Phone numbers in Mauritius will change from 7 to 8 digits

5K views

24 replies

10 users

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) is proposing the introduction of 8 digits telephone numbers because we'll soon be running out of numbers to allocate to people. The current population of Mauritius stands at 1.3M and 1.2M numbers have already been used. This means that only around 100,000 tel numbers are left and if we don't do something urgently, the country will be in crisis.

No date has been fixed yet for the changeover but mobile phones numbers will be converted to the new 8 digit numbering system first, followed by fixed lines and others.

In 1989, we changed from 6 to 7 numbers in our telephony system so it's been a good 23 years since we upgraded.

Most people know their phone numbers by heart and have some sort of attachment to them and it will be weird to have to adopt a new number. So what do you think about this change which is going to happen very soon? Are you for or against?

Update : Mobile phone numbers will be prefixed by the number 5 and the change will take place on 1 September 2013. So if your number if currently 772 72 72, it will become 577 272 72. Your telephones numbers at home (fixed landlines) will remain the same though.

Update 2 : If you're looking for an easy way to automatically add the number 5 before all your Mauritian mobile numbers, check this post. It's an app for iPhones/Android/Blackberry/Windows, one developed by Orange and the other by Emtel.

24 Replies

akilesh32 Level 1

Yeah i think it is good

Prince_Adward Level 1

it will create a big loss of call cost per day ( for many months).
goodluck mauritius telecom

destinydol Level 1

Not good..will have to update one number at a time

gices Level 6

There's the OrangeCare app which automatically prefixes your local Mauritian mobile numbers with 5 and it's available for iOS (iPhone), Android, Blackberry and Java ME powered devices. Check it out.

Or you can check the Emtel Smart App which covers Windows phones as well as the ones listed above.

2 Reply

destinydol Level 1

Great thanks a lot...that's much quicker!!

gices Level 6

You're welcome :) Remember to do it on 1st September though when the change takes place.

Fluffy_Unicorn Level 1

I don't mind having an extra digit added just got to update the contacts on my phone and it will take some time to adjust and remember to add that 5 when I give people my number but I have a question if anyone can help
Does it change anything to whatsapp? since when registering you have to give your mobile number and people "add" you on their watsapp through your mobile number

gices Level 6

As far as I understand, you will need to register a new account with whatsapp because your mobile number is changing. The application relies on a valid telephone number to route the messages and as from 01/09/2013, only 8 digits mobile numbers will be valid.

Fluffy_Unicorn Level 1

so I'll have to pay for it again? I'm using an Iphone therefore I had to purchase it.

gices Level 6

If I were you, I'd contact their support dept and tell them mobile numbers in our country are being prefixed with 5 (give them a link to verify) and if it was possible for them to update your account accordingly.

1 Reply

Fluffy_Unicorn Level 1

Great idea thanks :)

moricien Level 2

I'm for it. People should only adapt themselves with the new system, that is 8 digits of phone numbers..

cruzer Level 1

of course its a good thing for us, else we will be running out of numbers in the next few years. In other countries like the US, they have 10 digits phone numbers and I don't think it will be hard to remember once we get used to it.

gices Level 6

The move towards a new numbering system is inevitable but I find it surprising that in a population of 1.3 million, 1.2 million numbers have already been assigned. This means that nearly every adult, children, and pensioners have a number which seems strange.

Iron_Man Level 2

No this is because nowadays too many people are changing their phone numbers. People just change their number for various reasons. That's why 1.2 million have been assigned...

Iron_Man Level 2

I'm for. One more digit to remember is not that dramatic...

gices Level 6

It isn't dramatic but adding one more digit to your mobile number changes the whole sense of it. For example, if a law comes about where personalised licence plates need to have a prefix or suffix, that would ruin the character & meaning, right?

Iron_Man Level 2

Yes you're right. Maybe that we will get used to the new digit with time even if its meaning changed...

Khush_Mendossa Level 3

I think this was bound to happen.

It is a good thing. Because Mauritians' memory will develop a bit more because they will have to remember one more digit xD

gices Level 6

hmm, I don't think old people really want their memory to develop, lol. They don't have a contact list and know the name and phone number of their close ones by heart. So that's going to shake them up, don't you think?

Khush_Mendossa Level 3

Yeah I didn't thought about that one. But, how much will it change? Will it change completely? Or just 1 digit will be added?

gices Level 6

I'm not sure. When I read the story, it said that the allocation of telephone numbers was not done correctly here as they have too many digits fixed at the beginning. I think they will the extra digit at the end of the number because that seems to be the easiest thing to do.