By: Alieu Cessay
Thousands of Gambians who have memorized seven-digit phone numbers for family, friends, and business contacts will need to adapt to a new reality from September, as the country implements its most significant telecommunications reform since the advent of mobile phones.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has announced a transition from the current seven-digit to a nine-digit national telephone numbering system. The move is designed to secure sufficient numbers to support the country’s expanding digital economy for decades.
PURA Director General Njogou L. Bah, speaking at a press conference on the National Numbering Plan Migration 2026, described the exercise as “historic.” It will affect every mobile user, business, institution and Gambian living abroad who maintains contact with family at home.
“For the first time in our history, every telephone number in The Gambia will transition from the current seven-digit format to a standardized nine-digit format,” he said. “This is not a minor administrative update. This is a foundational reform that will shape how Gambians communicate in business, in government, in communities and in families for decades to come.”
The current seven-digit system is nearing exhaustion amid rapid population growth, rising mobile penetration, machine-to-machine communications and emerging digital technologies. According to PURA, the existing plan can generate up a 10 million unique numbers, while the new nine-digit system will expand capacity to 1 billion.
Under the new plan, existing seven-digit numbers will remain unchanged but will receive a two-digit prefix. At the beginning, Africell subscribers will add 87, QCell users 83, and Comium subscribers 86 to their current numbers.
Importantly, subscribers will not need to replace SIM cards, change handsets, switch operators or re-register. Airtime balances, data bundles and registration details remain unaffected.
The migration begins on 4 September 2026, with a dual-dialing period during which both seven- and nine-digit formats will work. From 30 November 2026, all calls and SMS using the old seven-digit numbers will cease to connect.
PURA has launched a five-month nationwide awareness campaign across media platforms and urged journalists to help educate the public. Citizens are encouraged to seek clarification through official channels and the PURA hotline 148.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Act backs the reform and has the full support of licensed network operators. Technical testing is progressing smoothly. The Gambia is following successful transitions in countries such as Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, and worked with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to align the new plan with global standards.
The total cost of the migration is estimated at $1 million, covering software upgrades to switches, intelligent networks and billing systems.
Director General Bah hailed the change as an investment in national development. “A nation’s telecommunications infrastructure is not merely a commercial service. It is a pillar of national development, of economic activity, of social cohesion and of sovereign identity,” he said.
“Beginning 4th September 2026, The Gambia joins the family of nations with a modern, future-ready nine-digit numbering plan.”
