Area Code 279 – Good Hope/Stanleytown

Overview of Area Code 279 (Guyana)

Area code 279 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned within the Guyana numbering plan, which adheres to the ITU-T E.164 international standard. This code serves the region encompassing Good Hope and Stanleytown, two communities located in the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region of Guyana. These areas are situated along the west bank of the Demerara River, opposite the capital city of Georgetown, and are part of the larger Region 3 administrative jurisdiction.

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Context

The 279 prefix covers a mix of residential, commercial, and agricultural zones. Good Hope is known for its riverside settlements and farming activities, while Stanleytown is a developing residential area. Both localities rely on fixed-line telephony for businesses, government offices, and households. As a geographic code, 279 is tied to the physical location of the subscriber's line, meaning calls are routed based on the exchange's location.

Dialing Formats and Instructions

For callers within Guyana, the national dialing format requires the trunk prefix 0 followed by the area code and the subscriber number. For example, to call a fixed line in Good Hope or Stanleytown from another part of Guyana, you would dial:

• 0 279 XXX XXXX (where X represents the local subscriber number digits)

For international callers, the country calling code for Guyana is +592. The international format omits the trunk prefix and uses the area code directly, as shown:

• +592 279 XXX XXXX

For instance, a complete international number might appear as +592 279 1234 (note: actual subscriber numbers in Guyana are typically 7 digits, so the full number would be +592 279 1234, but the example illustrates the structure). Always verify the exact number length with your service provider.

Overlay Considerations and Numbering Plan

Currently, Guyana does not have overlay area codes in the traditional sense; each geographic region is assigned a distinct NDC. However, the Guyana Telecommunications Agency (NTA) has implemented number portability for fixed lines in certain areas, allowing subscribers to retain their numbers when changing service providers. This means that a number with the 279 prefix may not always be physically located in Good Hope or Stanleytown if the subscriber has ported their number to a different exchange. Nevertheless, the prefix remains associated with the original geographic area for routing purposes.

Caller Instructions

Local callers within the same area code can often dial just the subscriber number without the area code, but this depends on the local dialing plan. For long-distance calls within Guyana, always include the trunk prefix and area code. International callers should replace the leading zero with the +592 country code. Be mindful of time zones and potential charges when calling internationally.