Direct dialing just means that you dial the number yourself, without asking an operator to dial it for you.
International direct dialing was phased in, beginning in the late 1960's and early 1970's.
Direct-dialing of long-distance calls began on November 10, 1951, with customers in Teaneck and Englewood, New Jersey, able to direct-dial 11 cities in the United States.
To route calls to appropriate internal stations without the assistance of an operator
Direct inward dialing is known as DID
Direct outward dialing is called DOD, or Direct Distance Dialing (DDD)
Direct inward dialing is known as DID
You can still make domestic calls when international dialing is disabled.
The Denver area began mandatory 10-digit dialing of local calls in 1998, in preparation for the 303/720 area code overlay. All local calls within, between, into, or out from the 303 and 720 area codes must be dialed with 10 digits. Other local calls within area code 970 or within area code 719 may be dialable as either 7 or 10 digits.
Maryland switched over to 10-digit dialing for all local calls in 1997, in preparation for the 301/240 and 410/443 overlays.
The international and local area dialing codes would all be the same, but your long distance company of choice would have to provide you with their direct or operator assisted dialing protocols.
For dialing a telephone number outside your local area.
Centrex features allowed direct inward dialing (DID) to a telephone number and direct outward dialing (DOD) from a number without operator intervention