NCC Announces Change to Fixed Lines Numbering Format

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced a new numbering format for fixed lines.

The new format will take effect on Monday, January 1, 2024.

Under the new format, all fixed-line numbers will be prefixed with the number “02.”

For example, to dial the existing number 09461700, you will need to dial 02094617000.

Additional examples are: For Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano’s current number format of 014630643, 094630643, 084460643 and 064460643, will now be 02014630643, 02094630643, 02084460643 and 02064460643 respectively in the new numbering format.

The NCC said the change is in line with its responsibilities under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, which enables the commission to manage the country’s numbering resources.

The commission also said the change is consistent with the practices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations arm supervising Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

The NCC said the existing fixed-line numbers will continue to operate concurrently with the new numbers until Sunday, December 31, 2023.

NCC also clarified that the change only affects fixed-line numbers, and there is no change to the existing mobile numbering format.