OREANDA-NEWS. January 20, 2012. According to the resolution of the National regulatory agency for electronic communications and IT, since February, 1, local four-digit phone numbers with the pattern of “14xx” (where x=0…9), used for learning the information about medical services, taxi, etc., are to be replaced with five-digit numbers “14xxx”, with their purpose being unchanged.

The resolution was adopted to provide the access of subscribers from geographic areas (municipalities, regions) to national short numbers via fixed and mobile networks without dialing “0”, as it is required by the National numbering plan. In compliance with it, national short numbers form the numbering line “1” are designed to render the services, harmonized at the European level and the service of general purpose (auto transportation, including taxi service, air and railway transport, medical services, etc).

Now the pattern of local numbers "14xx" is being used only in the frame work of a certain geographic area. Dialing such numbers from other geographic areas via fixed or mobile networks is possible only by dialing an additional prefix “0” and an area code. For example, to dial a Balti “14xx” number from Chisinau, one should first dial “0”, then the code of the area of Balti and then the number itself. Since February, 1, subscribers of mobile and fixed telephony will be able to dial short national numbers of the "14xxx" pattern without the prefix “0” and an area code, irrespective of a geographic area they are located in.

The Agency has given 54 "14xxx" new phone numbers to providers of mobile and fixed telephony. The providers in their turn assigned most of them to companies rendering the taxi service. As often as not, these companies have chosen the new phone numbers which resembles their old one so that to make their memorizing easier for their clients. As a rule, a new number has been added by “0” or by a digit repeating on of the digits of an old phone number. Old numbers will be invalid after January, 31.