Area Code 502 – Tidaholm

Overview of Area Code 502 (Tidaholm, Sweden)

Area code 502 is a geographic destination code within the Swedish national numbering plan, assigned to the locality of Tidaholm and its surrounding administrative area in Västra Götaland County. Tidaholm is a small industrial town situated in the western part of Sweden, approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Skövde. The code is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services and is administered under the jurisdiction of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS).

Geographic Coverage and Dialing Format

The 502 area code covers Tidaholm municipality, including the central town and nearby rural settlements. Subscriber numbers within this code are seven digits long when dialed in the national format, structured as 0502-XX XX XX. For callers within Sweden, the national trunk prefix 0 is required before the area code, so a local call from another region would be dialed as 0502-XX XX XX. For international callers, the Swedish country code +46 replaces the leading zero, resulting in the format +46 502-XX XX XX (or +46502XXXXXX when written without spaces).

Local and International Call Instructions

• Local calls within Tidaholm: In many fixed-line networks, local calls may be dialed using only the seven-digit subscriber number, omitting the area code. However, due to number portability and the convergence of fixed and mobile networks, it is recommended to always use the full national format (0502-XX XX XX) to ensure proper routing.
• National calls from other Swedish regions: Dial 0502 followed by the subscriber number.
• International calls from abroad: Dial the international access prefix (e.g., 00 from most countries, or +), then 46, then 502 (without the leading zero), and finally the subscriber number.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

As of the latest PTS updates, there is no overlay code for the 502 area, meaning that the code is exclusively assigned to Tidaholm. However, number portability allows subscribers to retain their 502 numbers even if they move to a different geographic location or switch to a VoIP provider, which can occasionally lead to non-geographic usage of the code. For businesses and residents, the 502 code is a key identifier for local presence and is often used in marketing to signal a Tidaholm-based operation.

Practical Examples

To illustrate, a typical Tidaholm fixed-line number might be 0502-123 45. From abroad, you would dial +46 502 123 45 (or +4650212345). For emergency services, always dial 112 within Sweden, regardless of the area code.