Area code 868 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Caribbean country Trinidad and Tobago, assigned in 1996, and in service since 1. June 1997.
The internal telephone numbering plan of the country is known as the National Numbering Plan. It regulates the assignment of telephone numbers by the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago, which holds responsibility for telecommunications in the country.
Due to a long established affiliation with NANP, telephone numbers in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago are often styled as "(868) NXX-xxxx". The International Telecommunications Union's standards such as E.164 and E.123 recommend the inclusion of a "+1" prefix to indicate 868 is a part of the NANP.
History
Area code 868 was created by a split of area code 809 which had been serving all of the Caribbean until the 1990s. A permissive dialing period commenced from 1 June 1997
to 31 May 1998, after which all calls placed to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago required the new prefix. 611 (proposed replacement)