Telephone numbering plan facts for kids

A telephone numbering plan is a system used in telecommunications to give telephone numbers to customers and to route telephone calls in a telephone network. A closed numbering plan imposes a fixed length to numbers, such as in North America (10-digit). An open numbering plan may have telephone numbers that vary in length.

A dial plan establishes the type of telephone number in a given area. This includes country codes, access codes, area codes and all combinations of digits dialed. For instance, the North American public switched telephone network (PSTN) uses a phone numbers with a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit telephone number.

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  Prior to the NANP, United States phone numbers often included words; on a business card from Richard Nixon's first Congressional campaign in 1946, his phone number is given as "Whittier 42635".