Telephone numbers in Abkhazia explained

Country:Abkhazia
Map Size:200px
Country Calling Code:+7 840 / +7 940
International Prefix:8~10
Trunk Prefix:8
Number Format:+7 840 XXX-XX-XX

Telephone numbers in Abkhazia follow the dialling plan in place in Russia.

Until 1992, Abkhazia had a single telephone numbering system with Russia. In April 1996, the Ministry of Communications of the Russian Federation limited international telephone communications in Abkhazia, retaining only 16 outgoing and 24 incoming telephone channels of the 151 incoming and 182 outgoing channels that operated previously. On 15 February 1997, an agreement was signed between Russia and Georgia, which provided for a change in the communication scheme of Abkhazia with the outside world and switching channels to Georgia. The agreement met with resentment in Abkhazia, whose leadership accused Georgia and Russia of violating an earlier agreement that provided for the restoration of the communications that existed before 1992.[1]

On 28 September 2009, after Russia recognised Abkhazia's independence, Russia and Abkhazia signed a Memorandum of Cooperation through which Abkhazia was given a telephone code from the +7 numbering zone and switched to the Russian numbering plan on 1 January 2010.

Numbering scheme

Abkhazia follows the same closed dialling plan as Russia, where the initial three digits designate the area code or mobile carrier and are followed by a 7-digit subscriber number. The trunk prefix is 8.

Abkhazian numbers can be accessed from abroad through the +7 code assigned by the International Telecommunication Union to Russia.[2] Until 2009, they could also be accessed via the Georgian country code +995.

Geographical numbers

AreaOld code (1996–2009) New code (since 2009)
Sukhumi+995 442 +7 840 22
Gagra+995 443 +7 840 23
Gudauta+995 444 +7 840 24
Ochamchire+995 445 +7 840 25
Tkvarcheli+995 446 +7 840 26
Gali+995 447 +7 840 27
Gulripshi+995 448 +7 840 28

Mobile numbers

OperatorOld code (until 2009)New code (since 2009)
A-Mobilen.d. +7 940 7
+995 544 +7 940 9

International direct dialling

As in Russia, the international call prefix for dialling out of Abkhazia is 8~xx, in which xx is a two-digit carrier code; the default carrier is 10.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Абхазия готова к отключению каналов связи через Грузию ИА РЕГНУМ 02.12.2005. 2009-11-15. 2009-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20090127054634/http://www.regnum.ru/news/554100.html. live.
  2. Web site: 2010-01-06 . Abkhazia remains available by Georgian phone codes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120712005819/http://www.today.az/print/news/georgia/58953.html . 2012-07-12 . Today.Az.