Dear Mr Townson,
I live in Russia.
So, I can have some problems with my English. Excuse me, please for my possible mistakes. I've found your site and decided to ask you about one thing I'm interested in. I will be very grateful to you if you answer my letter.
My question is about international phone-codes. I always wanted to know: why appointed regions have appointed phone-codes. I'm sure that it's sequence isn't accidental. What logic lies in this order of codes?
I know that my question seems stupid and quite strange (or even crazy). But I really need your help.
Thank you for your patience.
Sincerely yours,
Davydova Alla
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you very much for your letter. I appreciate knowing that this little digest gets read in Russia and other far away countries. I do not know what logic, if any, was used in the assignment of international country codes. It does seem odd to me that North America gets '1' followed by three digits for the 'area codes' while Russia gets '7', European countries generally get '3' or '4' followed by a few more digits, etc. Maybe one of our readers knows the logic behind the numbering scheme, and will share it with us. Please continue reading this space for a few more days as I print some of the answers I receive. PAT]