Network Coverage

Complete list of Nigerian mobile network prefixes supported by phoneng, including MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile, and others.

phoneng identifies network operators based on the three-digit prefix following the trunk code. This prefix-to-network mapping is based on official NCC (Nigerian Communications Commission) allocations.

Major Networks

MTN Nigeria

MTN is Nigeria’s largest mobile network operator. They hold the most prefix allocations.

PrefixFormat
08030803XXXXXXX
08060806XXXXXXX
08100810XXXXXXX
08130813XXXXXXX
08140814XXXXXXX
08160816XXXXXXX
09030903XXXXXXX
09060906XXXXXXX
07030703XXXXXXX
07040704XXXXXXX
07060706XXXXXXX
07070707XXXXXXX
09130913XXXXXXX
09160916XXXXXXX

Airtel Nigeria

Airtel is the second-largest network, formerly known as Zain and Econet.

PrefixFormat
08020802XXXXXXX
08080808XXXXXXX
08120812XXXXXXX
07010701XXXXXXX
07080708XXXXXXX
09010901XXXXXXX
09020902XXXXXXX
09040904XXXXXXX
09070907XXXXXXX
09110911XXXXXXX
09120912XXXXXXX

Glo (Globacom)

Glo is a Nigerian-owned telecommunications company.

PrefixFormat
08050805XXXXXXX
08070807XXXXXXX
08110811XXXXXXX
08150815XXXXXXX
07050705XXXXXXX
09050905XXXXXXX
09150915XXXXXXX

9mobile (formerly Etisalat)

9mobile operates the fourth-largest network in Nigeria.

PrefixFormat
08090809XXXXXXX
08170817XXXXXXX
08180818XXXXXXX
09080908XXXXXXX
09090909XXXXXXX

Other Operators

Ntel

Ntel is a 4G LTE-focused operator.

PrefixFormat
08040804XXXXXXX

Smile

Smile provides 4G LTE broadband services.

PrefixFormat
07020702XXXXXXX

MAFAB

MAFAB Communications is a newer entrant with 5G spectrum.

PrefixFormat
08010801XXXXXXX

Special Numbers

Some prefixes are reserved for special services:

PrefixTypeDescription
0700SPECIALUniversal access numbers
0800SPECIALToll-free numbers
0900SPECIALPremium rate services

These prefixes return network: 'UNKNOWN' and type: 'SPECIAL'.

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

Nigeria introduced Mobile Number Portability in 2013. This allows subscribers to switch carriers while keeping their phone number.

Important: phoneng identifies the original network that was allocated the prefix, not the current carrier. After porting, a number’s prefix no longer reflects its actual carrier.

import { parse } from "phoneng";

const result = parse("08031234567");
// result.network === 'MTN'
// But the number might have ported to Airtel

If you need to know the current carrier, you must use a carrier lookup API (like Twilio Lookup) which queries live databases.

Prefix Detection

phoneng extracts the prefix from the normalized number:

import { parse } from "phoneng";

const result = parse("+2348031234567");
if (result.valid) {
  console.log(result.prefix); // '0803'
  console.log(result.network); // 'MTN'
}

The prefix is always returned in national format (0XXX) for consistency.

Data Source

The prefix-to-network mapping is based on:

  1. Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) official number allocation records
  2. Historical operator assignments and migrations
  3. Regular updates as new prefixes are allocated

The prefix data is accurate as of January 2024. New prefix allocations are added in library updates.

Complete Prefix Table

PrefixNetworkType
0801MAFABMOBILE
0802AIRTELMOBILE
0803MTNMOBILE
0804NTELMOBILE
0805GLOMOBILE
0806MTNMOBILE
0807GLOMOBILE
0808AIRTELMOBILE
0809NINE_MOBILEMOBILE
0810MTNMOBILE
0811GLOMOBILE
0812AIRTELMOBILE
0813MTNMOBILE
0814MTNMOBILE
0815GLOMOBILE
0816MTNMOBILE
0817NINE_MOBILEMOBILE
0818NINE_MOBILEMOBILE
0701AIRTELMOBILE
0702SMILEMOBILE
0703MTNMOBILE
0704MTNMOBILE
0705GLOMOBILE
0706MTNMOBILE
0707MTNMOBILE
0708AIRTELMOBILE
0901AIRTELMOBILE
0902AIRTELMOBILE
0903MTNMOBILE
0904AIRTELMOBILE
0905GLOMOBILE
0906MTNMOBILE
0907AIRTELMOBILE
0908NINE_MOBILEMOBILE
0909NINE_MOBILEMOBILE
0911AIRTELMOBILE
0912AIRTELMOBILE
0913MTNMOBILE
0915GLOMOBILE
0916MTNMOBILE
MIT License GitHub · npm

Network data from NCC allocations. MNP may affect actual carriers.