Country code Ethiopia, +251 or 00251?
There are two spellings for the Ethiopia area code, namely +251 and 00251. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Ethiopia and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Ethiopia that starts with a “+” (i.e. +251) is the so-called international code (international spelling). It is primarily used in the mobile communications sector. Most cell phones can make an international call to Ethiopia using the +251 area code. This applies to almost every country in the world.
Unfortunately, there are phones (especially older models) that do not support the international spelling. The Ethiopia area code with leading zeros (00251) is then used on these phones. The leading zeros are also referred to as the so-called traffic elimination number. When you call, they indicate that it is an international call.
Problem: Access code and area code 00251
In fact, the 00251 variant is used for calls to Ethiopia, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00251 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Ethiopia begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 011251.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Ethiopia you can always use the country code 00251. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+251) of the country code Ethiopia works in all countries in the world. However, it is not supported in all networks and by all telephone devices.
Example of phone calls to Ethiopia
To illustrate the use of the foreign country codes Ethiopia (+251 or 00251) here is an example again:
You want to call 456789 with the area code 0123 in Ethiopia. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00251 123 456789
If you are using a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+251 123 456789