Soon, your cell phone number may have 11 digits

no second thoughts, telecos should start migrating

another digit to remember aRRRRGGGG  :(  

11 digits .. i guess the telecom provides do recycle the disconnected numbers do they? i think so. can there be any alternative like give a subscriber a code(5digit or 6digit) but register the user with 11 digit (soon to be) at the service provider side. with this kind of approach subscriber will not have to remember 11digits.

It is very much inevitable as Mr Reddy said. As now the whole system is so much wide-spread and it  needs a immediate solution without much hardware and software change. This adding a digit serves it serves it nicely.
But i feel its a easy solution neglecting the concern to bigger problem of growing subscribers.

I am immensely impressed by Mr Abraham Paul's solution to the problem. Now as the all the forms of communication mediums are merging be it Cellular phones, PSTN , VOIP, Data-Capable handhelds and other multimedia interacting junctions. Its a terrific idea to merge and have a common addressing scheme. Including the protocol in the 'address' that is used along with the standard country codes.



In-fact i have a extension to the whole idea.. it was to have alpha-numeric address scheme to the Phone Numbers just like the internet domain names.

A protocol somewhat like the DNS(Domain name Server) in Internet which convert the alpha-numeric addresses into respective unique identities over the Trunks.


Thanks for reading to the Views.



Anirudh Gargi

My view is that the ITU and other Telecom Standards institutions should seriously think about a futuristic Numbering Plan for Multi media Telecommunication which can be common for all types of Wired and Wireless Networks and services.

In the near future the distinguishing factors between Wired and Wireless networks and systems will vanish. I am sure that the Systems and Networks that provide service for various Home and Mobile telecom devices will be converged into one. 
I also strongly believe that the Network Operation and Service Provision will be segregated in Technology and Business point of view so that large number of Service Providers can commonly share same Network and systems. It is expectd that Number Portability will be fully implemented soon so that Customers under a Service Provider can choose and use any network and carrier at their will. 

Please read my posting "A new Numbering plan for Telecom Multimedia" posted in Toostep.

I have suggested the following Numbering plan  + Cc Sp Ts Cn, where + is the International access code, CC is the Country Code, Sp the Service Providers' code, Ts is the Type of Service (Voice, Data, Video and Multi-Media et.,) and Cn the Customer Number. 
For example an International called subscriber number Sn for a voice call to India will look like + 91 21 1 9876543210. This numbering plan can provide 1 billion numbers for each Service Provider.

In due course there can be discrete number for every service provider across the world so that the International access code + and Country code Cc also could be become part of Sp to make the Called Number (Sn) point to the Service Provider instead of a geographic location anywhere in the world. To take it a step further, it is possible to allocate a discrete Universal Number for each living and to be born Individual which can be used as his Universal ID. Such a numbering plan will belong to the Governments and could be allocated to various Service Providers providing telecom, utility, and banking etc., service.  
I would request the members to read my posting and send comments. In fact I have suggested some such Telecom numbering plan almost 10 years back after attending a "Numbering Plan" summit in Hong Kong. I am sure it will be realized in next ten years.        

11 digit number is inevitable. so, no debate on that. Moving over to such system obviously needs time, probably we should keep a target date of Jan 2011. Thanks for referring this article.

If the subscriber base is increasing by such humungous proportions....God save us... It is logical to add the extra number and make it 11 digit... Thanks for this info. Good work Radha :)