The prefix for all Nigerian networks is the number assigned to certain network companies in Nigeria. A typical Nigerian number starts out with the nation’s country code “+234”. This indicates that the number is indeed Nigerian.
Telecommunications in Nigeria began in 2001 with the first carry-around phones (mobile phones) for the general public. These phones require signals from telephone wires to work and these wires were owned by network companies.
Mobile phone owners then had to pay for a certain tariff to use the telephone lines of their choice. The increase of mobile phone ownership in Nigeria has skyrocketed. With no phones till 2001, in this times majority of the Nigerians (millions of people) having unlimited access to phones.
Prefix For All Nigerian Networks
The prefix for all Nigerian networks is the number assigned to certain network companies in Nigeria. A typical Nigerian number starts out with the nation’s country code “+234”. This indicates that the number is indeed Nigerian.
The second sequence of numbers is the prefix that belongs to Nigerian networks.
An example of a Nigerian number is +234-8103-XXXX where +234 is the country code, 8103 is the prefix of the Nigerian network, and XXXX is just normal sequence figures.
Here is the brief outline of the prefix for all Nigerian numbers.
Apart from MTN, GLO, and Airtel, there are other minor Nigerian networks and this article is going to give you all their prefix
1. MTN
MTN is a South African-owned mobile network company. The company began in Nigeria in 2001 as one of the first network providers. MTN is the largest mobile network service provider in Africa with over 280 million subscribers.
The network provider has its headquarters in South Africa but operates in over 30 other African countries. The prefix for the MTN network in Nigeria includes the following: this means that your MTN phone number will start with one of the following prefixes; 0803…, 0703…, 0903…, 0806…, 0706…, 0813…, 0810…, 0814…, 0816…, 0903…, 0906… and 091….
2. Airtel
Airtel is one of the biggest mobile phone network companies in Nigeria. formerly known as Vodacom to Vmobile to Celtel to Zain, in 2010 the company was finally named Airtel and has kept the name for over a decade now.
Airtel is the second-largest mobile network provider in Nigeria with over 60 million subscribers. The prefix for the Airtel network in Nigeria includes the following: this means that your Airtel phone number will start with one of the following prefixes. 0802…, 0808…, 0701…, 0708…, 0702…, 0902…, 0907…, and 0901…
3. GLO
GLO fully named Globacom is a Nigerian-owned mobile network company. founded by Mike Adenuga, GLO has over 50 million subscribers and operates in many African countries and the United Kingdom.
The prefix for the GLO network in Nigeria includes the following: this means that your GLO phone number will start with one of the following prefixes; 0805…, 0905…, 0811…, 0815…, 0705…, 0807…, and 0915…
4. 9mobile
9 mobile is one of the more popular minor mobile phone network companies in The 9 mobile company ⁵5 was formed in 2008 under the brand name “Etisalat” but was rebranded as 9 mobile in 2017.
The prefix for the 9mobile network in Nigeria includes the following: this means that your 9 mobile phone number will start with one of the following prefixes. 0809…, 0909…, 0817…, 0818…, and 0908…
5. Ntel
Ntel is the name of Nitel telecommunications limited (NITEL) which was the sole service provider in Nigeria before the privatization of the Mobile phone service company.
This decision made the company redundant. NTEL is the reincarnation of the NITEL network providers in Nigeria with few subscribers. The prefix for the Ntel network in Nigeria includes the following: this means that your Ntel phone number will start with one prefix: 0804…
6. Smile
The prefix for the Smile network in Nigeria includes the following: means that your Smile phone number will start with one prefix; 0702…
Other Prefixes for Mobile Service Providers include
Starcomms number prefixes include 07028…, 07029…, 0819…
Visafone number prefixes include 07025…, 07026…
Multilink number prefixes include 07027…, 0709…
Zoom mobile number prefixes include 0707…
Conclusion
The Prefix for all Nigerian networks is assigned to particular mobile networks for easy recognition, and a better recording.
These prefixes are assigned to these companies upon request and no two companies can have the same prefix.