00336, +336, +33(0)6, 011336… We get a little lost in all these types of numbers. In this article you will understand how it works, the differences between each country and the easiest but most correct way to register your contacts and call them around the world.
How is a number dialed? There are two ways to write a number: national and international format. Some countries only have the international format like Denmark, China, or Japan.
The national format
The first figure or figures vary from one country to another. In France, Belgium and Germany it is the zero followed by 9 digits, of which the next three digits can represent a region or the type of number called (free, surcharged…). In the United States we dial directly the ten digits that represents the number or only the seven digits if you call locally.
The international format
The first two or three digits correspond to the country code which is unique, for example 33 for France metropolitan or 352 for Luxembourg. The pre-composition as discovered in the national format disappears. That is, zero is not to be dialed.
In France the international format to a mobile is written for example: 33612345678.
However it is still missing one or more numbers or even a symbol to dial in international format.
It is at this level that many people dial incorrectly. For the composition to work worldwide the + sign is to be used just in front. The phone and the local operator will transparently replace this symbol with the correct numbers.
Indeed, each country has its own international numbering. When you are in France the 00 is to be placed in front of the number but this is no longer the case if you are in the United States where 011 is to be used.
So if you dial for example 00336… from the United States it will not work. You should dial 011336…
Conclusion
For this reason, the + sign must be entered when you save your contacts in your phone. Fortunately the technology of our smartphones will dial the right number depending on the country visited and even if you save the number in the wrong format. However, this is not always the case depending on the telephone model.
Hence our advice to always register your numbers according to the recommendation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU): +336…