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19 March 2024

Saudi to change phone dialling codes next week

Published
By Staff

Callers to fixed lines in Saudi Arabia will be required to add the number “1” before the dialing code of the capital Riyadh and surrounding areas when a new 10-digit dialing system is launched next week, the press reported on Tuesday.

Telecommunications and Information Technology Authority, which oversees the telecom sector in the largest Arab economy and the world’s dominant oil supplier, said all local telephone numbers would become 10 digits instead of nine when the new system becomes fully operational in August.

The new system will start on Monday, when the number “1” will be added to dialing codes for the Riyadh province while the second stage will be implemented in August, the Authority said in a statement carried by Sabq newspaper.

“The new system is in line with the close link between the spread of telecommunication services and the need for more telephone numbers and it coincides with the ongoing revolution in this sector in the world in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular,” it said, adding that the system would increase capacity by nearly 500 million fixed lines.

It noted that the dialing code for the capital Riyadh would change from “01” to “011” and that to the western town of Makkah from “02” to “012”.

Dialing codes for other regions would be “013” instead of “03” for the eastern region close to the UAE and other Gulf countries, “017” instead of “07” for the southern region close to Yemen and “016” instead of “06” for the central province of Al Qasseem.

 

[Image via Shutterstock]

 

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