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Everything about Itu Prefix totally explained

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocates call sign prefixes for radio and television stations of all types. They also form the basis for aircraft registration identifiers. These prefixes are agreed upon internationally, and are a form of country code. A call sign can be any number of letters and numerals but each country must only use call signs that begin with the characters allocated for use in that country. A few countries don't fully comply with these rules. Australian broadcast stations officially have—but don't use—the VL prefix, and Canada uses Chile's CB for its own Canadian Broadcasting Corporation stations.
   With regard to the second and/or third letters in the prefixes in the list below, if the country in question is allocated all callsigns with A to Z in that position, then that country can also use call signs with the digits 0 to 9 in that position. For example, the United States is assigned KA–KZ, and therefore can also use prefixes like KW0 or K1.
   Many large countries in turn have internal rules on how and where specific subsets of their callsigns can be used (such as Mexico's XE for AM and XH for FM radio and Television broadcasting), which are not covered here.

Unallocated and unavailable call sign prefixes

Unallocated: The following call sign prefixes are available for future allocation by the ITU. (x represents any letter; n represents any digit from 2–9.)
  • E6, E8, E9, H5, J9, On, S4, T9*, Un, V9, Xn, YZ*, Z4–Z9, 4N*.
(* Indicates a prefix that has recently been returned to the ITU.) Unavailable: Under present ITU guidelines the following call sign prefixes shan't be allocated(External Link). They are sometimes used unofficially - such as amateur radio operators operating in a disputed territory or in a nation state that has no official prefix (for example S0 in Western Sahara or 1A at Knights of Malta headquarters in Rome). (x represents any letter; n represents any digit from 2–9.)
  • nn, x0, x1, 0x, 1x, Qx.
  • no prefixes beginning with Q are used—they may be confused with Q codes.
  • no prefixes with the digits 1 or 0 are used—they may be confused with the letters I or O.
  • two digit prefixes (nn) are not as yet considered by the ITU.

