CODEWITHSUNDEEP
validationphone-number
PaulOTron2000
PaulOTron2000

Reputation: 1225

10 digit phone numbers... Is that enough for USA?

My app may be used anywhere in the USA, but will be used by local businesses serving their own areas.

As my project-in-development exists now (and I can change it) I'm storing only 10 digits. I'd like to think my software may be in use 10 years from now, although I can certainly release updates. But since the trend is for every person to have a phone instead of just one number per household, I understand the USA is running out of 10-digit phone numbers.

I know it may not seem so, but yes, I HAVE Googled and the answer I seek is still as clear as mud.

I read that there are locales within the USA (I don't know where) in which even within the same area code, a 1 and the area code must be dialed first. Other times, just the area code must be dialed, without the 1, even within the same area code.

MY QUESTION IS: To accommodate the whole USA and the foreseeable future, will I need to add an "optional 1" in front of the number, in the form of a check box or other device to distinguish those which need a 1 from those that don't? Is there another phone number schema coming in the future? Or putting it all more simply: Is 10 digits enough?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 4754

Answers (2)

g1smd
g1smd

Reputation: 131

You should allow for 15 digits including the country code. You already need 12 to 14 digits (including country code) for many countries.

Store all numbers in E.164 format including the country code, without spaces or punctuation. This will allow easy expansion internationally to other countries and also allow manipulation of numbers in the database if the length of numbers used in any country were to ever change.

There's talk that US numbers will become a digit longer some time in the next decade or or two. You should plan for that now, not when you have tens of millions of numbers stored.

There's constant change in national number plans. If you know that area code 765 in country 980 is changing to area code 77 and all local numbers are having 88 added to the beginning it's a simple operation to make that change if all the numbers in the database include the country code.

Upvotes: 0

Stefan
Stefan

Reputation: 718

if you only want to store North american numbers you'll be fine

North American Numberin Plan

10 is the standard length in north america (includes canada)

Upvotes: 3

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