Mobile phone operators can now begin selling new lines with numbers starting with seven.

Until now, mobile phone numbers in Spain started with six, but according to the Communications Market Committee, although there are still enough numbers starting with six, as soon as they wish to do so, operators can sell those starting with seven. This step was put into motion by the Ministry of Industry in October 2009, so that clients could continue to get new numbers when the 100 million starting with six had run out.

The mobile phone operators have prepared their networks to function with calls to and from numbers starting with seven and have requested the 80 million numbers available from the Communications Market Committee.

The first operator to request the numbers, which are granted in blocks of 100,000, was Orange in December 2002, acquiring numbers starting with 7477 and 7478. In January 2011, Vodafone requested numbers starting with 7171, in February Movistar took those with 7170, and finally, in March, Yoigo, got 7227.

Source:www.euroweeklynews.com