Telephone exchange — TBR

Building code: 02NOR0
PSTN/ISDN: 02/201.XX.XX, 02/203.XX.XX
Indialing: 02/202.XX.XX, 02/204.XX.XX, 02/205.XX.XX, 02/206.XX.XX, 02/207.XX.XX, 02/208.XX.XX
Status: Demolished
Type: Telephone exchange · Administrative building
Commissioned: Not documented Do you know? Share the information
Architect: Not documented Do you know? Share the information
Address: Koning Albert II-Laan 32, Brussel

Description

The 02NOR0 network is a special case. The TBR or RTT tower used to be located at Emile Jacqmainlaan; this later became Koning Albert II-laan. With the expansion of the Noordwijk neighbourhood in the 1970s, a switch was installed in the TBR building (02NOR0); previously, Noordwijk had been served by Marais, Schaarbeek and Jette. The 02NOR0 network (Noordwijk) was created at that time but is not actually a fully-fledged network and depends on the Marais network (02MAR0). What is unusual is that it was given its own telephone prefix, whilst other local exchange centres (LDCs) use the prefixes of their main network. Presumably, with the arrival of large office buildings, there would otherwise have been a shortage of telephone numbers, and at the time it was also technically impossible to use the same prefixes. In the 1990s, the first LDCs appeared that were able to use the prefixes of their main network. As a result, all connected customers were assigned a new telephone number. Belgacom/Proximus itself has its own block of around 10,000 numbers with the prefix 02/202.XX.XX. Later, everything was moved to the former Belgacom Towers.