Area code 721
Area code 721 is the telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. The area code was assigned in 2011 after membership of the country in the NANP became effective.
History
Sint Maarten became a NANP territory on 30 September 2011, after having been approved for membership in 2009. Previously, Sint Maarten used the country code 599, originally assigned to the now-dissolved Netherlands Antilles, and still in use by Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba). The northern French side of the island, known as Saint-Martin, is not within the North American Numbering Plan, and has the country code +590, shared with Guadeloupe and Saint Barthélemy. Calls between the two parts of the island are international calls.
On July 27, 2011, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator granted the issuance of the area code to Sint Maarten.[1] Implementation dates were set for September 30, 2011 when a permissive dialing period commenced until September 30, 2012, when mandatory dialing became effective.[2]
Calling procedure
Callers from outside the NANP (country code +1), including callers from the French side of the island, must dial an international access code (often 00) followed by 1 721. Callers within the NANP dial 1 721 and the seven-digit telephone number.
Previous country code
The remaining portions of the former Netherlands Antilles (Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands) have retained country code +599.
See also
- List of NANP area codes
- Area codes in the Caribbean
- Telephone numbers in Aruba
- Telephone numbers in Curaçao and the Caribbean Netherlands
- Telephone numbers in the Netherlands
References
- ^ NANP Planning Letter 423 (July 2011)
- ^ TelEm Group educating the public about use of 1-721 area code for St. Maarten, October 5th, 2012