01189 Numbers

In the UK, an 01189 number is a normal landline phone number within the Reading (0118) area code.

Any UK number beginning with 0118 is a Reading number. The '0118' area code at the beginning is optional if you're dialling from one Reading 0118 landline phone to another.

0118 or 01189?

There is no 01189 area code. Since the year 1996, Reading has had the four-digit area code 0118, followed by seven-digit local numbers.

The correct way to write a number beginning '01189' is (0118) 9xx xxxx, as this clearly distinguishes the optional 0118 area code from the seven digit local phone number. (Why this matters...)

Have things changed?

During the year 1996, Reading's area code changed from 01734 to 0118, while its old six-digit local phone numbers were prefixed with '9' to make them seven digits long.

For example, (01734) 373737 became (0118) 937 3737.

The new system gives Reading nearly 8 million numbers: (0118) 2000000 to (0118) 9989999. Prior to the change, fewer than 800,000 were available: (01734) 200000 to (01734) 998999.