Phone Numbers in Israel: Formats, Dialing, and Technical Insights

Quick Reference

• Country: Israel
• Country Code: +972
• International Prefix: 00 or 01[2-9]
• National Prefix: 0

Overview

Discover the intricacies of Israel's telephone numbering system. This guide offers a comprehensive look at phone number formats, dialing procedures, and regulatory aspects. Ideal for telecom professionals, developers, or anyone needing to understand Israel's phone number structure.

Number Structure

General Number Structure

• Country Code: +972
• National Prefix: 0 (for domestic calls)
• Area/City Codes: 1-2 digits
• Subscriber Number: 7-8 digits

Detailed Number Formats

Regular Expressions for Number Validation

• Landline Numbers: ^0[2-9]\d{7}$
• Mobile Numbers: ^05[0-9]\d{7}$
• Toll-Free Numbers: ^1800\d{6}$
• Premium Rate Numbers: ^1900\d{6}$
• Shared Cost Numbers: ^1700\d{6}$

Dialing Procedures

Domestic Calls

• Landline to Landline: Dial 0 + Area Code + Subscriber Number (e.g., 02-3456789).
• Landline to Mobile: Dial 0 + Mobile Prefix + Subscriber Number (e.g., 050-1234567).
• Mobile to Mobile: Dial Mobile Prefix + Subscriber Number (e.g., 050-1234567).

International Calls

• Outgoing International Calls: Dial 00 or 01[2-9] + Country Code + Area Code (if applicable) + Local Number.
• Incoming International Calls: Dial +972 + Area Code (without leading 0) + Subscriber Number.

Recent and Upcoming Changes

• Recent Changes: As of [insert date], no significant changes have been made to Israel's telephone numbering plan.
• Upcoming Changes: No upcoming changes have been announced at this time.

Number Portability

• Mobile Number Portability: Available in Israel, allowing users to retain their mobile numbers when switching between service providers. The porting process is typically initiated by the new service provider.

Major Telecom Operators

ITU Standards and Recommendations

Israel's telephone numbering system adheres to ITU-T Recommendation E.164, which defines the international public telecommunication numbering plan.

Number Allocation and Management

• Regulatory Body: The Ministry of Communications (Israel) is responsible for the allocation and management of telephone numbers in Israel.

Technical Restrictions and Special Cases

• Golden Numbers: Certain "golden" or premium numbers may be reserved for special purposes or available for purchase at a premium.
• Number Blocking: Specific number ranges may be blocked or restricted based on regulatory guidelines.

Technical Considerations for Developers

Handling Israel's Phone Numbers in Software

• Validation: Use the provided regular expressions to validate Israel's phone numbers.
• Normalization: Ensure that phone numbers are stored in a normalized format (e.g., +972XXXXXXXXX).
• Portability: Implement checks for number portability to ensure seamless user experience when users switch providers.

Example Code Snippet for Validation

function validateIsraeliPhoneNumber(number) {
    const regex = /^(?:0[2-9]\d{7}|05[0-9]\d{7}|1800\d{6}|1900\d{6}|1700\d{6})$/;
    return regex.test(number);
}