Country code Zambia, +260 or 00260?
There are two spellings for the area code Zambia, namely +260 and 00260. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for Zambia and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Zambia that starts with a “+” (i.e. +260) 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 Zambia using the +260 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 Zambia area code with leading zeros (00260) 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 00260
In fact, the 00260 variant is used for calls to Zambia, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00260 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to Zambia begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 011260.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to Zambia you can always use the country code 00260. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+260) of Zambia 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 Zambia
To illustrate the use of the international dialing code Zambia (+260 or 00260) here is an example again:
You want to dial 456789 with the area code 0123 in Zambia. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00260 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+260 123 456789