UK area code
01388 area code — Bishop Auckland
01388 is Ofcom’s Bishop Auckland numbering area, covering Stanhope and Bishop Auckland, in Durham, North East England. 93 phone companies hold its 211 allocated number blocks. Its numbers are written like 01388 234 567. The nearest other codes are 01207 Consett (16 km) and 01833 Barnard Castle (23 km).
01388 at a glance
- Ofcom area name
- Bishop Auckland
- Places on this code
- Stanhope 013882 013885
- Bishop Auckland 013883 013884 013886 013887 013888 013889
- County
- Durham
- Council area
- County Durham
- Region
- North East England
- Number format
- 01388 234 567 (4+6)
- Local calls
- Full number recommended
- Current code since
- 1995 (previously 0388)
- Allocated blocks
- 211 of 604 (35%) across 93 providers
- Newest block
- 26 January 2026 (2 in the last 12 months)
Sources: Ofcom numbering data (weekly) and area-code list, Ofcom Numbering Plan, ONS geography.
If a 01388 number called you
No clear pattern in reports for these numbers yet. If a call worried you:
- 1
Call back on a number you trust
If a caller says they're your bank, HMRC, a courier or a council, hang up and ring the organisation on the number from its website or your statement, never the number that called you. Caller ID can be faked.
- 2
Forward it to 7726
On a mobile, copy the caller's number from your recent calls and text it to 7726 (it spells SPAM). Scam texts can be forwarded to 7726 as they are. It's free, and your network uses the reports to investigate and block numbers.
- 3
Stop sales calls
Register your landline and mobile free with the Telephone Preference Service (0345 070 0707). Legitimate UK marketers must check it; calls should drop within 28 days. It won't stop scammers.
- 4
If you lost money or shared details
Call your bank on the number on your card (or 159 to reach most UK banks safely), then report it to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040. Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud on 4 December 2025 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland call Police Scotland on 101.
01388 history and number format
Number format: Numbers on 01388 use Ofcom's 4+6 format: the 5-digit code (including the leading 0) followed by a 6-digit local number — written like 01388 234 567.
Before 1995: 01388 took its current form at PhONEday on 16 April 1995, when a "1" was inserted into every UK geographic code — before that the area dialled 0388.
Local dialling: Traditionally not from another 01388 landline, but it now depends on your provider: Ofcom stopped requiring providers to offer local (code-free) dialling on 11 March 2022. Dialling 01388 first always works, and mobiles always need it.
Allocation record: the oldest number block still visible on 01388 was allocated on 15 July 1994, and the most recent on 26 January 2026. 2 blocks were allocated in the last 12 months — newly-activated ranges with no call history, which is worth knowing when an unfamiliar 01388 number rings (see the weekly numbering changelog for every new allocation.)
Phone companies holding 01388 numbers
Every Ofcom range holder with blocks on 01388, by allocated blocks. The holder is the company Ofcom allocated the block to; a number can since have been ported to another provider (see range holder vs current provider).
| Range holder | Allocated | All blocks | First block | Latest block |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GCI Network Solutions Limited | 23 | 23 | 19 April 2017 | 26 February 2024 |
| BT | 21 | 21 | 15 July 1994 | 19 February 2024 |
| Sky UK Limited | 11 | 11 | 2 July 2013 | 18 June 2021 |
| Gamma Telecom Holdings Limited | 9 | 9 | 10 October 2008 | 6 February 2013 |
| TalkTalk Communications Limited | 8 | 8 | 24 August 2007 | 31 July 2018 |
| Magrathea Telecommunications Limited | 7 | 7 | 24 September 2004 | 16 November 2011 |
| Digital Space Group Limited | 4 | 4 | 30 November 2007 | 12 April 2016 |
| IOVOX Limited | 4 | 4 | 2 July 2012 | 21 December 2015 |
| Vodafone Ltd (C&W) | 3 | 3 | 6 September 2013 | 15 November 2021 |
| 24 Seven Cloud Communications Ltd | 2 | 2 | 17 January 2020 | 21 January 2020 |
| Adepteo Limited | 2 | 2 | 13 October 2016 | 22 December 2016 |
| Barritel Limited | 2 | 2 | 11 November 2008 | 3 August 2011 |
| Belgacom International Carrier Services SA | 2 | 2 | 3 October 2019 | 24 April 2020 |
| Bicom Systems EURL | 2 | 2 | 2 March 2012 | 2 March 2012 |
| Bink Networks Ltd | 2 | 2 | 27 March 2023 | 11 April 2023 |
| Colt Technology Services | 2 | 2 | 2 December 2013 | 11 May 2017 |
| Dial 9 Communications Limited | 2 | 2 | 10 December 2019 | 10 December 2019 |
| Digitech Solutions Global Limited | 2 | 2 | 29 April 2010 | 22 June 2012 |
| Fuse 2 Communications Ltd | 2 | 2 | 3 July 2017 | 22 January 2024 |
