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|lb| Lebanon +961

Number Format

Area Code:            1-2 digits
Subscriber Number:    6 digits
Trunk Prefix:         0
International Prefix: 00
02+ prefix is used to place calls from Lebanon to Syria numbers.

Area code information

October 2012 - new mobile ranges

New number ranges were assigned to MIC-1/Alta for GSM mobile service:

+961 79 15xxxx
+961 79 16xxxx
+961 79 17xxxx
+961 79 18xxxx
+961 79 19xxxx
Numbering plan at this point:

Number range      Place/service
============      =============
+961 1 xxxxxx     Beirut
+961 2 xxxxxx     (for Syria 02+ access)
+961 3 xxxxxx     mobile, GSM
+961 4 xxxxxx     Metn North region
+961 5 xxxxxx     Metn South and Shouf regions
+961 6 xxxxxx     North Lebanon region
+961 70 xxxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 71 1xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 72 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 73 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 74 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 75 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 760 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 761 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 762 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 763 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 764 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 765 xxxxx    mobile, GSM (unused)
+961 766 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 767 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 768 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 769 xxxxx    mobile, GSM
+961 77 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 780 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 781 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 782 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 783 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 784 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 785 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 786 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 787 xxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 788 xxxxx    mobile, GSM (MTC Touch)
+961 788 xxxxx    mobile, GSM (MTC Touch)
+961 791 xxxxx    mobile, GSM (New-Alfa)
+961 80xxxxxx     shared cost services
+961 81xxxxxx     shared cost services
+961 82 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 83 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 84 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 85 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 86 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 87 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 88 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 89 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 90xxxxxx     premium services
+961 91xxxxxx     premium services
+961 92 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 93 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 94 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 95 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 96 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 97 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 98 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
+961 99 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon, Keserwan region
Joseph Bejjany also reports follow-up to the 2009 numbering plan:

Source: Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications announcement (5 October 2012, via ITU)

2009 - new numbering plan proposals

A new national numbering plan (draft date 10 February 2009) is expected to be implemeted during a schedule to be announced. Highlights are to eliminate the trunk prefix so that all calls within Lebanon will be dialled as 8 digits (beginning with '2' for fixed/wireline services). 02+ would remain in use as a prefix to call Syria numbers, although 00963+ (international prefix with country code) would also be valid.

The proposed numbering ranges are:

Number range      Place/service
------------      -------------
+961 2xxxxxxx     fixed/wireline numbers (broken out as follows...)
+961 20xxxxxx     for future use
+961 21xxxxxx     Beirut, portions of Metn South and Metn North
+961 22xxxxxx     for future use
+961 23xxxxxx     for future use
+961 24xxxxxx     portions of Metn North
+961 25xxxxxx     portions of Metn South, Alay, portions of Chouf
+961 26xxxxxx     North Lebanon
+961 27xxxxxx     South Lebanon, portions of Chouf
+961 28xxxxxx     Bekaa Valley
+961 29xxxxxx     Keserwan
+961 3xxxxxxx     for future use
+961 4xxxxxxx     for future use
+961 5xxxxxxx     for future use
+961 6xxxxxxx     for future use
+961 7xxxxxxx     mobile numbers (broken out as follows...)
+961 70xxxxxx     mobile (may retain existing numbering pattern)
+961 71xxxxxx     mobile, carrier #2 (presumably MTC Touch)
+961 72xxxxxx     mobile, carrier #1 (presumably Alfa)
+961 73xxxxxx     mobile (may be migration from existing +961 3xxxxxx)
+961 74xxxxxx     mobile, Liban Telecom
+961 75xxxxxx     mobile, Liban Telecom
+961 76xxxxxx     for future use
+961 77xxxxxx     protected for future expansion
+961 78xxxxxx     for future use
+961 79xxxxxx     for future use
+961 8xxxxxxx     freephone numbers (broken out as follows...)
+961 800xxxxx     freephone - available to all services (fixed or mobile)
+961 820xxxxx     freephone - available only from fixed services
+961 870xxxxx     freephone - available only from mobile services
+961 9xxxxxxx     premium/paid numbers (broken out as follows...)
+961 900xxxxx     premium - available to all services (fixed or mobile)
+961 901xxxxx     pay-rate - available to all services (fixed or mobile)
+961 920xxxxx     premium - available only from fixed services
+961 921xxxxx     pay-rate - available only from fixed service
+961 970xxxxx     premium - available only from mobile services
+961 971xxxxx     pay-rate - available only from mobile service
"Premium" numbers are defined as those whose charges exceed normal national call rates. "Pay rate" numbers are charged to the caller at rates the same or lower than normal national charges.

2009 - numbering plan update

Number range      Place/service
------------      -------------
+961 1 xxxxxx     Beirut
+961 2 xxxxxx     (for Syria 02+ access)
+961 3 xxxxxx     mobile, GSM (was proposed to change to +961 71) [note 1]
+961 4 xxxxxx     Metn North region
+961 5 xxxxxx     Metn South and Shouf regions
+961 6 xxxxxx     North Lebanon region
+961 70 xxxxxx    mobile, GSM [note 1]
+961 71 1xxxxx    mobile, GSM (recent number series)
+961 72 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 73 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 74 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 75 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 76 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 77 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 78 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 79 xxxxx     South Lebanon region
+961 80xxxxxx     shared cost services
+961 81xxxxxx     shared cost services
+961 82 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 83 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 84 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 85 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 86 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 87 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 88 xxxxx     Bekaa region
+961 89xxxxx      Bekaa region
+961 90xxxxxx     premium services
+961 91xxxxxx     premium services
+961 92 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 93 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 94 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 95 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 96 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 97 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 98 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
+961 99 xxxxx     Mount Lebanon region
[note 1] - the subscriber number digit immediately following a GSM area code of +961 3 or +961 70 determines the carrier - 1 through 5 is for Alfa; 0 and 6 through 9 is for MTC Touch.

(additional report courtesy Joe Bejjany)

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)


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