These days, everyone is talking about telecommunications. The old black Bakelite handsets and traditional cable have given way to fibre optic cable and multi-function handsets and then to mobile phones. Now, we hear about advances in the sector almost on a daily basis, with all the talk now of voice-activated wireless application protocol mobiles (WAP) which would allow access to the Internet and e-commerce.

But every phone needs a number and all these advances have put a strain on the numbering systems in countries around the world. The latest to suffer has been Britain, which only changed its numbering system a few years ago. The explosion in the growth of mobiles, the Internet and special phone services has rendered it redundant already.

The trouble is this change is upon us and no one seems to realise it is happening. From April 22nd - next Saturday - the phone numbers in a large part of Britain and throughout Northern Ireland will change. London and other major British cities are having their number systems fundamentally altered.

From the end of next week, there is no guarantee of connection through the old number despite a planned changeover period. This may well cause chaos, especially with the growing number of numbers automatically stored and dialled through computers, fax machines and mobile phones.

Anyone looking for information on the new numbers can contact www.numberchange.org or call 0044 808 2242000.