Acting on rapidly increasing demand, the Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC) has decided to add a seventh digit to the six-digit numbers already in use in the Valley, and add a sixth one to the five-digit numbers used in areas outside the Valley.

There has been talk of increasing the digits in telephone numbers for the last eight years, but actual studies about how this could be done only began two years ago, says Bhagatman Singh Pradhan, director of operations and maintenance. "We are already in the final stage of the process. As soon as we get the go ahead form the NTC we will start," he said.

We are told that the current numbers will be kept the same, and an extra digit will be added in front. Asked if this might not cause confusion, Pradhan said consumers will be given adequate information beforehand. The code number of the Valley will also change from 01 to 02. From now on, code numbers will also be unified for each development region. "We are preparing to not use telephone numbers beginning with 2 or 3 in the Valley, only those with 4,5,6,7," Pradhan added. According to him when changing Lalitpur's current numbers, all of which begin with 5, the same digit will be added in front. This means there will be two 5s in front, and if the numbers begin with 6 there will be two 6s in front and if it begins with 4 two 4s. For numbers currently beginning with 2 or 3, the NTC will make its plans public shortly, but insists that customers will not experience any trouble.

However according to Sugat Ratna Kansakar, assistant director general of the corporation, although the NTC is making preparations to change the digits, the international authority on telecommunications has not yet been informed. It is extremely important that such changes be logged with the international body, because of the obvious confusion that can arise when numbers are changed. "After the Nepal Telecommunications Authority has decided, at least six months must to be spent on publicity and awareness, and only after that comes the technical part. All together, it will take at least a year," says Pradhan.

The last time telephone numbers were changed-from four digits to five in the Valley and from five to six outside-was in 1982. Officials at the NTC claim that the corporation has had to distribute lines starting with 7 in the Dakshinkali area due to increasing demand, even though it was decided not to begin numbers with any digit higher than 6 as mobile service providers were in need of new numbers. Giving the example of Sundhara to explain why the digits on telephone numbers have to be increased, officials said, "At present all the lines from 220 to 259 have been distributed. The Chhauni exchange has already done the numbers up to 270. Due to this, the Sundhara exchange faces difficulty to distribute more telephones. Likewise, the Naxal exchange has already distributed numbers from 410 to 449, and lines starting from 450 have been given to Indrayani VDC, resulting in problems for Naxal.