“The migration from seven-digit to nine-digit numbering is therefore not simply a change in the length of a telephone number,” Bah said. “It needs to be seen as a strategic response to the growth and evolution of our telecommunications and digital ecosystem.”
According to him, the expansion of the telecommunications sector and the growing demand for digital services have made it necessary for the country’s ICT infrastructure and regulatory frameworks to evolve in line with changing realities.
Bah explained that the new numbering capacity would support the continued growth of mobile connectivity, digital financial services, e-commerce and other technology-driven services, while also creating room for innovations and technologies that have yet to emerge.
The significance of the migration, he noted, extends well beyond traditional voice calls and text messaging.
In an increasingly interconnected digital environment, telephone numbers now serve as key identifiers linked to social media platforms, digital financial services, authentication systems, mobile applications and numerous other services used daily by Gambians.
“This international engagement has been important because in today’s interconnected digital environment, a telephone number is no longer used only to make a call or send a text message,” Bah said.
To ensure a seamless transition, PURA engaged international technology companies, including Meta, as well as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other technical partners to ensure that systems beyond The Gambia’s telecommunications network recognise and accommodate the new numbering format.
The expanded numbering system is also expected to accommodate the growing number of connected devices requiring SIM-enabled services.
During the question-and-answer session, the technical team, led by migration consultant Nicolas Jatta, explained that demand for telephone numbers is increasingly being driven not only by individual users but also by the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT).
Devices such as vehicle tracking systems, GPS equipment, home security systems, smart appliances and a range of other connected technologies rely on SIM-based connectivity and therefore require numbering resources.
With many Gambians already using multiple SIM cards, the previous numbering capacity was becoming increasingly limited.
The move to a nine-digit system therefore provides the sector with significantly greater capacity to accommodate both population growth and the expansion of what the technical team described as the country's growing “digital population”.
Bah said the additional numbering capacity would enable future services and technologies to emerge without restrictions.
“This migration gives The Gambia the numbering capacity required to support the next phase of our digital growth,” he said.
The successful overnight transition also served as a significant test of the country's telecommunications infrastructure and the ability of operators and key service providers to coordinate a major technical exercise.
According to Bah, voice calls, SMS and mobile money services continued to function smoothly throughout the migration process, with PURA’s situation room monitoring network performance throughout the night in collaboration with Africell, QCell, Comium and technical partners.
Although the new system is now operational, PURA has maintained a parallel-run period during which both the old seven-digit and new nine-digit numbers will continue to function.
The old format will be permanently retired on 28 February 2027, giving consumers, businesses, financial institutions and government agencies additional time to update their databases, records and systems.
However, Bah urged the public not to wait until the deadline. He called on Gambians to update their phone contacts, business records, websites, social media accounts and all other platforms where their telephone numbers are displayed.
For PURA, the importance of the exercise ultimately lies in the opportunities created by the expanded numbering space.
Bah said the migration demonstrates The Gambia’s growing ability to implement large-scale ICT transformations while laying the foundation for greater innovation, investment, competition and connectivity.
“The nine-digit numbering system gives us room to grow,” he said.
Describing the transition as more than a technical exercise, Bah said it represents “an investment in the infrastructure of our country’s future.”
