Area Code 017 – Libreville

Geographic Overview

The +241 017 prefix is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the capital city of Gabon, Libreville. This code is part of the country's public switched telephone network (PSTN) plan, managed under the ITU-T E.164 international numbering standard. Libreville, located in the Estuaire Province, is the political and economic hub of Gabon, hosting the majority of government institutions, corporate headquarters, and international organizations. As a result, numbers under this prefix are predominantly used by businesses, public services, and residential subscribers within the city's metropolitan area.

Dialing Formats

For callers within Gabon, the national trunk prefix is 0, so a local call to a fixed line in Libreville requires dialing 017 XX XX XX (where X represents the subscriber's unique number). For international callers, the country code +241 is used, and the leading zero of the NDC is omitted. Therefore, the international format becomes +241 17 XX XX XX. For example, a local call would be made to 017 123 456, while an international caller would dial +241 17 123 456.

Numbering and Overlay Considerations

Gabon's numbering plan does not currently employ area code overlays for fixed-line services. The 017 prefix is exclusively geographic, and its use is limited to the Libreville area. Subscribers cannot port their fixed-line numbers to other geographic regions without changing the NDC, as the prefix is tied to the physical location of the exchange. However, with the growth of VoIP and IP-based services, some operators may route calls to these numbers over IP backbones, but the geographic association remains for regulatory and emergency service routing purposes.

Caller Instructions

• Local callers: Dial the full national number, including the trunk prefix: 017 XX XX XX.
• International callers: Dial the international access code (e.g., 00 or +), followed by Gabon's country code 241, then the NDC without the leading zero, and the subscriber number: +241 17 XX XX XX.
• Emergency services: Always use the national emergency numbers (e.g., 1300 for police) regardless of the geographic prefix.

Regulatory and Technical Notes

The Gabonese regulatory authority, ARTEL (Agence de Régulation des Télécommunications), oversees the allocation of numbering resources. The 017 prefix is part of the national numbering plan, which follows the E.164 recommendation. Fixed-line services in Libreville are provided by operators such as Gabon Télécom, which is the incumbent operator, and other licensed providers. The subscriber number length is typically 6 digits after the NDC, resulting in a total national significant number (NSN) of 8 digits (excluding the trunk prefix). This structure ensures efficient routing and scalability for the growing telecommunications market in Gabon.