Kosovo Hails Receipt of Own Telephone Code

Google Launched "+383" App

Ahead of assigning a country dial code, Google launched a new for application for converting phone contacts.

The application copy of all contacts (backup) from the phone and converts prefixes +377,
+381, +386, used by Kosovo citizens before December 15. and it adds the

It also converts the codes 044, 045, 049, 043 if they do not have the new code of Kosovo +383 and confirms if the contacts are up-to-date.

The application "+383" is designed to be functional after December 15, when it was agreed for ITU to allocate this dialing code to Kosovo.

Kosovo on Thursday confirmed that the country had finally obtained its own international dial code, 383.

"This news is a historic achievement in telecommunication and strengthens Kosovo's state international subjectivity," Kosovo Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, said, according to a statement.

Prime Minister Isa Mustafa wrote on Facebook that Kosovo had made a big step towards affirming its statehood - which Serbia contests - adding that "the economic benefits to the Republic of Kosovo will be in the millions [of euros]."

The long-delayed agreement on allocation of a dial code was reached between Kosovo and Serbia on November 13.

Both countries agreed on mobile telephony and on the frequency bands and spectrums to be allocated to the Serbian state-owned company, MTS, which has been allowed to continue to provide its present level of coverage to its customers.

On receipt of the Kosovo code, the working license of the temporary telephone operator MTS will come into force.

The director of Regulatory Authority of Electronic and Postal Communications in Kosovo, Kreshnik Gashi, confirmed to BIRN that the...