After 1989, the then-monopolistic state-owned phone company started a process of upgrading its facilities. In 1992, it started increasing the size of a number to 7 digits in Bucharest and 6 digits in the rest of the country and by changing the prefixing scheme. The long distance code was changed from "9" to "0", the area code for Bucharest became "01", while to the rest of the country was temporarily given a "0" before the older area codes. For a short period, the surrounding of Bucharest (now Ilfov county) had the area code "0179", which has been eventually included into the Bucharest numbering plan as "01-79x-xxxx". The "02" code was used for calls to the Republic of Moldova.