Telephone numbers: area codes in Switzerland and abroad
What places and providers are behind the phone numbers in Switzerland? Comparis lists the most important landline and mobile number area codes and explains what they are all about.
03.08.2022
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1. Why do we need area codes?
Until the 1950s, telephonists took care of establishing telephone connections by hand. They took calls and switched them to the appropriate telephone network using plug connections.
The area code was launched with the introduction of fully automatic dialling. Despite automation, calls beyond one’s own catchment area still had to be switched manually at that time. The area code indicated which telephone exchange the call should go to.
2. Which area code stands for which Swiss town?
The area codes have long been a reliable indication of the residence of a calling person. Today, many people port their landline number when moving to another region.
This means that they reassign their landline number and area code to their new place of residence. Therefore, with landline numbers, you can no longer determine with certainty where the call is coming from.
| Local area code Switzerland | Region |
|---|---|
| 021 | Vaud |
| 022 | Geneva |
| 024 | Vaud and Valais |
| 026 | Fribourg |
| 027 | Valais |
| 031 | Bern |
| 032 | Biel and Bern |
| 033 | Bernese Oberland |
| 034 | Bern |
| 041 | Lucerne and Central Switzerland |
| 043 | Zurich |
| 044 | Zurich |
| 052 | Winterthur |
| 055 | Rapperswil |
| 056 | Baden |
| 061 | Basel |
| 062 | Olten |
| 071 | Eastern Switzerland |
| 081 | Graubünden |
| 091 | Ticino |
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3. Mobile numbers in Switzerland: which area code belongs to which provider?
If the area code 075, 076, 077, 078 or 079 is in front of a number, it’s definitely a Swiss number. For example, a Swiss mobile number may look like the following:
| 0041 | (0)76 | 123 45 67 |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | Provider prefix | Phone number |
Earlier, it was possible to tell which number belonged to which provider based on the prefix number. A 079 area code stood for Swisscom, a 078 area code for Orange, the 077 area code for M-Budget and so on. Today, you can easily transfer the mobile number when switching providers.
The technical term for this is number porting. Because of this possibility, you can no longer safely conclude which provider a person is with based on the mobile number.
These dialling codes used to apply to the various telecom providers:
| Mobile prefix | Swiss providers |
|---|---|
| 076 | Sunrise Aldi Mobile Digitec Connect Lebara Mobile Talk Talk Mobile Quickline Yallo |
| 077 | M-Budget Digital Republic Lycamobile |
| 078 | Salt Coop Mobile Lidl Connect GoMo Das Abo |
| 079 / 075 | Swisscom Wingo |
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4. Why do we need country codes?
In order to be able to identify the right telephone network and the right tariff for an international call transfer, country codes are required. When using country codes, you omit the 0 of the area code.
Depending on the country, the number of digits of a phone number may vary. There may also be differences within national borders. For example, a telephone number in Germany can include ten or eleven digits.
| 0041 | (0) 44 | 123 45 67 |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | Area code | Local phone number |
Establishment of a landline telephone number for a call from Switzerland to Germany:
| 0049 | (0) 30 | 12 34 56 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Country code | Area code | Local phone number |
In the following table you will find a selection of country codes:
| Country | Country abbreviation | Country code |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | CH | +41 or 0041 |
| Germany | D | +49 or 0049 |
| Austria | A | +43 or 0043 |
| Liechtenstein | FL | +423 or 00423 |
| France | F | +33 or 0033 |
| Spain | E | +34 or 0034 |
| Portugal | P | +351 or 00351 |
5. What other Swiss primaries are there?
In addition to local, provider and country area codes, there are other area codes with specific characteristics. For example, 0800 numbers are known to incur no costs for the caller, while calling a 0900 number can be expensive.
The Federal Office of Communications divides these special area codes into the following categories: toll-free number (0800), fee-sharing number (0848), business and marketing (0900), games and competitions (0901) and adult entertainment (0906).
| Area code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 058 | Paid Customer Service Number |
| 0800 | Free Customer Service Number |
| 0848 | Paid Customer Service Number |
| 0900 | Paid value-added services |
6. How do I find out who called me?
Did you receive a call from an unknown number? Use the internet to find out who the caller was. The search.ch phone book, for example, is helpful.
You can also easily google the phone number. The numbers of call centres in particular are often already noted on a corresponding search page. Read this article.
