Mexico City - Say 'adios' to telephone prefix confusion! A simpler, streamlined dialing process is less than four months away from implementation throughout Mexico.

As of August 3, 2019, all telephone numbers, whether land line or cellular, local or long distance, will have a total of 10 digits, according to the Federal Institute of Telecommunications (IFT).

The IFT first announced the new standardized dialing system in November of 2017, explaining that the current prefixes - 01 for national long distance calls, 044 for calls to mobile phones, and 045 for long distance calls from land lines to mobile phones - would be phased out this summer.

Telecommunication service providers have now had enough time to adjust their networks and systems for proper implementation of the new 10-digit domestic dialing so, starting August 3, 2019, all phone calls in Mexico will be made using just 10 digits, (the area code and the phone number) with no prefixes required.

Starting on that date, it won't matter what type of telephone (mobile or land line), or where it is located (local or long-distance), callers will only have to dial 10 digits for all phone numbers in the country.

Callers from abroad can also stop using the extra 1 that was required when dialing cell phone numbers. Such calls will only require entering Mexico's two-digit country code (52) before dialing the area code and phone number.

IFT noted that nationwide and local emergency numbers such as 911 will remain the same.

Source: El Financiero