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Benin’s new phone number format: What you need to know

If you operate in Benin, there are some important changes you and your customers need to be aware of.

Starting from October 31st, 2024, Benin’s telecommunications regulator will introduce a new national numbering format that affects all phone numbers.

It's essential for businesses to adjust accordingly. Whether you're managing customer records, payment systems, or communications, this change will impact how phone numbers are handled.

What’s changing?

A new "01" prefix will be added to all phone numbers in Benin, the rest of the numbers will stay the same. For example:

Current Format (+229)	97 00 00 00
New Format (+229)	01 97 00 00 00

Why is this happening?

This update is part of a regulatory plan to expand the numbering system to handle the growing number of phone users in Benin. It ensures there will be enough numbers available for future customers as mobile usage continues to grow.

Key dates to be aware of

October 31st, 2024: The new 10-digit phone number format goes live.
October 31st, 2024 - November 29th, 2024: Both the old and new formats will be supported during a transition period.
November 30th, 2024: Full deployment of the new 10-digit format is expected to be completed. Only the 10-digit format will be accepted.

Rest assured, pawaPay will continue to operate as normal with no disruptions to your transactions throughout the entire process.

What do you have to do?

We’re ready to accept and process mobile money transaction requests using the new number format, but there are a few things we recommend you check and action on your side as a merchant:

Customer phone number records: If you store customer phone numbers in your systems, make sure they’re updated to the new format after the change goes live.
Integrations: If you have any systems that rely on phone numbers — such as payment pages, registration forms, a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) or SMS/notification systems — update them to accept the new format.
Customer communication: Let your customers know about the change and ask them to update their systems, especially for services that involve authentication or SMS notifications.

FAQs

Yes, both the old and new number formats will be supported for a transition period from October 31st, 2024 - November 29th, 2024, so your transactions will not be interrupted during this time. pawaPay will handle both formats during the transition period.

No, we’ve already updated our systems to process payments with the new number format, so your transactions with pawaPay will continue as normal.

Yes, if your business communicates with customers via phone or stores their numbers, it’s a good idea to notify them about the change and update their contact information.

The new phone number format may affect APIs that validate, store, or process phone numbers, so ensure systems are updated to accept the new prefix.

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If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to your account manager, or send us a message via our contact form.

October 8, 2024