Guinea Phone Numbers: Format, Area Code & Validation Guide

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of Guinea's phone number system, offering essential information for developers, telecommunications professionals, and anyone working with Guinean phone numbers. We'll cover number formats, validation, best practices, and future developments in the Guinean telecommunications landscape.

Quick Reference

• Country: Guinea
• Country Code: +224
• International Prefix: 00
• National Prefix: None
• Typical Number Length: 9 digits (excluding country code)
• Emergency Numbers: Police (17), Fire (18), Medical (15)

Number Formats

Guinea follows the international E.164 standard, ensuring compatibility with global telecommunications systems. This standard defines the structure as:

• Country Code: +224 (assigned by the International Telecommunication Union - ITU-T)
• Subscriber Number: 9 digits

The subscriber number further breaks down based on the type of service: landline or mobile.

Landline Numbers

• Format: 3XXXXXXX (9 digits including the leading '3')
• Geographic Zoning: The second digit signifies the region:
  • 0-2: Conakry
  • 3-4: Maritime Guinea
  • 5-6: Middle Guinea
  • 7-8: Upper Guinea
  • 9: Forest Guinea
• Example: 30243123 (a Conakry landline)

Mobile Numbers

• Format: 6XXXXXXX (9 digits including the leading '6')
• Operator Prefix: While not strictly part of the geographic zoning system, the digits following the '6' often indicate the mobile operator. This can be useful for pre-validation checks, but should not be relied upon exclusively as number portability may be implemented in the future (see Future Developments section).
• Example: 622345678

Number Validation

Robust validation is crucial for any application handling phone numbers. Here's a JavaScript function for validating Guinean numbers:

function validateGuineaNumber(number, type) {
  // Remove non-digit characters
  const cleanNumber = number.replace(/\D/g, '');

  // Define validation patterns
  const patterns = {
    landline: /^3\d{7}$/,
    mobile: /^6\d{7}$/,
    emergency: /^(15|17|18)$/
  };

  // Test against the appropriate pattern
  return patterns[type]?.test(cleanNumber) || false;
}

// Example usage:
console.log(validateGuineaNumber('30243123', 'landline')); // true
console.log(validateGuineaNumber('+224622345678', 'mobile')); // true
console.log(validateGuineaNumber('17', 'emergency')); // true
console.log(validateGuineaNumber('622-345-678', 'mobile')); // true (handles hyphens)

Key Validation Considerations:

• International Format: The provided function handles numbers with or without the country code. Always store numbers in international format (+224XXXXXXXX) for consistency and global compatibility.
• Hyphens and Spaces: Strip these before validation, as demonstrated in the example.
• Edge Cases: Consider how your application will handle invalid input, providing clear error messages to the user.

Formatting for E.164

Consistent formatting is essential. Here's a function to format any Guinean number to the E.164 standard:

function formatGuineaE164(number) {
  const cleanNumber = number.replace(/\D/g, '');
  return `+224${cleanNumber}`;
}

Operator Information

Guinea's mobile market is primarily served by Orange Guinea, MTN Guinea, and Cellcom Guinea. While specific number ranges have been associated with these operators in the past, relying on these for validation is discouraged due to the potential for number portability. Always prioritize validation against the general format (6XXXXXXX).

• Orange Guinea: Historically associated with ranges like 620-629.
• MTN Guinea: Historically associated with ranges like 630-639. Note: MTN Guinea's future presence in the market is uncertain due to disputes with the regulator (ARPT).
• Cellcom Guinea: Historically associated with ranges like 640-649.

Future Developments

The Guinean telecommunications landscape is evolving. Key developments to be aware of include:

• Guin??e Telecom Relaunch: The government is working to relaunch the former incumbent operator, Sotelgui, under the name Guin??e Telecom. This could introduce new number ranges or prefixes.
• Number Portability: The ARPT (Autorit?? de R??gulation des Postes et T??l??communications) is exploring the implementation of number portability. This would allow subscribers to keep their numbers when switching operators, making operator identification based on prefixes unreliable.
• Infrastructure Improvements: Investments in fiber optic infrastructure and a national backbone network are underway, promising improved connectivity and potentially new service offerings.

Staying Up-to-Date: Refer to the ARPT website (https://www.arpt.gov.gn) for the latest regulatory information and updates on these developments.

Best Practices

• Always validate user input.
• Store numbers in international E.164 format.
• Handle invalid numbers gracefully, providing informative error messages.
• Stay informed about regulatory changes and adapt your implementations accordingly.
• Consider using a dedicated phone number validation library for more advanced features and global support.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your applications handle Guinean phone numbers correctly, providing a seamless experience for your users.