| I.T Communications Limited | 2 | 2 | 20 November 2015 | 25 April 2017 |
| ICUK Computing Services Limited | 2 | 2 | 20 September 2019 | 5 June 2020 |
| INTELLIGENT EXCHANGES LIMITED | 2 | 2 | 26 January 2026 | 26 January 2026 |
| IP Voice Networks Ltd | 2 | 2 | 20 September 2017 | 20 September 2017 |
| Inet Telecoms Ltd (Voipfone) | 2 | 2 | 6 August 2009 | 23 January 2015 |
| Internexus Networks Limited | 2 | 2 | 21 November 2011 | 21 November 2011 |
| Invosys Limited | 2 | 2 | 9 July 2012 | 9 July 2012 |
| KCOM Group Ltd | 2 | 2 | 8 September 2022 | 8 September 2022 |
| Kalnet4U Ltd | 2 | 2 | 16 May 2013 | 21 March 2016 |
| Linear Telecoms Limited | 2 | 2 | 8 October 2010 | 8 October 2010 |
| Localphone Limited | 2 | 2 | 3 May 2007 | 3 May 2007 |
Showing the 30 largest of 93 holders.
Openreach exchanges at Bishop Auckland
Exchanges Openreach lists at this location in its copper stop-sell programme, with the date new copper orders stop.
- Bishop Auckland NEBAStop sell 26-May-25 · Tranche 16
All number blocks on 01388first 200 of 604, by prefix
| Prefix | Status | Range holder |
|---|---|---|
| +44 138800 | Protected | — |
| +44 138801 | Protected | — |
| +44 138802 | Protected | — |
| +44 138803 | Protected | — |
| +44 138804 | Protected | — |
| +44 138805 | Protected | — |
| +44 138806 | Protected | — |
| +44 138807 | Protected | — |
| +44 138808 | Protected | — |
| +44 138809 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388100 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388101 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388102 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388103 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388104 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388105 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388106 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388107 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388108 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388109 | Protected | — |
| +44 138811 | Protected | — |
| +44 138812 | Protected | — |
| +44 138813 | Protected | — |
| +44 138814 | Protected | — |
| +44 138815 | Protected | — |
| +44 138816 | Protected | — |
| +44 138817 | Protected | — |
| +44 138818 | Protected | — |
| +44 138819 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388200 | Allocated | Spitfire Network Services Limited |
| +44 1388201 | Allocated | TelNG Limited |
| +44 1388202 | Allocated | Localphone Limited |
| +44 1388203 | Allocated | Voiceflex Limited |
| +44 1388204 | Allocated | (AQ) LIMITED |
| +44 1388205 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388206 | Allocated | VoIP-Un Limited |
| +44 1388207 | Allocated | AQL Wholesale Ltd |
| +44 1388208 | Allocated | Digital Space Group Limited |
| +44 1388209 | Allocated | Nationwide Telephone Assistance Ltd |
| +44 1388210 | Allocated | Digital Space Group Limited |
| +44 1388211 | Allocated | Net-Work Internet Ltd |
| +44 1388212 | Allocated | Telecom2 Limited |
| +44 1388213 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388214 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388215 | Allocated | Served Up Limited |
| +44 1388216 | Allocated | Andrews & Arnold (Numbers) Ltd |
| +44 1388217 | Allocated | Gamma Telecom Holdings Limited |
| +44 1388218 | Allocated | Mars Communications Limited |
| +44 1388219 | Quarantined | — |
| +44 1388220 | Allocated | GCI Network Solutions Limited |
| +44 1388221 | Allocated | Buzz Networks Limited |
| +44 1388222 | Allocated | Atomstream Limited |
| +44 1388223 | Allocated | Calltracks Limited |
| +44 1388224 | Allocated | Nexbridge Communications Limited |
| +44 1388225 | Allocated | Orbtalk Limited |
| +44 1388226 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388227 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388228 | Allocated | Internexus Networks Limited |
| +44 1388229 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388230 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388231 | Allocated | 8x8 Communications UK Limited |
| +44 1388232 | Allocated | Barritel Limited |
| +44 1388233 | Allocated | Invoco Ltd |
| +44 1388234 | Allocated | ICC Networks Ltd |
| +44 1388235 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388236 | Allocated | IOVOX Limited |
| +44 1388237 | Allocated | Ziron Limited |
| +44 1388238 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388239 | Allocated | Minotaur Telecom Limited |
| +44 1388240 | Allocated | Simwood eSMS Limited |
| +44 1388241 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388242 | Allocated | Fuse 2 Communications Ltd |
| +44 1388243 | Allocated | M247 Ltd |
| +44 1388244 | Allocated | YayYay Limited |