    Table of Allocation of International Call Sign Series

    View as grid chart
    View this list arranged by nation
    Call Sign Series Allocated to
    A
    AA–AL United States
    AM–AO Spain
    AP–AS Pakistan
    AT–AW India
    AX Australia
    AY–AZ Argentina
    A2 Botswana
    A3 Tonga
    A4 Oman
    A5 Bhutan
    A6 United Arab Emirates
    A7 Qatar
    A8 Liberia
    A9 Bahrain
    B
    B China
    B (BM-BO, BQ, BV, BX) Taiwan (uses prefixes allocated to China)
    C
    CA–CE Chile (See note 5)
    CF–CK Canada
    CL–CM Cuba
    CN Morocco
    CO Cuba
    CP Bolivia
    CQ–CU Portugal
    CV–CX Uruguay
    CY–CZ Canada
    C2 Nauru
    C3 Andorra
    C4 Cyprus
    C5 The Gambia
    C6 Bahamas
    C7 World Meteorological Organization (See note 1)
    C8–C9 Mozambique
    D
    DA–DR Germany
    DS–DT South Korea
    DU–DZ Philippines
    D2–D3 Angola
    D4 Cape Verde
    D5 Liberia
    D6 Comoros
    D7–D9 South Korea
    E
    EA–EH Spain
    EI–EJ Ireland
    EK Armenia
    EL Liberia
    EM–EO Ukraine
    EP–EQ Iran
    ER Moldova
    ES Estonia
    ET Ethiopia
    EU–EW Belarus
    EX Kyrgyzstan
    EY Tajikistan
    EZ Turkmenistan
    E2 Thailand
    E3 Eritrea
    E4 Palestinian Authority
    E5 Cook Islands (See note 2)
    E7 Bosnia and Herzegovina (See note 2)
    F
    F France
    G
    G United Kingdom
    H
    HA Hungary
    HB Switzerland
    HB (HB0, HB3Y, HBL) Liechtenstein (uses prefixes allocated to Switzerland)
    HC–HD Ecuador
    HE Switzerland
    HF Poland
    HG Hungary
    HH Haiti
    HI Dominican Republic
    HJ–HK Colombia
    HL South Korea
    HM North Korea
    HN Iraq
    HO–HP Panama
    HQ–HR Honduras
    HS Thailand
    HT Nicaragua
    HU El Salvador
    HV Vatican City
    HW–HY France
    HZ Saudi Arabia
    H2 Cyprus
    H3 Panama
    H4 Solomon Islands
    H6–H7 Nicaragua
    H8–H9 Panama
    I
    I Italy
    J
    JA–JS Japan
    JT–JV Mongolia
    JW–JX Norway
    JY Jordan
    JZ Indonesia
    J2 Djibouti
    J3 Grenada
    J4 Greece
    J5 Guinea-Bissau
    J6 Saint Lucia
    J7 Dominica
    J8 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
    K
    K United States
    L
    LA–LN Norway
    LO–LW Argentina
    LX Luxembourg
    LY Lithuania
    LZ Bulgaria
    L2–L9 Argentina
    M
    M United Kingdom
    N
    N United States
    O
    OA–OC Peru
    OD Lebanon
    OE Austria
    OF–OJ Finland
    OK–OL Czech Republic
    OM Slovakia
    ON–OT Belgium
    OU–OZ Denmark
    P
    PA–PI Netherlands
    PJ NetherlandsNetherlands Antilles
    PK–PO Indonesia
    PP–PY Brazil
    PZ Suriname
    P2 Papua New Guinea
    P3 Cyprus
    P4 Aruba
    P5–P9 North Korea
    Q
    There are no prefixes beginning Q (See note 3)
    R
    R Russia
    S
    SA–SM Sweden
    SN–SR Poland
    SSA–SSM Egypt (See note 4)
    SSN–STZ Sudan (See note 4)
    SU Egypt
    SV–SZ Greece
    S2–S3 Bangladesh
    S5 Slovenia
    S6 Singapore
    S7 Seychelles
    S8 South Africa
    S9 São Tomé and Príncipe
    T
    TA–TC Turkey
    TD Guatemala
    TE Costa Rica
    TF Iceland
    TG Guatemala
    TH France
    TI Costa Rica
    TJ Cameroon
    TK France
    TL Central African Republic
    TM France
    TN Congo
    TO–TQ France
    TR Gabon
    TS Tunisia
    TT Chad
    TU Côte d'Ivoire
    TV–TX France
    TY Benin
    TZ Mali
    T2 Tuvalu
    T3 Kiribati
    T4 Cuba
    T5 Somalia
    T6 Afghanistan
    T7 San Marino
    T8 Palau
    T9 (T9 returned to the ITU on 7 August 2007. Bosnia and Herzegovina is now E7)
    U
    UA–UI Russia
    UJ–UM Uzbekistan
    UN–UQ Kazakhstan
    UR–UZ Ukraine
    V
    VA–VG Canada
    VH–VN Australia
    VO CanadaNewfoundland and Labrador
    VP–VQ United Kingdom
    VR ChinaHong Kong
    VS United Kingdom
    VT–VW India
    VX–VY Canada
    VZ Australia
    V2 Antigua and Barbuda
    V3 Belize
    V4 Saint Kitts and Nevis
    V5 Namibia
    V6 Micronesia
    V7 Marshall Islands
    V8 Brunei
    W
    W United States
    X
    XA–XI Mexico
    XJ–XO Canada
    XP Denmark
    XQ–XR Chile
    XS China
    XT Burkina Faso
    XU Cambodia
    XV Vietnam
    XW Laos
    XX ChinaMacau (See note 2)
    XY–XZ Burma
    Y
    YA Afghanistan
    YB–YH Indonesia
    YI Iraq
    YJ Vanuatu
    YK Syria
    YL Latvia
    YM Turkey
    YN Nicaragua
    YO–YR Romania
    YS El Salvador
    YT–YU Serbia (See note 2)
    YV–YY Venezuela (Republic of)
    Y2–Y9 Germany
    Z
    ZA Albania
    ZB–ZJ United Kingdom
    ZK–ZM New Zealand
    ZN–ZO United Kingdom
    ZP Paraguay
    ZQ United Kingdom
    ZR–ZU South Africa
    ZV–ZZ Brazil
    Z2 Zimbabwe
    Z3 Republic of Macedonia
    2
    2 United Kingdom
    3
    3A Monaco
    3B Mauritius
    3C Equatorial Guinea
    3DA–3DM Swaziland (See note 4)
    3DN–3DZ Fiji (See note 4)
    3E–3F Panama
    3G Chile
    3H–3U China
    3V Tunisia
    3W Vietnam
    3X Guinea
    3Y Norway
    3Z Poland
    4
    4A–4C Mexico
    4D–4I Philippines
    4J–4K Azerbaijan
    4L Georgia
    4M Venezuela
    4O Montenegro (See note 2)
    4P–4S Sri Lanka
    4T Peru
    4U United Nations (See note 1)
    4V Haiti
    4W East Timor
    4X Israel
    4Y International Civil Aviation Organization (See note 1)
    4Z Israel
    5
    5A Libya
    5B Cyprus
    5C–5G Morocco
    5H–5I Tanzania
    5J–5K Colombia
    5L–5M Liberia
    5N–5O Nigeria
    5P–5Q Denmark
    5R–5S Madagascar
    5T Mauritania
    5U Niger
    5V Togo
    5W Western Samoa
    5X Uganda
    5Y–5Z Kenya
    6
    6A–6B Egypt
    6C Syria
    6D–6J Mexico
    6K–6N South Korea
    6O Somalia
    6P–6S Pakistan
    6T–6U Sudan
    6V–6W Senegal
    6X Madagascar
    6Y Jamaica
    6Z Liberia
    7
    7A–7I Indonesia
    7J–7N Japan
    7O Yemen
    7P Lesotho
    7Q Malawi
    7R Algeria
    7S Sweden
    7T–7Y Algeria
    7Z Saudi Arabia
    8
    8A–8I Indonesia
    8J–8N Japan
    8O Botswana
    8P Barbados
    8Q Maldives
    8R Guyana
    8S Sweden
    8T–8Y India
    8Z Saudi Arabia
    9
    9A Croatia
    9B–9D Iran
    9E–9F Ethiopia
    9G Ghana
    9H Malta
    9I–9J Zambia
    9K Kuwait
    9L Sierra Leone
    9M Malaysia
    9N Nepal
    9O–9T Democratic Republic of the Congo
    9U Burundi
    9V Singapore
    9W Malaysia
    9X Rwanda
    9Y–9Z Trinidad and Tobago
  • Note 1: Series allocated to an international organization.
  • Note 2: Provisional allocation in accordance with No. S19.33:
    (S19.33 Between radiocommunication conferences, the Secretary-General is authorized to deal with questions relating to changes in the allocation of series of call signs, on a provisional basis, and subject to confirmation by the following conference.)
  • Note 3: Three letter codes beginning with Q are for communication abbreviations, the Q codes and not used as callsign prefixes.
  • Note 4: Half-series allocation.
  • Note 5: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation operates the vast majority of its stations with call signs beginning with CB. This is through a special agreement with the government of Chile, which is officially assigned the CB prefix.

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