Before there were dial or push button phones, there were crank phones. You lifted the ear piece from the hook, tuned the crank on the side of the phone, which rang the operator. She would answer the phone with "Number, please." You told her the number, and she would dial it for you.
You would dial 100 for general operator services.
11811
In the UK you'd dial 100
Dial "O" for Operator
The number of a operator will be 0 or 411.
Dial 9-1-1 on your telephone. Or dial "0" and ask the Operator to connect you.
Direct dialing just means that you dial the number yourself, without asking an operator to dial it for you.
Anywhere in the United States, dial 00 for the long distance operator.
On a mobile: +44 20 (8-digit London number) On a landline or fax: 00 44 20 (8-digit London number)
If you get a busy signal when you dial *69 to call back the last person that called you, it means either that the number is busy or that your telephone company is unable to determine the last number that called you.
Dial 8000-111-111 or 8000-112-112 and speak to the operator.
A primary advantage of dial up compared to wireless service is the lack of signal interference.