Higher phone rates apply when dialing numbers with the code '8' in France (from within the country or from abroad)
Just the normal fixed line phone rate applies.
The Icelandic speaking clock service ("klukkan"), provided by Síminn, can be reached by dialing (+354) 155.
The Eircom speaking clock can be reached by dialing 1191 within Ireland.
The Japanese telephone company NTT provides a non-free speaking clock on the nationally universal number 117.
In 1934, electronic engineer and inventor F.W
Leeuwrik was requested to build a speaking clock for the municipal telephone service of The Hague
His experience with sound film made him decide to use optically recorded speech, looping on a large drum
There were loops for the hours and for the minutes, each one read with a photodetector
Every minute the clock gave an electric pulse, causing the mechanism to shift to the next minute
Every hour, the minute mechanism was reset (and every day the hour mechanism), the clock was accurate within one minute only
The female voice was provided by the then 24-year-old school teacher Cor Hoogendam, hence the machine was nick-named Tante Cor (Aunt Cor)
The speaking clock came into service at November 9, 1934 and could be reached by dialing 393131
The service became so popular, that in 1935 a second machine was ordered and built
Even during the Nazi occupation in World War II, the speaking clock was called over two million times a year.
In 1969 this system was decommissioned and replaced by a machine that looked like a record player with three pick-up arms
The speaking clock was now nation-wide available through the number 002 and was much more accurate, telling the time in 10 second intervals followed by a beep, indicating the precise moment
The text was spoken by actress Willie Brill and had the following format: "Bij de volgende toon is het .
seconden" (at the following tone, it is .
The service was now called over 130 million times a year.