What is +91 in a phone number and why does it matter?
If you have ever seen a phone number that starts with “+91”, you may have wondered what it means and why it is there. In this blog post, we will explain what +91 is, how it works, and why it matters for international and domestic calls to and from India.
What is +91 in a phone number?
The +91 in a phone number is the country code for India, which is used to identify and connect calls from outside of India to Indian phone numbers. Country codes are part of the international telephone numbering plan, which assigns unique codes to each country or territory to facilitate international communication. The country code for India is +91, which is preceded by the plus sign (+) to indicate that it is an international code.
When do you need to use +91 in a phone number?
You need to use +91 in a phone number when you want to dial an Indian phone number from outside of India, regardless of where you are located. For example, if you are in the United States and you want to call a friend in India whose phone number is 9876543210, you need to dial “+91 9876543210” to connect the call. Similarly, if you want to send a text message or use a messaging app to communicate with someone in India, you need to add +91 before their phone number.
When you are making a local call within India, you do not need to use +91 in a phone number. Instead, you can simply dial the phone number, including the area code if it is a landline number. For example, if you are in Delhi and you want to call a local restaurant whose phone number is 011-12345678, you can dial “011-12345678” without using +91.
Why does +91 matter for international and domestic calls?
The +91 country code is important for international and domestic calls to and from India because it helps to ensure that the call is correctly routed to the intended recipient. When you dial +91 before an Indian phone number, the call is directed to the international gateway of the Indian telecommunications network, which then routes the call to the appropriate local network based on the area code and the next digits of the phone number. Without the +91 code, the call may not be connected or may be misrouted to a different country or network.
In addition to the country code, Indian phone numbers also have other components that may be useful to know, such as the area code, which is a three-digit code that identifies the geographic region of the phone number, and the subscriber number, which is the unique seven-digit number that identifies the individual phone line. The area code may be prefixed by a zero when calling from within India, but it should be omitted when calling from outside of India.
In conclusion, the +91 in a phone number is a country code for India that is used to connect calls from outside of India to Indian phone numbers. By including +91 before the phone number, you can ensure that the call is routed correctly and reaches the intended recipient. Whether you are making an international or domestic call to India, it is important to use the correct format and components of the phone number to avoid confusion and delays