ITU creates single pan-European phone code

Europe has been awarded a single telephone code that will enable pan-European call centres to issue a single point of contact for their customers.

The International Telecommunications Union has created the 388 code, designed specifically for multinationals wanting to present a pan-European front, after strong lobbying from the user community.

The move comes hot on the heels of proposals to award a dot-eu domain name - which, combined with the European country code, will firmly establish Europe as a single market.

Ewan Gowrie, chairman of the Call Centres Association, welcomed the move. He said: "Global or multinational companies have long wanted to have a pan-European feel." He added: "This will mean fewer national operator agreements and drive the need for more pan-European operators, which will bring down costs."

However, assigning the code is just the first step in what will be a highly complex process of getting network operators and regulators to agree to terms and pricing.

Vivienne Peters, vice chairwoman of regulatory affairs for the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG), said: "The devil will be in the details and that is where the hard work is starting. But we are confident that issues such as tariffs and number portability will be resolved swiftly because the network operators are as keen to get it set up as the users."

A steering group including the European Commission, INTUG and the European Telecommunications Organisation, has been set up with the task of resolving these issues as well as administration, interconnection and application.

But not everyone welcomed the move. Steve Morrell, senior analyst at Datamonitor, said: "If a big clump of the budget is spent on regional numbers then I can see the benefits, but call centres will lose their local flavour and that can be dangerous."

Peters claims call centres will be able to put the number into action as soon as April 2001.