E. Timor gets own phone code

E. Timor gets own phone code

DILI, East Timor (AFP): The UN-administered territory of East Timor has now been given its own telephone country code, a UN spokesman said Friday.

Manoel de Almeida Silva, of the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), said international communication authorities have attributed the country code 670 to East Timor.

East Timor, which voted to break away from Indonesia on August 30, came under UN administration in October and will remain so until a free state of East Timor is established in two to three years.

De Almeida said that the new country code will not come into effect immediately, but added that "the procedure to introduce it has started."

Indonesia, which provided telecommunication services in East Timor for 24 years, cut their services when Indonesian troops withdrew in September from the territory it invaded in 1975 and annexed in 1976.

Telecommunication services have since been assured by an Australian company operating a cellular telephone network service.