diff --git a/FAQ.md b/FAQ.md index 7aaa4dc6a..cb6d2962e 100644 --- a/FAQ.md +++ b/FAQ.md @@ -206,6 +206,33 @@ We'd love to consume machine-readable numbering plan data (assigned ranges, carrier & geo mappings). If you can connect us with partners in the industry to achieve this, please do so. Thanks! +### Why are Bouvet Island (BV), Pitcairn Island (PN), Antarctica (AQ) etc. not supported? + +We only support a country if: + +* **The country has a single country calling code.** For instance, Kosovo (XK) + has been using three different country codes until 2017 - those of Serbia, + Monaco and Slovenia. The relevant numbers will be marked as valid, but as + belonging to Serbia, Monaco or Slovenia respectively. When Kosovo starts + using its own country calling code of 383 it will be added to the metadata + by itself. Similarly, Antarctica doesn't use its assigned country calling + code of 672 - instead the bases belonging to different countries have + different solutions. For example, Scott Base, belonging to New Zealand, has + an area code that is part of the New Zealand phone number plan, and we + support those numbers as valid numbers for NZ. +* **The country still exists.** For example, Yugoslavia (YU), Serbia and + Montenegro (CS) and Netherlands Antilles (AN) have been dissolved and no + longer exist as political entities so we do not support them. +* **The country has some phone numbers in use that can be ascribed to it.** + For instance, Pitcairn Island has only around thirty inhabitants and they + use satellite phones, so there is no numbering plan for Pitcairn Island. + Similarly, Bouvet Island is an uninhabited Antarctic volcanic island with no + telephone country code and no telephone connection, so we will not support + it. +* **It has an assigned region code.** For instance, previously Kosovo did not + have a region code assigned to it, so we could not support it until it was + assigned XK by [CLDR](http://cldr.unicode.org/). + ## Misc ### How do I load libphonenumber resources in my Android app?