0899 numbers
Inbound call routing
Numbers starting 089 are reserved for non-public uses, such as routing calls between telephone companies and around the phone network.
What are 0899 numbers?
0899 numbers are known as 'Inbound Routing Codes' and are not used publicly.
Telephone companies use 0899 numbers for directing calls internally around their own networks and for passing calls to and from other service providers.
Numbers beginning with 0899 are never advertised for public use. They are not normally dialable from normal phones and incoming calls should never be presented as appearing to come from such numbers.
Why have I received a call from an 0899 number?
The only circumstances where an 0899 number might be displayed as the number for an incoming call would be:
- Phone companies showing an 0899 routing number due to a technical error
- Scammers using a completely fake number that happens to start with the digits 0899
- An incorrect number being displayed due to a bug or misconfiguration (for example, the '1' being accidentally missed out of a number from the 01899 area code)
These circumstances are all very rare.
Further information
0897 numbers are also reserved for network-level use.