|bi| Burundi +257

 

Number Format

Area Code:            none (formerly 1-2 digits)
Subscriber Number:    6 digits (8 digits in Mar 2007; formerly variable?)
Trunk Prefix:         none
International Prefix: 00 (formerly 90)

Area code information

1 March 2007 - national renumbering to 8 digits

Burundi telephone numbers will expand from 6 to 8 digits on 1 March 2007. Two digits will be prepended to existing numbers as follows:

 

Old format   New format      Service type/region
----------   ----------      -------------------
+257 20xxxx  +257 2220xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 21xxxx  +257 2221xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 22xxxx  +257 2222xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 23xxxx  +257 2223xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 24xxxx  +257 2224xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 25xxxx  +257 2225xxxx   Bujumbura - Onatel
+257 26xxxx  +257 2226xxxx   Western region - Onatel
+257 27xxxx  +257 2227xxxx   Rural - Onatel
+257 30xxxx  +257 2230xxxx   Northern region - Onatel
+257 40xxxx  +257 2240xxxx   Central-east region - Onatel
+257 50xxxx  +257 2250xxxx   Southern region - Onatel
+257 55xxxx  +257 2955xxxx   CDMA mobile - Telecel
+257 56xxxx  +257 7956xxxx   GSM mobile - Telecel
+257 57xxxx  +257 7957xxxx   GSM mobile - Telecel
+257 58xxxx  +257 7958xxxx   GSM mobile - Telecel
+257 59xxxx  +257 7959xxxx   GSM mobile - Telecel
+257 6xxxxx  +257 766xxxxx   GSM mobile - Econet
+257 7xxxxx  +257 777xxxxx   GSM mobile - Onatel
+257 8xxxxx  +257 788xxxxx   GSM mobile - Africell
+257 9xxxxx  +257 799xxxxx   GSM mobile - Telecel

Generally:

  • 22 prepends fixed/wireline numbers
  • 29 prepends CDMA mobile numbers
  • 76 through 79 prepends GSM mobile numbers, depending on carrier

3-digit short codes for emergency services will replace previous 2-digit codes.

Source: ARCT announcement (27 September 2006, via ITU).

 

1 February 2006 - ABANDONED: renumbering to 7 digits

Contrary to earlier announcements, a planned Burundi renumbering from 6- to 7-digit format on 1 February 2006 did not occur. Under that plan, '2' was to be prepended to fixed/wireline subscriber numbers, '7' prepended to mobile subscriber numbers.

Existing 2-digit emergency short codes were also to have changed to 3-digit codes.

The previously planned subscriber number changes were as follows (NOTE: this renumbering did not actually occur, contrary to the earlier announcement):

 

Old format   New format    Service/Location
----------   ----------    ----------------
+257 20xxxx  +257 220xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 21xxxx  +257 221xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 22xxxx  +257 222xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 23xxxx  +257 223xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 24xxxx  +257 224xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 25xxxx  +257 225xxxx  Bujumbura 
+257 26xxxx  +257 226xxxx  Urad ( Bubanza Cibitoke, Myramvya, Mwaro) 
+257 27xxxx  +257 227xxxx  Rural telephony 
+257 30xxxx  +257 230xxxx  Central region 
+257 40xxxx  +257 240xxxx  Northern region 
+257 50xxxx  +257 250xxxx  Southern region 
+257 6xxxxx  +257 76xxxxx  mobile - Spacetel
+257 8xxxxx  +257 78xxxxx  mobile - Africell
+257 9xxxxx  +257 79xxxxx  mobile - Telecel

Source: Regulator ARCT announcement (via ITU, 23 June 2005).

With reports courtesy Michael Raney, Sergiu Rosenzweig.

 

Date unknown - national 6-digit format

Burundi apparently adopted a 6-digit national subscriber number format some time prior to 2005. Previously, there were area codes of 1 or 2 digits followed by subscriber numbers of indeterminate length.

 

Other information

Carrier is ONATEL

Regulator is Agence de Régulation et de Contrôle des Télécommunications (ARCT).