Dialing India Landline vs. Mobile Phone Numbers

In India, both landline and mobile phones have 10-digit phone numbers, but there are important differences between the two that may impact your inbound international dialing.

Before you start dialing, make sure you have a complete and properly formatted India phone number - whether landline or mobile. If you don't, then your call will not complete.

Mobile numbers are reasonably straightforward, but landline numbers come in various formats - and they may or may not be written to include the area code. This creates room for confusion among international dialers.

Read below for further information, including how to tell a mobile from a fixed line number.

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Landline Numbers in India

Landline phone numbers are 10-digits in total, and consist of an area code and a local subscriber number.

However, things can get confusing after that because area codes can vary in length from 2-digits to 4-digits and subscriber numbers can vary correspondingly from 8-digits to 6-digits. These possibilities create ample room for confusion for inbound international dialing.

To make things more confusing, when written, landline numbers may or may not include the area code - and if it is included, it may or may not be broken out separately.

Format to Dial an India Landline Phone

yyy  91   aaa  nnn nnnn
international
access code		 country
code		 area
code		 local subscriber
number

Note that the above format is conceptual -- the actual length of both the area code and the subscriber number for a landline number can vary. The following combinations are possible:

  • 2-digit area code with 8-digit subscriber number
  • 3-digit area code with 7-digit subscriber number
  • 4-digit area code with 6-digit subscriber number

As a result, all of the following are examples of legitimate landline phone numbers in India.

  • Bangalore: 80 41130573
  • Indore: 731 4248169
  • Tirivuru: 8673 225677

The key point for inbound international dialing purposes is that you need to get yourself the complete 10-digit landline number. If you have only the local subscriber number, then you need to find the applicable area code before dialing.

Check here for details on landline phone numbers.

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Mobile Numbers in India

India mobile phone numbers are simpler than landline numbers as they are always 10-digits in total. Plus, when written, the entire number is always included.

For inbound international dialing purposes, you should use a number in the format shown below when calling an India mobile phone.

Format to Dial an India Mobile Phone

yyy  91  9x xxx xxxxx
international
access code		 country
code		 10-digit
mobile number

Click here for more information on India mobile phone numbers. This link includes information about mobile numbers by carrier - e.g., mobile numbers starting with '94' are issued by BSNL.

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How to Tell the Difference Between a Landline and Mobile Number

You probably have an India landline phone number if you have any of the following:

  • An 11-digit number if it doesn't start with ' 09 '
  • A 10-digit number that doesn't start with a ' 9 '
  • An 8-digit number - that isn't preceded by a 2-digit code of ' 9x '
  • Any 6- or 7-digit number - especially if you know the number is from a smaller city or town

You have an India mobile phone number if you have any of the following:

  • An 11-digit number if it starts with ' 09 '
  • A 10-digit number that starts with a '9'

In either case above, if you have an 11-digit number starting with a '0', you need to drop the '0' when making inbound international calls. The '0' is used only for domestic long distance dialing.

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Lookup an India telephone number

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