Area Code 70 – Møre og Romsdal

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The Norwegian country code +47, assigned under ITU-T E.164, is used for all telephony services within the Kingdom of Norway. The area code 70 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) allocated to the county of Møre og Romsdal, located on the western coast of Southern Norway. This region includes the municipalities of Ålesund, Molde, Kristiansund, and the surrounding districts. The prefix 70 covers both the traditional landline exchanges and, in some areas, serves as a geographic number range for fixed-line services provided by various operators, including Telenor, Telia, and local fiber-based VoIP providers.

Dialing Formats and Number Structure

In the national dialing format, numbers within the 70 area code are dialed as 70 XX XX XX (8 digits total including the area code). When calling from abroad, the international format is +47 70 XX XX XX. The leading '0' is not used in international dialing; instead, the +47 country code is followed directly by the 8-digit national significant number. For example, a subscriber in Ålesund with the local number 70 12 34 56 would be dialed as +47 70 12 34 56 from any foreign country.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

Norway does not use area code overlays; each geographic region has a unique area code. The 70 code is exclusively assigned to Møre og Romsdal, and no overlay exists. However, number portability allows subscribers to retain their 70 numbers when switching operators, even if they move outside the geographic region, which can occasionally lead to a number being associated with a different physical location. Despite this, the code remains geographically associated with the region for routing and administrative purposes.

Caller Instructions

For local callers within Norway, dialing a 70 number requires only the 8-digit number (including the area code). For example, to call a business in Molde, a caller in Oslo would dial 70 XX XX XX. For callers outside Norway, the international access code of their country (e.g., 00 from most European countries, 011 from the US/Canada) must be used followed by 47 70 XX XX XX. It is important to note that Norway uses a closed numbering plan, so there is no trunk prefix '0' used in domestic dialing; the area code is always included.

Service and Usage

The 70 area code serves both residential and business customers, including government offices, commercial enterprises, and public services. As with all Norwegian geographic numbers, calls to 70 numbers are typically charged at standard national rates, which may vary depending on the caller's operator and subscription plan. For international callers, charges are determined by their home operator's international tariff. The code is not used for premium-rate or special services; those are allocated to other non-geographic ranges.