The move from 7 to 9 digits, and what it means for contacts
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority says the national mobile numbering plan migrated from 7 digits to 9 at midnight on Friday 4 September 2026, applying to all active numbers across all operators, prepaid and postpaid. Each operator keeps its brand, and the new number is made by inserting a two-digit prefix before the existing seven digits: 87 for Africell, 83 for Qcell and 86 for Comium. A former Africell number such as 7xx xxxx therefore becomes 87 7xx xxxx.
The notice adds that international calls to Gambian mobiles need +220 followed by the prefix and the seven-digit number, that people should update saved contacts, and that there is a post-migration support period from 4 September to November 2026, with a helpdesk on 148. It warns that the regulator and operators will never ask for personal or financial information in connection with the change, so treat any message that does as a scam. If your host or guide gave you an old seven-digit number, ask for the new one.
Africell: a D150 eSIM, with ID, at an outlet
Africell's eSIM page says to walk into an Africell outlet with a valid government-issued ID and no appointment, where an agent generates the QR code that you scan on your phone. At the time of checking, the one-time activation fee was D150, and a limited-time offer gave 3 GB of free data on activation, subject to terms. The page describes itself as Gambia's first eSIM, a marketing claim, and says you can store several profiles and have two active at once.
Its services page says you can visit an outlet to get a SIM card for free, and lists data bundles including social media, all-net, 25 GB and unlimited night bundles, though the extract we read gave names rather than prices. It does not say what a visitor must show beyond a government ID, or how the registration under the new numbering is handled, so confirm at the outlet.
Qcell: eSIM at care centres, and its call rates
Qcell's eSIM page lists four steps: visit a care centre in the Greater Banjul area, pay a one-time activation fee, receive a unique QR code and scan it. It does not give the fee or the identification required, so ask at the centre. The page gives a support line of 3333111 and an email address for questions.
Its prepaid page lists call rates of D2.40 a minute on-net and D2.80 off-net, with texts at D0.40, and says the operator offers the cheapest local and international rates, which is a marketing claim. Qcell's bundles page names Sunu mobile data bundles, an Unlimited bundle, social media bundles and a roaming data bundle for Senegal, though the extract did not show prices. For prices, a care centre or the Qcell app is the reliable route.
5G claims along the coast
Qcell says it launched 5G in the Gambia and claims the widest 5G coverage, listing locations that include Brikama, Yundum, Sukuta, Brufut, Bijilo, Kerr Sering, Banjul, Senegambia, Kotu, Kairaba Avenue, Westfield, Fajara and Bakau. Its page is mostly about a 5G router, with plans bought at care centres, and says 5G packages are not available on postpaid.
Africell's 5G page lists fixed 5G bundles from D6,000 for 40 Mbps to D20,000 for unlimited speed, each valid 30 days with a fair-usage limit of 1,000 GB, and a 5G router at D24,000. Those are home-internet products rather than visitor plans, and both operators' statements are claims, not measurements, so a 5G phone should not count on 5G outside the coastal tourist belt.
Entry stamp, airport fee, checkpoints and the Barra ferry
The UK Foreign Office says British visitors do not need a visa and receive a stamp allowing a 28-day stay, with up to two extensions of 28 days from the Immigration Office in Banjul or tourist police stations. An Airport Security Fee of 20 US dollars is payable on arrival and departure, which can also be paid in euros, pounds or local currency, and card machines are often out of service, so bring cash. Rules differ by nationality.
It advises foreigners to carry ID such as a passport, a printed copy usually being accepted, and notes security checkpoints around Banjul and on major routes. It says the Banjul to Barra ferry is often overcrowded and lacks safety equipment, suggesting the Senegambia Bridge near Farafenni as an alternative, and warns of heavy rain from June to October and of power cuts that can disrupt communications.
There is no single emergency number
The UK Foreign Office says there is no equivalent to the UK's 999 in The Gambia, that individual police and fire stations have their own numbers, often mobile numbers, and that no publications list them, so it is best to visit stations in person to ask for emergency contact details. Ask your accommodation for the local police, fire and medical numbers on arrival and save them in your phone under the new nine-digit format. Our Gambia plan page covers data before you arrive.
Networks our Gambia plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for Gambia, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Africell5G
- AFRICELL5G
- Africell (Gambia) Ltd.5G
- Comium Gambia4G