Fixed line telephones with 11- prefixes?

[bobg]

I've always thought that phone numbers starting with 11 or 15 followed by 8 digits were cell phones. But just now when I tried to send an SMS message to an 11-xxxx-xxxx number I then got an SMS text (but not in the same thread) saying "Gracias por utilizar el servicio de envio de SMS a telefonos fijos."

Are 11-xxxx-xxxx numbers sometimes not cell phones? What's the service ("de envio de SMS a telefonos fijos") that the message is talking about?

Thanks, Bob

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

11 is the area code for capital and most of Buenos Aires.

15 is the cellphone prefix.

Your cell phone number is 011 15 XXXX XXXX

 

[ben]

11 or 15 before the phone number do not mean remotely the same thing.

11 is the area code for Buenos Aires. Nothing to do with cell phones. When you are dialing a local fixed line from within the same area code, it can be omitted - hence for local landlines you dial just 8 digits. But 11‑xxxx‑xxxx can well be a landline; indeed, every landline in BsAs is 11‑xxxx‑xxxx.

15 is a prefix that is dialed after the area code (if you dialed the area code) to signify you are dialing a cell phone. It is mandatory when calling from landlines, otherwise the billing would be a nightmare as there's no way for you to know whether you're calling a landline or a cell phone.

When calling a BsAs cell number from a landline elsewhere in Argentina, you'd have to dial both the (0)11 area code and 15: one to show you're calling BsAs, the other to show you're calling a cell. So that'd be 011‑15‑xxxx‑xxxx.

When dialing from outside Argentina, things flip inexplicably: instead of dialing 15 after the area code, you dial 9 immediately after the 54 country code, before the area code. So it becomes +54‑9‑11‑xxxx‑xxxx.

 

[bobg]

Thanks for the several replies. It all makes sense EXCEPT that just the other day someone gave me their number as 11-xxxx-xxxx and I am near certain that it is a cell phone.

 

[MilHojas]

I then got an SMS text (but not in the same thread) saying "Gracias por utilizar el servicio de envio de SMS a telefonos fijos."

What's the service ("de envio de SMS a telefonos fijos") that the message is talking about?

I think there is a gateway that upon receiving an SMS dials out and reads it using text-to-speech engine. This is how SMS messages sent out to regular landline numbers are delivered.

It all makes sense EXCEPT that just the other day someone gave me their number as 11-xxxx-xxxx and I am near certain that it is a cell phone.

Some cell phone companies use 11-xxxx-xxxx for their numbers. I think you can dial both 11-xxxx-xxxx and 15-xxxx-xxxx to call such a number. Also, I noticed that when companies ask for your phone, they don't record 15 anymore. So, it is possible that all the numbers are unique. And prefix 15 is there for historical reasons or when you want to emphasize that the number is mobile.

 

[ben]

Thanks for the several replies. It all makes sense EXCEPT that just the other day someone gave me their number as 11-xxxx-xxxx and I am near certain that it is a cell phone.

Even if it is a cell phone, it is correct to state the number as 11-xxxx-xxxx.
Again, 15 is not an area code, it is a prefix used to show awareness that you're dialing a cell phone.
Practically, saying 011 15-xxxx-xxxx would be more helpful, even if not technically correct.

 

[ben]

Some cell phone companies use 11-xxxx-xxxx for their numbers. I think you can dial both 11-xxxx-xxxx and 15-xxxx-xxxx to call such a number. Also, I noticed that when companies ask for your phone, they don't record 15 anymore. So, it is possible that all the numbers are unique. And prefix 15 is there for historical reasons or when you want to emphasize that the number is mobile.

Again, 11-xxxx-xxxx is the correct way to describe it. Though if it's clear that we're talking about BsAs, xxxx-xxxx without the 11 is also clear.
15-xxxx-xxxx for a cell phone is the same as xxxx-xxxx for a landline. You're dropping the area code assuming that we're all dealing with Buenos Aires.

So 15-xxxx-xxxx and 11-xxxx-xxxx do not mean the same thing, though they may be referring to the same number.
11-xxxx-xxxx means it's a Buenos Aires number, without specifying whether it's a landline or cell phone.
15-xxxx-xxxx means it's a mobile phone number, without specifying where it's from (although AFAIK only BsAs phone numbers are 8 digits).
If you're in Mar del Plata, a Buenos Aires cell number is written: (011) 15-xxxx-xxxx. And so it must be dialed (from a landline).