All phone calls inside Chile become local; Punta Arenas code area is 61

Friday, August 15th 2014 - 02:26 UTC

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“We're advancing in our project of bringing together all Chileans. It's a strong connectivity step which benefits families and companies” said Gomez Lobo.

The area code for Punta Arenas is 61 for all calls inside Chile

Chile has become a single territory for telecommunications and long distance calls with different rates for fixed lines will no longer exist beginning Saturday. This in practical terms will also means a 50% reduction on normal phone calls.

“It's a fact, as of Saturday all fixed line or land telephones will operate as local locals, no matter the region, origin or destination” announced on Thursday Andres Gomez Lobo, Chilean minister of Transport and Telecommunications.

The restructuring of the system begun last March in the northern regions of Arica and Parinacota, and this Saturday will reach metropolitan Santiago, the last leg of the plan. This means that the value of local phone calls will drop from 55 Chilean pesos to 27 Pesos, a 50% reduction.

“We're advancing in our project of bringing together all Chileans. It's a strong connectivity step which benefits families, workers and companies from all the country, making access to communications through land lines much easier”, added Gomez Lobo.

According to the Deputy minister Pedro Huichalat, the calling system code will be modified. For calls in the same region, the area code must be dialed first, and if ringing another region, the area code of the city or town. The zero no longer is necessary for calls to cellular or mobile phones.

Under the new system the area code for Santiago is 2; Punta Arenas 61, Temuco, 45 and Puerto Montt, 65.

Categories: Economy, Investments, Tourism, Falkland Islands, Latin America, Mercosur, Chile, Pacific Alliance.

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Chicureo
You know, in 1989 I had to buy my local telephone line after having to wait for availability several years. Then the telephone companies were privatized.

Free market capitalism, with reasonable governmental regulation, really does work. Let's just hope it's not too late to dump the stupid Brazilian/Argentine/Japanese digital television standard the government chose some time ago...
Aug 15th, 2014 - 05:26 am 0
Troy Tempest
A cheap phone link from the Falklands tp Punta Arenas or Santiago, would be god for friendship and business, too.
Aug 15th, 2014 - 05:32 am 0
Islander1
2- good idea but would depend on the phone company here which because of satellite links has to rounte calls via Europe first I think, but maybe they could be asked to relook as technology changes all the time.
Aug 15th, 2014 - 11:14 am 0

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