| +44 1388245 | Allocated | Resilient Limited |
| +44 1388246 | Allocated | Kalnet4U Ltd |
| +44 1388247 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388248 | Allocated | Inet Telecoms Ltd (Voipfone) |
| +44 1388249 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388250 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388251 | Allocated | Number Services Ltd. |
| +44 1388252 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388253 | Allocated | Zapappi Ltd |
| +44 1388254 | Allocated | IP Voice Networks Ltd |
| +44 1388255 | Allocated | Adepteo Limited |
| +44 1388256 | Allocated | I.T Communications Limited |
| +44 1388257 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388258 | Allocated | Mintaka Limited |
| +44 1388259 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388260 | Free | — |
| +44 1388261 | Free | — |
| +44 1388262 | Free | — |
| +44 1388263 | Free | — |
| +44 1388264 | Free | — |
| +44 1388265 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388266 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388267 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388268 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388269 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388270 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388271 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388272 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388273 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388274 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388275 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388276 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388277 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388278 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388279 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388280 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388281 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388282 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388283 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388284 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388285 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388286 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388287 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388288 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388289 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388290 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388291 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388292 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388293 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388294 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388295 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388296 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388297 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388298 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388299 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388300 | Allocated | Voxbone SA |
| +44 1388301 | Allocated | Digital Mail Limited |
| +44 1388302 | Allocated | Telecom2 Limited |
| +44 1388303 | Allocated | Nodemax Limited |
| +44 1388304 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388305 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388306 | Allocated | Barritel Limited |
| +44 1388307 | Allocated | Solutios Limited |
| +44 1388308 | Allocated | Served Up Limited |
| +44 1388309 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388310 | Allocated | Invade International Ltd |
| +44 1388311 | Allocated | Gamma Telecom Holdings Limited |
| +44 1388312 | Quarantined | — |
| +44 1388313 | Allocated | CFL Communications Ltd |
| +44 1388314 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388315 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388316 | Allocated | TeleWare Group Limited |
| +44 1388317 | Allocated | Inet Telecoms Ltd (Voipfone) |
| +44 1388318 | Allocated | Suretec Systems Ltd |
| +44 1388319 | Allocated | Telappliant Limited |
| +44 1388320 | Allocated | VoiceHost Limited |
| +44 1388321 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388322 | Allocated | Windsor Telecom Limited |
| +44 1388323 | Allocated | Telephone Box Limited |
| +44 1388324 | Allocated | Phone Co-Op Numbering Limited |
| +44 1388325 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388326 | Allocated | Invosys Limited |
| +44 1388327 | Allocated | TalkTalk Communications Limited |
| +44 1388328 | Allocated | INTELLIGENT EXCHANGES LIMITED |
| +44 1388329 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388330 | Allocated | Hello Telecom (UK) Limited |
| +44 1388331 | Allocated | Internexus Networks Limited |
