World Telephone Numbering Guide

Updated 21 May 2007

By Country Code

By Country Name

Other WTNG pages

Acknowledgements

Main Page

Calendar

Glossary

History

Regional Services

Special Services

What's New

Lebanon

+961

Number Format

Area Code:            1-2 digits
Subscriber Number:    6 digits
Trunk Prefix:         0
International Prefix: 00

Area code information

September 2005 - GSM number change postponed

Existing GSM numbering area code +961 3 remained in effect as of September 2005. +961 3 xxxxxx numbers were to have changed to +961 71 xxxxxx. The new area code would have started 18 September 2005, followed by four months of permissive operation of old and new GSM codes.

Lebanon's Ministry of Telecommunication announced in September 2005 that this change was postponed indefinitely, without explanation. +961 3 and +961 70 remain valid mobile area codes.

Source: Ministry of Telecommunication announcement (1 August 2005, 7 September 2005, via ITU).

(also news courtesy Sergiu Rosenzweig)

January 2005 - new number ranges

New numbering ranges were to be introduced from January 2005:

Number range     Service
------------     -------
+961 70 xxxxxx   mobile - GSM
+961 71 xxxxxx   mobile - GSM (migrates from +961 3 ...)
+961 80 xxxxxx   shared cost
+961 81 xxxxxx   shared cost
+961 90 xxxxxx   premium
+961 91 xxxxxx   premium

Existing +961 3 xxxxxx GSM numbers are expected to change to +961 71 xxxxxx. No announcement regarding date(s) for these changes.

(Source: Ministry of Telecommunications announcement, 17 November 2004 via ITU).

from 2005 - expansion to national 8-digit numbers

An article in the Daily Star (Lebanon), 2 June 2004, referred to a new 8-digit numbering plan to be implemented, presumably in 2005. (article titled "Lebanon's cell rates stay put, for now").

A new Numbering Plan was approved by the Minister of Telecommunications Mon 8 May 2004.

Implementation will be phased, under a schedule that could require 3 years to complete:

1) Trunk prefix '0' will be mandatory for all calls, thereby closing the numbering plan.

2) Mobile numbers in 03 xxxxxx will change to 71xxxxxx. 70xxxxxx range will also be available for expansion of new mobile numbers.

3) Shared cost numbers will migrate to 8xxxxxxx range, premium numbers to 9xxxxxxx range. Existing short codes for these services will be replaced.

4) The mandatory use of '0' trunk prefix will be replaced by digit '2' so that geographical/fixed numbers will migrate to 2xxxxxxx range. Attempts to use 0x to call subscriber numbers would receive a recorded announcement for at least 2 years, except that some acces via 02... would remain, "though contrary to [ITU] E.164 recommendations".

No changes to access codes in the 1xx and 1xxx format were announced, but these are "under review".

Source: Telecommunications Regulatory Authority numbering plan document (no longer online).

May 1998 - changes to Beirut suburbs

The new area code for the following region have been modified since the beginning of the month of May 98.

Telephone numbers in Aaraya Hazmieh, Baabda Hazmieh, Choueifat Choueifat, Hadath Beirut Hadath Beirut, Hazmieh Hazmieh and Wadi Chahrour Hadath Beirut were changed from area code 01 to 05 (+961 1 to +961 5).

Telephone numbers in Antelias Antelias, Nabey Antelias and Mansourieh Mansourieh were changed from area code 01 to 04 (+961 1 to +961 4).

Details of these changes were announced by MPT.

Other information

New independent regulator (decree approved on 2 December 2004) is Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.

Major government body for telecom is Ministry of Telecommunications.

Government-owned fixed network carrier is Ogero.

GSM (mobile) carriers are Alfa and MTC Touch.

(carrier links courtesy AJ Thomas)

Return to Top