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|mg| Madagascar +261

Number Format

Area Code:            none (see note below)
Subscriber Number:    7 digits (see note below)
Trunk Prefix:         (see below)
International Prefix: 00
A Carrier Selection code of 2 digits is dialled before 7-digit subscriber number for long distance or incoming international cases.

Area code information

February 2005 - Gulfsat numbering clarified

Gulfsat carrier code was clarified to be 22, therefore Gulfsat numbers are of the form +261 22 xxxxxxx.

Source: OMERT announcement (21 February 2005, via ITU)

31 October 1997 - change to 7-digit numbers, carrier selection

Existing area code plus 5-digit number scheme was replaced by a standard 7-digit national number scheme without area codes. Two digits were prepended to existing 5-digit numbers to form the new national numbers.

The following are the subscriber number changes. Some manual exchanges were also converted to automatic switching as indicated:

Place           Old format    New format
-----           ----------    ----------
Ambatondrazaka  +261 4 81xxx  +261 5481xxx
Antananarivo    +261 2 xxxxx  +261 22xxxxx
Antsiranana     +261 8 2xxxx  +261 822xxxx
Antsohihy       +261 6 7xxxx  +261 677xxxx
Farafangana     +261 7 91xxx  +261 7391xxx
Fianarantsoa    +261 7 5xxxx  +261 755xxxx
Mahajanga       +261 6 2xxxx  +261 622xxxx
Maintirano      xx (manual)   +261 69692xx
Manakara        +261 7 2xxxx  +261 722xxxx
Mananjary       +261 7 94xxx  +261 7294xxx
Moramanga       +261 4 82xxx  +261 5682xxx
Morondava       +261 4 5xxxx  +261 955xxxx
Nosy Be         +261 8 6xxxx  +261 866xxxx
Sainte Marie    xx (manual)   +261 57420xx
Sambava         xxx (manual)  +261 8891xxx
Toamasina       +261 5 3xxxx  +261 533xxxx
Tolagnaro       +261 9 2xxxx  +261 922xxxx
Toliary         +261 9 4xxxx  +261 944xxxx
2-digit carrier selection codes were also introduced, to allow for competitive long distance or wireless choice of service provider.

Calls from other nations are now of the form:

+261 + carrier code (2 digits) + national number (7 digits)

Carrier codes were assigned as follows:

Code  Carrier
----  -------
 20   Telma (Telecom Malagasy)
 30   Telecel
 31   Sacel
 32   SRR
 33   Madacom
This may be the world's first case of a country requiring callers from other nations to include a carrier selection code with the called national number.

Calls within Madagascar are dialed with only the 7 digit national number if the caller's default carrier is used.

If a carrier other than the subscriber's default carrier is used, then the call is dialed as:

0 + carrier code (2 digits) + national number (7 digits).

The international standard 00+ has replaced 16+ for international calling.

More information is available at another Madagascar Tourism information site.

Also see Telecom Malagasy announcement (21 November 1997, via ITU)

(some information courtesy Andrew Owens)

Other information

Regulator is L'Office Malagasy d'Etudes et de Régulation des Télécommunications (OMERT).

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