| +44 1388332 | Allocated | Minotaur Telecom Limited |
| +44 1388333 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388334 | Allocated | Redwood Technologies Ltd |
| +44 1388335 | Allocated | BT |
| +44 1388336 | Allocated | Lanonyx Telecom Limited |
| +44 1388337 | Allocated | BT |
| +44 1388338 | Allocated | Reality Network Services Limited |
| +44 1388339 | Allocated | KCOM Group Ltd |
| +44 1388340 | Protected | — |
| +44 1388341 | Allocated | IOVOX Limited |
| +44 1388342 | Allocated | Kalnet4U Ltd |
| +44 1388343 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388344 | Allocated | Content Guru Limited |
| +44 1388345 | Allocated | Simwood eSMS Limited |
| +44 1388346 | Allocated | GCI Network Solutions Limited |
| +44 1388347 | Allocated | YayYay Limited |
| +44 1388348 | Allocated | Colt Technology Services |
| +44 1388349 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388350 | Free | — |
| +44 1388351 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388352 | Allocated | IOVOX Limited |
| +44 1388353 | Allocated | I.T Communications Limited |
| +44 1388354 | Allocated | Adepteo Limited |
| +44 1388355 | Allocated | Virgin Media Limited |
| +44 1388356 | Allocated | Number Services Ltd. |
| +44 1388357 | Allocated | Mintaka Limited |
| +44 1388358 | Allocated | Colt Technology Services |
| +44 1388359 | Allocated | Sky UK Limited |
| +44 1388360 | Allocated | Belgacom International Carrier Services SA |
| +44 1388361 | Allocated | Dial 9 Communications Limited |
| +44 1388362 | Allocated | Virgin Media Limited |
| +44 1388363 | Allocated | Zapappi Ltd |
| +44 1388364 | Allocated | 24 Seven Cloud Communications Ltd |
| +44 1388365 | Allocated | EVE CONNECT LTD |
| +44 1388366 | Allocated | IP Voice Networks Ltd |
| +44 1388367 | Allocated | DIDWW Ireland Limited |
| +44 1388368 | Allocated | Fuse 2 Communications Ltd |
| +44 1388369 | Allocated | ICUK Computing Services Limited |
| +44 1388370 | Allocated | Bink Networks Ltd |
Related lookups
- 01207 Consett16 km away
- 01833 Barnard Castle23 km away
- 01661 Prudhoe26 km away
- 01740 Sedgefield28 km away
- GCI Network Solutions Limited23 allocated blocks on 01388
- BT21 allocated blocks on 01388
- Sky UK Limited11 allocated blocks on 01388
- All UK towns A–ZDialling codes by town
- More County Durham codesSame region
- All UK area codesBrowse every 01/02 dialling code
- Lookup any UK numberFree reverse phone lookup
- UK area codes explainedCornerstone guide
- 020 London numbers explainedCornerstone guide
- 0330 numbers explainedCornerstone guide
- How Ofcom allocates UK phone numbersCornerstone guide
FAQs about 01388
Where is area code 01388?
01388 is Ofcom's Bishop Auckland numbering area, in Durham, North East England. Its exchange towns are in County Durham. From abroad, drop the 0 and dial +44 1388.
Which places use the 01388 code?
Ofcom splits 01388 into 2 areas by the first digit of the local number: Stanhope (013882, 013885); Bishop Auckland (013883, 013884, 013886, 013887, 013888, 013889).
Do I need to dial 01388 for a local call?
Traditionally not from another 01388 landline, but it now depends on your provider: Ofcom stopped requiring providers to offer local (code-free) dialling on 11 March 2022. Dialling 01388 first always works, and mobiles always need it.
How are 01388 numbers written?
Numbers on 01388 use Ofcom's 4+6 format: the 5-digit code (including the leading 0) followed by a 6-digit local number — written like 01388 234 567. From abroad the leading zero is dropped: +44 1388 then the local number.
What was the 01388 area code before?
01388 took its current form at PhONEday on 16 April 1995, when a "1" was inserted into every UK geographic code — before that the area dialled 0388. Old signage or stationery showing 0388 refers to the same Bishop Auckland numbers.
Which phone companies hold 01388 numbers?
Ofcom lists 93 providers with allocated blocks on 01388. The largest are GCI Network Solutions Limited with 23 of the 211 allocated blocks, BT with 21 of the 211 allocated blocks and Sky UK Limited with 11 of the 211 allocated blocks. Numbers can be ported, so a number's current provider may differ from the block's holder.
Which area codes are next to 01388?
By distance between exchange towns, the nearest other codes are 01207 Consett (16 km), 01833 Barnard Castle (23 km), 01661 Prudhoe (26 km) and 01740 Sedgefield (28 km).
How do I report a scam call from a 01388 number?
On a mobile, text the caller's number to 7726 (free). If you lost money or shared details, call your bank and report it to Report Fraud (0300 123 2040), which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025. Unwanted sales calls go to the ICO after registering with the Telephone Preference Service.