Comprehensive Guide to Phone Numbers in the Bahamas

Quick Reference

Country: Bahamas
Country Code: +1
International Prefix: 011
National Prefix: 1
Regulatory Authority: Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA)
Numbering Plan: North American Numbering Plan (NANP)
ITU-T Recommendations: E.164

Overview

This guide provides a detailed examination of the telephone numbering system in the Bahamas. It includes the structure of phone numbers, dialing procedures, and regulatory guidelines, making it an invaluable resource for telecom professionals, developers, and anyone involved in telecommunications within the Bahamas.

Number Structure

General Number Format

Phone numbers in the Bahamas adhere to the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), shared by 20 countries, including the United States and Canada. The standard format consists of a 3-digit area code followed by a 7-digit subscriber number.

Format: +1 (Country Code) - NPA (Area Code) - NXX-XXXX (Subscriber Number)
Example: +1-242-555-1234

Area Code

Area Code for the Bahamas: 242

Subscriber Number

Subscriber Number Length: 7 digits

Special Prefixes

Toll-Free Numbers: 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, 833
Premium Rate Numbers: 900
Emergency Numbers: 911

Number Formats

Geographic (Landline) Numbers

Format: 242 [2-9]XX-XXXX
Example: 242-302-1234

^242[2-9]\d{6}$

Mobile Numbers

Format: 242 [3-9]XX-XXXX
Example: 242-357-1234

^242[3-9]\d{6}$

Toll-Free Numbers

Format: 1-800 [2-9]XX-XXXX
Example: 1-800-555-1234

^1(800|888|877|866|855|844|833)[2-9]\d{6}$

Premium Rate Numbers

Format: 1-900 [2-9]XX-XXXX
Example: 1-900-555-1234

^1(900)[2-9]\d{6}$

Dialing Procedures

Domestic Calls

Landline to Landline: Dial 1 + 242 + 7-digit number.
Landline to Mobile: Dial 1 + 242 + 7-digit number.
Mobile to Mobile: Dial 1 + 242 + 7-digit number.

International Calls

Outgoing: Dial 011 + Country Code + Area Code + Local Number.
Incoming: Dial +1 + 242 + 7-digit number.

Recent Changes to the Numbering Plan

As of the latest update, there have been no recent changes to the numbering plan in the Bahamas. The country continues to follow the NANP structure, and no new area codes or prefixes have been introduced.

Number Portability

Mobile Number Portability: Available since December 2013. Users can retain their mobile numbers when switching between service providers within the Bahamas.

Major Telecom Operators and Number Ranges

Operator

Number Ranges (NXX)

BTC (Bahamas Telecommunications Company)

302, 364, 376, 424, 426, 427, 428, 429, 431, 433, 434, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 509, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830, 831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 937, 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999

ALIV

357, 359, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 431, 433, 434, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 509, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830, 831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 937, 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999

Number Allocation and Management

Regulatory Body: The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is responsible for managing the allocation of telephone numbers in the Bahamas. URCA ensures compliance with the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) and ITU-T recommendations.

Technical Restrictions or Special Cases

Golden Numbers: The Bahamas does not have specific regulations regarding "golden numbers." However, premium numbers may be available at higher costs.
Number Blocking: There are no specific number blocking schemes enforced by the regulatory authority.

Technical Considerations for Developers

When working with phone numbers in the Bahamas, developers should consider the following:

Validation: Use regular expressions to validate phone numbers based on the formats provided. For example, use the regex ^242[2-9]\d{6}$ for geographic numbers.
Formatting: Ensure that phone numbers are formatted according to the NANP standard, including the country code when dealing with international systems.
Portability: Implement logic to handle number portability, especially for mobile numbers.
Dialing: Consider the correct dialing procedures for both domestic and international calls, ensuring that applications can handle different scenarios.

For the most up-to-date information on telecommunications regulations in the Bahamas, please consult the official website of the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA).

References

Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) - Official Website
North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) - Official Website
ITU-T Recommendation E.164 - ITU Website