+27
South Africa phone numbers
071 123 4567
International +27 71 123 4567, E.164 +27711234567
The numbering plan of South Africa: formats, lengths, the regular expression for each line type and the prefix blocks allocated to each carrier, as ITU publishes it. A pattern says what a number looks like and where it was allocated; whether it is in service, and who serves it today, is a different question (below).
At a glance
- Country code
- +27
- Exit code
- 00
- Trunk prefix
- 0
- Mobile digits
- 5 to 9
- Fixed-line digits
- 9
- Number portability
- yes
- Carriers on record
- 8
How to dial a number in South Africa from anywhere: the dialling helper.
| Vodacom | 80 |
|---|---|
| MTN | 21 |
| Telkom Mobile | 15 |
| Cell C | 14 |
| TelAfrica (Wirles Connect) | 3 |
| 3 other operators | 4 |
prefix blocks allocated, from the published records; a block is a prefix at the plan's allocation length
Check a number
Valid mobile number in South Africa.
| Country | South Africa numbering plan |
|---|---|
| Line type | Mobile |
| Carrier the block was allocated to | Vodacom |
| E.164 | +27711234567 |
| International | +27 71 123 4567 |
| National | 071 123 4567 |
| RFC 3966 | tel:+27-71-123-4567 |
Test a pattern
Tick the line types you accept, copy the combined pattern, and paste numbers to see which range each one falls in. Numbers are reduced to their national digits first (no spaces, no +27, no trunk prefix 0); nothing leaves your browser.
^(?:(?:1(?:3492[0-25]|4495[0235]|549(?:20|5[01]))|4[34]492[01])\d{3}|8[1-4]\d{3,7}|(?:2[27]|47|54)4950\d{3}|(?:1(?:049[2-4]|9[12]\d\d)|(?:50[0-2]|[67]\d\d)\d\d|8(?:5\d{3}|7(?:08[67]|158|28[5-9]|310)))\d{4}|(?:1[6-8]|28|3[2-69]|4[025689]|5[36-8])4920\d{3}|(?:12|[2-5]1)492\d{4}|(?:2(?:0330|4302)|52087)0\d{3}|(?:1[0-8]|2[1-378]|3[1-69]|4\d|5[1346-8])\d{7})$| Number | National digits | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| 071 123 4567 | 711234567 | Mobile |
| 010 123 4567 | 101234567 | Fixed line |
| 080 123 4567 | 801234567 | not in the ticked types |
| 087 123 4567 | 871234567 | not in the ticked types |
Need another country, or the pattern as code in your language? Open the regex builder.
Walk the prefixes
Type the first digits of a number in national form, or tap them: the operators holding blocks under those digits, then the block a full prefix falls in. 137 blocks held by 8 operators are on record.
Type the first digits of a number in national form.
In full
Cheat sheet
| Country code | +27 |
|---|---|
| International exit code (dialling out) | 00 |
| Trunk prefix (national dialling) | 0 |
| Mobile number length (national digits) | 5 to 9 |
| Fixed-line number length (national digits) | 9 |
| E.164 example | +27711234567 |
| RFC 3966 (tel: URI) | tel:+27-71-123-4567 |
| Mobile number portability | Yes |
Line types and their regular expressions
Match each pattern against the national significant number: digits only, without the trunk prefix 0 and without +27. The patterns follow the national numbering plan and are anchored here.
| Line type | National digits | Example, national | Example, E.164 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile | 5 to 9 | 071 123 4567 | +27711234567 |
| Fixed line | 9 | 010 123 4567 | +27101234567 |
| Toll-free | 9 | 080 123 4567 | +27801234567 |
| VoIP | 9 | 087 123 4567 | +27871234567 |
| Shared cost | 9 | 0860 123 456 | +27860123456 |
| Premium-rate | 9 | 086 234 5678 | +27862345678 |
| UAN | 9 or 10 | 086 112 3456 | +27861123456 |
Mobile, 5 to 9 digits
^(?:(?:1(?:3492[0-25]|4495[0235]|549(?:20|5[01]))|4[34]492[01])\d{3}|8[1-4]\d{3,7}|(?:2[27]|47|54)4950\d{3}|(?:1(?:049[2-4]|9[12]\d\d)|(?:50[0-2]|[67]\d\d)\d\d|8(?:5\d{3}|7(?:08[67]|158|28[5-9]|310)))\d{4}|(?:1[6-8]|28|3[2-69]|4[025689]|5[36-8])4920\d{3}|(?:12|[2-5]1)492\d{4})$Fixed line, 9 digits
^(?:(?:2(?:0330|4302)|52087)0\d{3}|(?:1[0-8]|2[1-378]|3[1-69]|4\d|5[1346-8])\d{7})$Toll-free, 9 digits
^(?:80\d{7})$VoIP, 9 digits
^(?:87(?:08[0-589]|15[0-79]|28[0-4]|31[1-9])\d{4}|87(?:[02][0-79]|1[0-46-9]|3[02-9]|[4-9]\d)\d{5})$UAN, 9 or 10 digits
^(?:861\d{6,7})$Carrier prefix blocks
The operator each prefix block was allocated to, in national form, from the published allocation records for +27. Numbers are portable, so this is the original allocation, not necessarily the carrier serving a number today.
| Operator | Line type | Prefix blocks | Ranges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vodacom | Mobile | 80 | 071–072, 076, 079, 082, 0606–0609, 0636–0637, 0646–0649, 0660–0665, 0673–0675, 0818, 010492–010494, 012492, 021492, 031492, 041492, 051492, 087086–087087, 087158, 087285–087289, 087310, 0134920–0134922, 0134925, 0144950, 0144952–0144953, 0144955, 0154920, 0154950–0154951, 0164920, 0174920, 0184920, 0224950, 0274950, 0284920, 0324920, 0334920, 0344920, 0354920, 0364920, 0394920, 0404920, 0424920, 0434920–0434921, 0444920–0444921, 0454920, 0464920, 0474950, 0484920, 04949204 more ranges0544950, 0564920, 0574920, 0584920 |
| MTN | Mobile | 21 | 063, 073, 078, 083, 0603–0605, 0640, 0655–0657, 0686–0690, 0710, 0717–0719, 0810 |
| Telkom Mobile | Mobile | 15 | 067–069, 075, 0601–0602, 0614, 0658–0659, 0811–0815, 0817 |
| Cell C | Mobile | 14 | 061–062, 074, 084, 0641–0645, 0650–0654 |
| TelAfrica (Wirles Connect) | Mobile | 3 | 08190–08192 |
| Rain | Mobile | 2 | 050, 0696 |
| Liquid Intelligent Technology | Mobile | 1 | 0600 |
| WBS Mobile | Mobile | 1 | 0816 |
Questions developers ask
- How many digits does a phone number in South Africa have?
- Mobile numbers have 5 to 9 national digits. Fixed line numbers have 9 national digits. That is the national number, without the country code +27 and without the trunk prefix 0.
- What is the country code for South Africa?
- +27. From abroad, dial your own exit code, then 27, then the national number without its trunk prefix 0. From inside South Africa, the exit code for international calls is 00.
- Which prefixes are mobile numbers in South Africa?
- Mobile numbers start with 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07 or 08 in national form; the mobile regular expression on this page gives the exact ranges (example: 071 123 4567). The carrier table shows which prefix blocks were allocated to which operator.
- Can a mobile number in South Africa be ported to another carrier?
- Yes. South Africa has mobile number portability, so a prefix tells you the carrier a number was originally allocated to, not necessarily the one serving it today. Only a live carrier lookup (an HLR or MNP query) answers that.