Eritrea country code +291 — call Eritrea & get a number.
Reaching a Red Sea nation where one state operator runs every line takes a few rules worth knowing — the formats from the US, UK and the Gulf, Eritrea's compact area-code map, EriTel's mobile range, live Asmara time and weather, and the route to your own +291 virtual number from MCM.
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Eritrea at a glance
The numbers and facts you need before you dial.
What is the country code for Eritrea?
Tucked along the Red Sea coast of the Horn of Africa, Eritrea answers to +291. That code follows your exit digits on any call into the country, landline or mobile alike. Within Eritrea a single trunk 0 sits in front of every number; strip it off and put +291 in its place the moment your call originates abroad.
Code +291 was assigned to Eritrea by the ITU under the E.164 plan. The “+” means “dial your local international exit code”; on a mobile, press and hold 0 to type it.
All four mean the same thing — they connect your call to Eritrea.
How to call Eritrea from anywhere
The recipe never changes: your exit code, then 291, then the national number with its leading 0 removed. Because so many calls to Eritrea originate from the diaspora in the Gulf, Europe and North America, it pays to memorise this once.
Full example: +291 1 XXX XXXX — drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
Eritrea phone number format explained
Eritrean numbering is unusually lean — a single state hand, EriTel, assigns everything from one central plan, so you won't find the sprawling prefix maps common elsewhere. Expect roughly 7 digits trailing the leading area or service digit.
Landline
0 + area digit + subscriber number. Example: Asmara 0 1 XXXXXX → +291 1 XXXXXX. The digit 1 fronts Asmara and the main fixed lines; 8 marks CDMA fixed service.
携帯
0 + 7 + 6 digits. Example: 07X XXXXX → +291 7X XXXXX. Every Eritrean mobile opens with 7 — there is no second mobile range to learn.
Eritrea area codes — major cities
海外から電話をかける場合は、国内の先頭の 0 を省略してください。
| 市 | 地域 | 市外局番 |
|---|---|---|
| Asmara | Central (Maekel) | 1 |
| Keren | Anseba | 1(-) |
| Massawa | Northern Red Sea | 1(-) |
| Mendefera | Southern | 1(-) |
| Dekemhare | Southern | 1(-) |
| Barentu | Gash-Barka | 1(-) |
| Adi Keih | Southern | 1(-) |
| Assab | Southern Red Sea | 1(-) |
Eritrea mobile network prefixes
The prefix after +291 tells you which network issued the SIM — though number portability means it no longer guarantees the operator.
EriTel (Eritrean Telecommunication Services Corporation)
Eritrea time zone
Asmara has kept the same clock since independence: East Africa Time, UTC+3, with no seasonal shuffle. Set your watch once and it stays right all year — handy when you're coordinating across the diaspora's many time zones.
aim for 09:00–16:00 EAT to catch Asmara at its desk. A late-morning Asmara call lands in the European morning and the Gulf afternoon — the sweet spot for reaching family or contacts in Jeddah, London or Riyadh in one pass.
インタラクティブな通話ベストタイムプランナーを開くCommon mistakes when calling Eritrea
国際電話の失敗のほとんどは、ネットワークの問題ではなく、フォーマットの問題です。
Hunting for a carrier prefix that doesn't exist: EriTel is Eritrea's sole operator, so every mobile simply starts with 7
there's no Vodacom-vs-Airtel guesswork here, and that single-network reality is the thing most callers get wrong.
Keeping the leading 0: never dial +291 0…
the trunk 0 falls away once you add +291.
Over-padding the number: Eritrean numbers are short by design; don't stretch them to match the longer formats you see elsewhere
Over-padding the number: Eritrean numbers are short by design; don't stretch them to match the longer formats you see elsewhere.
Reaching for 011 on a mobile abroad: the + key and 291 do the same job
Reaching for 011 on a mobile abroad: the + key and 291 do the same job.
