoneMobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
services, making numbers eight digits, and on 1 March 2002, the digit '6' was added to existing fixed line telephone numbers.
Number ranges
3xxx xxxx - Voice Over IP services6xxx xxxx - Fixed Line services inclusive of Fixed Line Voice Over IP services
like StarHub Digital Voice and SingTel mio Voice
8xxx xxxx - Mobile phone services
9xxx xxxx - Mobile phone services Includes Paging Services like SUNPAGE
800 xxx xxxx - Toll-Free International services
1800 xxx xxxx - Toll-Free line services
1900 xxx xxxx - Premium Service
Short codes
0xx - International access code1711(SingTel)/171*(M1) - Speaking clock
999 - Police
995 - Singapore Civil Defence Force/Emergency Ambulance
993 - MOH
Ministry of Health (Singapore)
The Ministry of Health is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for providing information, raising health awareness and education, ensuring the accessibility of health services, and monitoring the quality of health services provided to citizens and visitors in the Republic of...
Special Ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
Service (for suspected cases of H1N1
H1N1
'Influenza A virus is a subtype of influenza A virus and was the most common cause of human influenza in 2009. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a small fraction of all seasonal influenza. H1N1 strains caused a few percent of...
and SARS)
1777 - Non-Emergency Ambulance
16xx - Service Providers' Customer Services
13xx - Voicemails
18xx - ICC
Calls to and from Malaysia
Calls to and from Malaysia do not require international direct dialling (IDD) codes, a legacy of when Singapore was part of Malaysia until 1965. To call a number in Singapore from Malaysia, a subscriber would dial the area code 02, instead of the Singapore IDD code +65.Similarly, until 1995, calls to Malaysia from Singapore were direct, with only the area code and number being required, hence 03 for Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
instead of +60 3, but in that year the Subscriber Trunk Dialling
Subscriber trunk dialling
Subscriber trunk dialling is a term for a telephone system allowing subscribers to dial trunk calls without operator assistance.- Terminology :...
prefix 020 was adopted, owing to the divergence of the two countries' numbering plans.
Numbering have been changed since the liberalization of the telecommunications industry, with new carriers requiring different dialling arrangements system for calls to Malaysia, which require the use of the +60 country code, for example, to call Malaysia using M1, a subscriber would dial 02160, while making the same call using StarHub
StarHub
StarHub Limited is a full-fledged telecommunications company providing a full range of services over mobile, internet and fixed platforms in Singapore...
, the subscriber would dial 01860.
Calls to Indonesian Border Towns
Calls to BatamBatam
Batam is an island and city in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located off Singapore's south coast...
, Samarinda
Samarinda
Samarinda is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River. It is the most populous city in East Kalimantan with a population of 726,223...
, Pekanbaru
Pekanbaru
Pekanbaru is the capital of Riau, a province in Indonesia on the island of Sumatra. It has an area of 632.26 km² and a population of 903,902. Located on the Siak River, which drains to the Strait of Malacca...
and Tanjung Pinang
Tanjung Pinang
Tanjung Pinang or Tanjungpinang is the capital and second largest city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands after Batam. A city with about 200,000 residents) it is a trading port between islands in the Riau archipelago...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
require only the code 011, followed by the area code (minus '0') and the subscriber's number, hence to call a number in Batam from Singapore, a subscriber would dial 011 778 xxx xxx, instead of the international code +62 778. Calls to the rest of Indonesia, including those to mobile phones, require international dialling, as do calls made using other carriers in Singapore, such as StarHub and M1.
International Direct Dialling
The default international access code from Singapore is 001 - there are other codes in the 00x range, while VoIP services, like Zone 1511, use prefixes in the 15xx range. For example, to call a number in London using Zone 1511, a subscriber would dial 1511 44 20 xxxx xxxx.Other international access codes in the 00x range will select various providers. Access codes in the 0xx range (e.g. 018 - StarHub's VoIP services or 019 - SingTel's VoIP services) will indicate a Tier 1 VoIP provider. Access codes like 1xxx (e.g. 1511) are indicative of a Tier 2 VoIP provider.