Tunisia 2014: Telephony in Tunisia - Pre-Dial, Roaming - Telephone companies, Fixed Lines - Mobile phone providers, Emergency numbers

Landlines are relatively rare amongst private persons and are used mostly with companies (phone and fax). However, since a landline is the precondition for obtaining a DSL-line in Tunisia (internet), more and more private persons apply recently for a landline.

Mobile phones ("portables"), on the other hand, are widely used and almost every citizen of Tunisia of age 16+ has one. Reachability is very high, since mobile phones are usually kept switched on 24h a day and calls even at late night are not considered to be unpolite (but calls in the morning are).

In the mobile networks, the caller ID transmission is mandatory (if switched off, you cannot dial a number!). To prevent from your number being shown, you have to use a public (anonymous) phone (Publitel), which just sends a raw geographic identifier number.

Publitels can be found everywhere, even in very small villages, often combined with a fax and copy service.

Tunisia telephone companies

There are three landline providers:

- TunisieTelecom (TunTel)
- Ooredoo (from 2014)
- Orange Tunisie (it is not a real "landline" but a mobile line connected by mobile box)

and three mobile phone providers:

- Tunisie Telecom (Tunet/TunTel)
- Oordeoo
- Orange Tunisie

Telephone Roaming Tunisia

Roaming in Tunisia is, for customers of non-tunisian mobile phone providers, usually possible when they have requested the roaming feature - however, not recommended at all, since the roaming costs are considerably high.

If you telephone from Tunisia to another country, it is strongly suggested that you buy in Tunisia a local number (SIM card), however, please note, this card will only work when your telephone does not have a netlock or simlock!).

See this page for more information on
Mobile telephony in Tunisia

Telephone Calls from Tunisia

The cheapest offer for calls from Tunisia to Europe comes usually from a landline of TunisieTelecom - eg. in a private home. Prices will, depending on the country called, range in the area of 250-500 Millimes per minute.
Calls from a public phone (publitel) can be up to 20% more expensive.

Calls from Tunisian mobile phones will be charged, depending on the country called, at around 500-600 Millimes per minute.

Telephone numbers in Tunisia

The first two digits of a tunisian telephone number are network or geographic identifiers:

* All numbers starting with 1x are Special numbers eg. for Police, Ambulance, eg.

112 = free emergency call
190 = ambulance car
193 = national guard
197 = police
198 = guard civil

- 4 digit numbers starting with 11, 12 ,17 and 18 are often service numbers of the government (eg. ministries)

* All numbers starting with 2x are numbers of the mobile phone provider Ooredoo.

* All numbers starting with 3x are landline numbers of the provider Orange.

* All numbers starting with 4x are numbers of the mobile phone provider TunTel's special offer "Elissa".

* All numbers starting with 5x are mobile phone numbers of the provider Orange.

* All numbers starting with 6x are landline numbers (currently unused).

* All numbers starting with 7x are landline numbers of the provider TunisieTelecom, the second digit denotes the geographic region. However, these regions are fairly large and only allow to estimate where a number is based:

70,71=Tunis
72=Northeast and North except Tunis (Hammamet, Bizerte)
73=East (Sousse, Monastir, Mahdia), 74=Sfax
75=Southeast (Gabes, Djerba),
76=Southwest (Gafsa, Tozeur),
77=Middlewest (Kairouan, Kasserine),
78=Northwest (Beja, Tabarka)

799=public telephones (Publitel), here, the next (4th) digit shows the region (7991=Tunis, 7992=Northeast, etc.).

* All numbers starting with 8x are value added numbers with special fees.
Starting with:

- 8010 ("green number"), calls are free.
- 8210 ("blue number"), call fees are shared.
- 8110 ("platin number"), numbers for call centers to keep their costs lower
- 88, information and service numbers (like 900 numbers, the fees are different from the normal fees)

* All numbers starting with 9x are numbers of the mobile phone provider TunisieTelecom.