Mixing up "8" (fixed CDMA service) with the mobile "7"
Mixing up "8" (fixed CDMA service) with the mobile "7".
Tips to reduce the cost of calling Eritrea
Give contacts a local +291 virtual/DID number so they pay in-country rates to reach you.
Where the network reaches, route over VoIP/SIP and sidestep steep IDD tariffs.
Bunch your calls into the EAT working day so you're not paying for missed-call retries.
Check reachability first
coverage thins out beyond Asmara and the larger towns, so a quick "are you online?" message can save a wasted call.
Why businesses get a Eritrea virtual number
Money-transfer services, aid organisations and trade desks all share one problem: reaching people inside Eritrea without looking like a foreign cold-caller. A +291 line solves it. 6 cards:
より高い回答率
Higher answer rates — a familiar +291 caller ID earns the pickup that a foreign number doesn't.
Lower trust friction
Lower trust friction — diaspora families and local contacts see a number that belongs at home.
インバウンドが安い
Cheaper inbound — pull every Eritrea-bound call onto VoIP instead of toll routes.
集中ルーティング
Centralized routing — send +291 calls to agents wherever they sit, from Asmara to Abu Dhabi.
Faster entry
Faster entry — stand up an Eritrean presence with no office on the ground.
本物の PSTN の存在
Real PSTN presence — a genuine, dialable footprint, not a forwarding gimmick.
Eritrea My Country Mobile の仮想番号
Even in a single-operator market, your call quality shouldn't be a gamble. MCM layers carrier-grade voice and routing over your +291 footprint. 9 feature bullets:
主要市外局番のローカル DID — 数分でプロビジョニング
世界中のモバイル、固定電話、SIP エンドポイント、またはソフトフォンへの通話転送
G.711、G.729、Opus、AMR-WB による HD 音声 - 通話ごとに自動ネゴシエーション
Sub-150ms latency on major voice corridors via distributed PoPs
99.99% uptime SLA backed by geo-redundant infrastructure & sub-2s failover
WebRTC support for browser-based calling without softphone installs
REST APIs for provisioning, routing & call detail records (CDRs)
Built-in fraud protection with AI anomaly detection & STIR/SHAKEN
24/7 network monitoring and dedicated support
How to get your Eritrea virtual number
Most businesses are live within hours, not days.
Reserve your +291 number — availability is checked live, since the Eritrean range is tightly held.
Clear a quick account and documentation check.
Point the line wherever it needs to go — SIP, app, or PSTN forwarding.
Switch it on and start fielding +291 calls.
Other country dialing guides
More country codes worth bookmarking.
Get a Eritrea virtual number with MCM
Bridge the distance to the Red Sea coast with a +291 number of your own.
Eritrea +291 — FAQ
Why does Eritrea have only one mobile prefix?expand_more
Because EriTel is the country's sole operator — every mobile begins with 7, with no competing carrier ranges.
What does an Asmara landline look like internationally?expand_more
+291 1 followed by the subscriber digits; the capital sits behind the single area digit 1.
Can I reach Eritrea over WhatsApp or VoIP?expand_more
Where the network allows it, yes — but coverage outside the main towns is patchy, so confirm the person is online first.
Why drop the 0 before an Eritrean number?expand_more
That leading 0 is a domestic trunk prefix; +291 replaces it on any international call.
Is calling Eritrea from the Gulf different from calling the US?expand_more
The digits are the same (00 or + then 291), only your local exit code differs — and Gulf afternoons line up neatly with Asmara's working hours.
What's the difference between numbers starting 7 and 8?expand_more
A 7 is a mobile; an 8 is fixed CDMA service — both run through EriTel.
Does Eritrea ever change its clocks?expand_more
No — it holds EAT (UTC+3) all year, with no daylight saving.
Can a business abroad get an Eritrean number?expand_more
MCM provisions +291 DIDs where availability allows, with HD voice, routing and APIs.