From Friday 4th September 2026, the telephone numbering plan in Gambia is changing!
From that date, mobile phone numbers for most Gambian operators will increase from 7 to 9 digits (excluding the country code).
What exactly is changing?
To contact your loved ones in Gambia via the app, you’ll need to add further digits after the country’s international dialling code (+220), depending on your recipient’s mobile network operator:
Africell (prefix is now 87) :
Phone numbers with the format +220 7AB CDEF become +220 87 7AB CDEF
Phone numbers with the format +220 2AB CDEF become +220 87 2AB CDEF
Phone numbers with the format +220 40A BCDE become +220 87 40A BCDE
QCell (prefix is now 83) :
Phone numbers with the format +220 3AB CDEF become +220 83 3AB CDEF
Phone numbers with the format +220 5AB CDEF become +220 83 5AB CDEF
Comium (prefix is now 86) :
Phone numbers with the format +220 6AB CDEF become +220 86 6AB CDEF
The series of old 7-digit numbers (84A BCDE, 85A BCDE, 86A BCDE, 87A BCDE) also adopt the prefix 86 to become 9 digits long.
⚠️ Please note: The operators Gamtel and Gamcel are not affected by this change and will retain their current 7-digit numbering (+220 AB CDEFG).
Tableau récapitulatif
Operator | Added prefix | Old number | New number |
Africell | 87 | +220 7AB CDEF | +220 87 7AB CDEF |
Africell | 87 | +220 2AB CDEF | +220 87 2AB CDEF |
Africell | 87 | +220 40A BCDE | +220 87 40A BCDE |
QCell | 83 | +220 3AB CDEF | +220 83 3AB CDEF |
QCell | 83 | +220 5AB CDEF | +220 83 5AB CDEF |
Comium | 86 | +220 6AB CDEF | +220 86 6AB CDEF |
Comium | 86 | +220 84A BCDE | +220 86 84A BCDE |
Comium | 86 | +220 85A BCDE | +220 86 85A BCDE |
Comium | 86 | +220 86A BCDE | +220 86 86A BCDE |
Comium | 86 | +220 87A BCDE | +220 86 87A BCDE |
Gamtel / Gamcel | — | +220 AB CDEFG | Inchangé |
Update your contacts 📱
To help you update your contacts saved in the Gambian format, you can use the third-party app GM9 (developed by Sey Solutions and available free of charge).
Note: This app is provided by an independent developer and not by the Gambian regulatory authorities. It works entirely offline (your contacts are not exported) and allows you to back up or restore your contacts with a single click.
Transition period ⏲️
To facilitate this change, there will be a period during which both the old and new numbering plans will coexist, until 30 November 2026. During this period, your calls will go through regardless of the format you use to dial. However, we recommend that you update your address book as soon as possible to avoid any interruption to the service.