ZIMBABWE’S leading cellular mobile company, Econet, will be changing its prefix number and switching to new ones before December, the company’s spokesperson told our reporter on Monday.
The spokesperson, Rangarirai Mberi, said the prefix number would be changed from 091 to 077 so as to move in line with global regulations set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
He said the latest development was also in line with regulations from the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz), the country’s telecommunications regulator.
“The changeover begins midnight of the night of October 2, 2010. To allow a smooth changeover to the new 077 number, customers will be able to make calls to Econet numbers using both the current 091 and new 077 codes until November 2.
“However, after this period, a call to an Econet number will only be possible by using the new 077 prefix,” said Mberi.
He said only the first three digits of the customer’s current number would change from 091 to 077. The other seven digits of the Econet wireless numbers would remain the same.
“This means, for instance, if your number was 091 8 999 999, your new number becomes 077 8 999 999,” Mberi explained.
“The changes conform to new trends in global numbering standards set by the ITU, an agency of the United Nations that regulates the global information and communication technology industry,” Mberi added.
Econet’s rivals, state-owned Netone and Telecel have already changed their numbers to comply with regulations and international standards.
MERCY MUJURU in Harare, Zimbabwe
