International Direct Dialing facts for kids

International Direct Dialing (IDD) is how you make a phone call to someone in another country all by yourself. Before IDD, you needed a special operator to connect your call. Now, most international calls are made this easy way!

How We Call Other Countries

What is International Direct Dialing?

International Direct Dialing (IDD) lets you call friends or family far away. You just dial the numbers yourself. This is different from old times when a phone operator helped connect your call. Today, almost all calls to other countries use IDD.

How Do International Calls Work?

To call someone in another country, you follow a few simple steps. You need to dial special numbers before the actual phone number.

The International Call Prefix

First, you dial a special number called the international call prefix. This tells your phone company that you want to make a call outside your country. Each country has its own prefix. For example, in many places, you dial "00" or "011".

The Country Calling Code

Next, you dial the country calling code. This is a unique number for the country you want to call. For instance, the code for the United States is "1", and for the United Kingdom, it's "44".

The Phone Number

Finally, you dial the actual phone number of the person you are calling within that country.

Putting It All Together

So, to call someone in another country, you dial:

• Your country's international call prefix (like "00")
• The country calling code for the country you are calling (like "1" for the USA)
• The person's phone number

When you see a phone number meant for international calls, it often starts with a "+" sign. This "+" means you should use the international call prefix for the country you are calling from. It's a helpful way to show that it's a number for people all over the world to use!