Tanzania telephone calls · Telephone calls in Tanzania
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Telephone calls in Tanzania
Telephone calls in Tanzania
The "Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd" (TTCL) is the state owned telecom, operating all pay phones and landlines in Tanzania. As it is the case with most developing countries, telephone fixed-lines are not affordable for many ordinary people. However, the mobile network has blossomed throughout Africa in the past five years, and this is equally true of Tanzania. With many used mobile phones for sale and the very low cost of getting a SIM card, 2000 Tsh, this is the popular choice of most Tanzanians. For many, a mobile phone is the first large purchase when they get a job. The major mobile service providers operate all over the country, even in some of the most remote areas, although service interruptions are common.
If you find a taxi driver or tour guide that you like, ask for his/her mobile number. This is often the best way to reach them.
Using a mobile phone
If you have an "unlocked" GSM 900/1800mhz frequency mobile phone (the same frequency as used in the rest of the world, apart from USA and Canada), you can purchase a local SIM card for 500 Tsh from a series of Tanzanian service providers. The most popular are Celtel , Vodacom , and Tigo . Zantel is a new arrival on the mainland and, through the national roaming agreement with Vodacom, currently has the largest network coverage.
Air Time
You can recharge your "Prepaid" mobile phone account by using "scratch-cards", which are available everywhere. Just look for shops or even small tables set up along the road, with posters for the various mobile service providers. Those cards come in the following denominations: 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, 20000, and 50000 Tsh. If you plan on making frequent calls outside of Africa, you will need at least a 10000 Tsh-card.
Making calls within Tanzania to a mobile phone
Dial "0 & (telephone number)" or "+255 & (telephone number)"
Making calls within Tanzania to a landline
Dial "0 & (city code) & (telephone number)" or "+255 & (city code) & (telephone number)"
Telephone codes for the Tanzanian cities (These numbers are only used when calling landlines)
Dar es Salaam (22), Morogoro & Mtwara (23), Zanzibar & Pemba (24), Mbeya (25), Iringa (26), Arusha & Tanga (27), and Mwanza (28).
Making international calls
Dial "+ & (country code) & (area code, if any) & (telephone number)" or "000 & (country code) & (area code, if any) & (telephone number)"
In October 2006, Vodacom changed the second digit, not counting the first "0" or the "+255" country code, in their phone numbers from "4" to "5", e.g.: 744 is now 754. Some magazines, books, travel guides, and advertisements may not have made the necessary corrections. All Vodacom mobile numbers starting with 744, 745, or 746 should be changed to 754, 755, and 756.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Tanzania
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Tanzania Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.