Area Code 313 – Gaborone

Overview

The area code 313 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the city of Gaborone, the capital and largest city of Botswana. Gaborone serves as the administrative, economic, and cultural hub of the country, hosting government institutions, corporate headquarters, and the University of Botswana. The 313 code is part of the national numbering plan under the ITU-T E.164 standard, and it is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services within the city and its immediate surroundings.

Geographic Coverage and Administration

The 313 prefix covers the Gaborone metropolitan area, including the central business district, residential suburbs such as Broadhurst, Bontleng, and Tlokweng, as well as nearby industrial areas. Administratively, Gaborone is a city district, and the prefix is allocated by the Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) to licensed fixed-line operators, primarily Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited (BTCL) and other licensed service providers.

Dialing Formats

• Local calls (within Botswana): When dialing a number within Botswana from another fixed line or mobile, the full national number is used, which includes the area code. For example, to call a Gaborone landline, dial 313 XXX XXX (where X represents the subscriber number). The area code is always included, even for local calls within Gaborone, as Botswana uses a closed numbering plan.
• International calls (from outside Botswana): Callers from abroad must dial the international access prefix (e.g., 00 or +), followed by the country code 267, then the area code without the leading zero (if any) and the subscriber number. For instance, to call a Gaborone number from the United States, dial 011 267 313 XXX XXX; from most European countries, dial 00 267 313 XXX XXX. The plus sign (+) can be used on mobile phones: +267 313 XXX XXX.

Numbering and Overlay Considerations

Botswana's fixed-line numbers are seven digits long after the country code, with the NDC (313) and a four-digit subscriber number. There is no trunk prefix '0' used in Botswana; the NDC is always dialed directly. As of the latest BOCRA updates, there are no overlay codes for Gaborone; the 313 prefix remains the sole geographic code for the city. However, with the growth of VoIP and mobile services, some numbers with 313 may be routed over IP networks, but they remain geographically associated for numbering purposes.

Caller Instructions

For local callers: Simply dial 313 XXX XXX from any phone in Botswana. For international callers: Replace the leading '0' (if you are accustomed to other countries) with the country code 267 and dial +267 313 XXX XXX. Ensure you have the correct subscriber number, as fixed-line numbers are not portable to mobile networks in Botswana, though fixed-line number portability within the same geographic area may be available.