Montenegro wants separate international phone code, most probably -382

Engineer in the Telecommunications Agency of Montenegro, Duška Marković, has confirmed that Montenegro asked the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for separate international phone code.

The request, which is sent on the basis of recommendation of the International Union ITU-T E 164.1 E190, says that the country code is also used for identification of geographical zone, which could be used in the case of Montenegro as part of State Union of SCG. It should be mentioned that the suggestion of CCITT (precursor of ITU) in 1993 was that all republics of SRJ should have separate international phone codes.

Concerning the fact that, according to the decision of the Council of Ministers, authorized Ministry for correspondence with the International Telecommunications Union is the Ministry of International Economic Affairs of SCG, entire communication with the Union is carried out through it.

If the authorized organ of ITU accepts this request and Montenegro obtains code, Serbia and Montenegro will get increased limited resource of numeric space and both Serbia and Montenegro will have benefit of it. This would enable bigger flexibility through forming and development of various types of numbering (open/closed) in some telephone networks, both fixed and mobile networks of the countries members.

The suggestion made in 1993 implied assignment of area code 388 to Montenegro. However, in the meantime, that number was given to some other group of countries. If the Union accepted the request of the Montenegrin Telacommunications Agency, Montenegro would obtain number 382, whereas Serbia would keep its present area code - 381.