Telephone numbers in Belize

The Belize telephone numbering plan is the system used for assigning telephone numbers in Belize.

International dialing format: +501 ZNY XXXX, where:

Two new User Group/Platform classifications for N were introduced in 2005 in the National Destination Code (NDC) for the implementation of Speednet’s CDMA mobile cellular network:

The format is: ZNY + XXXX, where: ZNY = Destination Code

The PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) with “0” as second digit, and mobile numbers with “0”or “2” as second digit, are restricted from accepting collect calls.

The revised national numbering plan was designed and designated with:

where:

+CCC + ZNY + XXXX

ZNY where:
Z = Geographic or district code (1 – 9)

For example:

XXXX = Subscriber numbers (0000 – 9999)

Present number for

New number

Present number for

New Number

Mobile Cellular

As of early 1996, AT&T and other reliable sources indicated that Belize had recently changed its switching arrangements for incoming international calls so that all locations in the country required an area code to be dialed.

The area codes were still of varying length, followed by numbers of a more fixed length than before. Belize City now required an area code of 2 in order to be dialed, while the digit 0 was deleted from all other area codes when calling from outside the country.

Belize City was 2, Caye Caulker was 22, Ladyville was 25, San Pedro was 26, Burrell Boom was 28, and other outlying areas around Belize City were 21. Presumably, no Belize City number would begin with 1, 2, 5, 6 or 8 in order to avoid confusion in the switch (e.g. 28-8012 could be mistaken as 2-88012).

Prior to this change, and starting at least no later than 1980, Belize City was dialed as +501 then the local five digit number. Other locations were dialed as +501, then an area code starting with 0, then the local number. The arrangement indicated that incoming international calls reached the Belize City exchange, from which a further call was dialed as if the international caller was in Belize City.

The telephone network was developed during the late 1960s and 1970s with installation of modern exchanges to replace older networks, and to tie them together into a long distance network using area codes. Neither the local numbers nor the area codes were of standard length, though larger towns tended to have a single digit after the 0.

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