01 Phone Numbers: It is the end of an era for the popular phone number prefix 07**. Now, Kenyans are set to get new phone numbers that will begin with the prefix 01** after the 07** prefix ran out.
Already, voice providers Safaricom and Airtel have applied for the new 01** prefix. Safaricom will roll out 2 million new lines starting with 0110 and 0111 while Airtel will roll out three million lines with the prefix 0101 and 0102.
Telkom Kenya, though, has not applied for the prefix as the telco awaits regulatory approval for its proposed merger with Airtel Kenya.
“The move to release the new series of numbers is necessitated by increased demand for SIM cards, mobile data and machine-to-machine communication, and other emerging technologies that require telecommunication numbers,” said Communications Authority of Kenya Director General Francis Wangusi.
He added that the regulator had provided for 100 million lines under the 07**- prefix which had been exhausted due to multiple registration of SIM cards for cell phones as well as new Internet-enabled devices introduced in the market.
Mr. Wangusi also said that apart from the 01 Phone Numbers, they have set aside the prefix 03** for the Internet of Things (IoT) platform which comprises of SIM-card enabled gadgets such as modems and smart home devices.
“We have set aside the 03** prefix, which entails hundreds of millions of SIM cards between 0301 to 0309, for the IoT, which we expect will register significant demand and growth in the coming years,” said Wangusi.
Data from the regulator’s latest statistics indicates that the number of mobile phone subscribers stood at 49 million as at December last year. However, almost a third of Kenyans have multiple SIM cards thus pushing mobile penetration in the country past the 100 per cent mark.At the same time, more than 50 million SIM cards have been taken up by SIM-card enabled gadgets such as modems and smart home devices.
Data from the regulator’s latest statistics indicates that the number of mobile phone subscribers stood at 49 million as at December last year.
