The area code 868 is assigned to

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, a member of the

North American Numbering Plan The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is an integrated telephone numbering plan for twenty-five regions in twenty countries, primarily in North America and the Caribbean. This group is historically known as World Zone 1, World Numbering Zone ...

(NANP). The telephone numbering plan for the country is known as the National Numbering Plan. It is part of a system used for assigning telephone numbers in

, and functions as a part of the

(NANP). It is regulated by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, which holds responsibility for

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

in the country. Due to a long established affiliation with NANP, phone numbers in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are often styled as "(868) NXX- xxxx". However, the International Telecommunications Union's standards such as E.164 and E.123 both strongly advocate the inclusion of a "+1" prefix to indicate "868" is a part of the NANP.

History

Area code 868 ("TNT") was created during a split from the original Area code 809 with permissive dialing beginning 1 June 1997. With the end of permissive dialing on 31 May 1998, all calls placed to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago required the use of the +1 868 prefix. The local telephone regulator proposed the area code 868, which corresponds to "TNT"—an abbreviation for Trinidad and Tobago—to reflect the nation's identity within the NANP.

Dialing to Trinidad and Tobago

*; From within North America (NANP) When calling Trinidad and Tobago from elsewhere in the North American Numbering Plan (e.g., from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

), callers dial as if undertaking regular ten-digit dialing within those countries. Callers must simply dial 1 + 868 + seven digit phone number. *; From outside NANP When calling to Trinidad and Tobago from outside the NANP (e.g., from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

), callers must dial their international dialing prefix followed by 1 to access the North American Numbering Plan. For example, a call placed from the United Kingdom would be dialled as 00 + 1 + 868 + local seven digit phone number.

Dialing within Trinidad and Tobago

When placing a

phone call A telephone call, phone call, voice call, or simply a call, is the effective use of a connection over a telephone network between the calling party and the called party. Telephone calls are the form of human communication that was first enabl ...

from Trinidad and Tobago, also known as HNPA (home numbering plan area) dialing, callers simply use seven-digit dialing (i.e. dialing the last seven digits of the phone number). *;To North America (NANP) When calling other places in the North American Numbering Plan, callers dial as if undertaking regular ten-digit dialing in those countries. Callers dial 1 + NPA area code + seven digit phone number. Though usually toll-free when dialed from the US, not all 1-800 phone numbers are toll-free when dialed from Trinidad and Tobago, and may be treated as a toll call. *;To areas outside the NANP When calling to areas outside the NANP (e.g., the

), callers dial 011 +

country calling code Telephone country codes are telephone number prefixes for reaching subscribers in foreign countries or areas by international direct dialing (IDD). Country codes are defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in ITU-T standards ...

+ phone number. In the case of the UK, a user would dial 011 + 44 + UK phone number.

General

:National Operations Centre: 911, Police Force: 999, Ambulance: 811, Fire: 990 :Information/Directory Assistance: 6411, 611 (proposed replacement) :Operator: 0

Notes

References

External links

Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and TobagoNorth American Numbering Plan Administrator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Area Code 868 868 Communications in Trinidad and Tobago