'Dial 003 for Europe' proposes EC

A new debate over European unity has exploded - and this time it's all about telephone numbers.

BT, for one, has greeted European Commission proposals for a single EU telephone code with caution.

The European Commission has published a green paper on developing a single telephone code for Europe.

It is proposing a European code of 3, so callers to any EU country would dial 003, just as they dial 001 to access any US state.

Its proposals would also allow companies to be issued freephone numbers that can be accessed from anywhere on the continent.

Supporters of the EU code claim that this would mean businesses could reach all parts of Europe by encouraging prospective customers in different countries to call.

Numbers for emergency services could eventually be the same throughout Europe. There is already a Europe-wide emergency number-112 - that exists alongside the country-specific numbers, such as 999 for the UK.

BT's head of EU affairs, Larry Stone, said the company "supports most of the proposals", but warned that a single number for Europe would incur costs for companies, particularly if it required number changes.

"Changes in numbers mean reprogramming PBXs. Operators need to modify their systems. I think the EC needs to consult proper cost-benefit analysts," he said.

David Harrington, director general of the Telecomms Managers' Association (TMA), does not agree with the cost issue. He said: "The cost to businesses would be small beer. The cost to UK businesses in the recent code change was nowhere near what we'd predicted."

The TMA had estimated the overall cost to UK businesses of introducing the 01 prefix would be #3 billion, but it was about a third less.

A harmonised European numbering system would help the deregulation of telecomms in Europe on 1 January 1998, as new telecomms suppliers would not need to apply to the national operator for numbers, since these would be 'owned' by a single European body.

Comments from telecomms operators and other interested parties have to be made to the EC by February. Final decisions will be made later this year.