Area Code 328 – Cottage/Tempe/Onverwagt/Bath/Waterloo

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Context

The area code +592 328 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned within the Guyana numbering plan, operating under the ITU-T E.164 international standard. This code serves the West Coast of Demerara region, specifically encompassing the communities of Cottage, Tempe, Onverwagt, Bath, and Waterloo. These localities fall under the administrative jurisdiction of Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), a key agricultural and residential corridor along the Atlantic coast. The region is characterized by a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial hubs, and rice farming operations, with Bath and Waterloo being notable for their historical sugar estates and growing business activity.

Dialing Formats and Caller Instructions

For callers within Guyana, the prefix is dialed as 328-XXXX (a seven-digit subscriber number), preceded by the national trunk prefix 0 when dialing from a different area code. Thus, a domestic long-distance call from Georgetown would be placed as 0-328-XXXX. International callers must use the full country code and NDC, omitting the trunk prefix: +592 328-XXXX. For example, a subscriber line in Cottage might be reached at +592 328-4567. When dialing locally within the same exchange, callers may often omit the area code, but for clarity and consistency, the full national format is recommended.

Numbering and Technical Considerations

Guyana's numbering plan is closed, meaning the NDC and subscriber number are always dialed together for domestic calls, except for local calls within the same exchange. The total length of a national significant number (NSN) is seven digits, with the NDC being three digits (328) and the subscriber number being four digits. This structure is consistent with the country's transition to a seven-digit numbering system in the early 2000s. The geographic nature of the code means that it is tied to the physical PSTN infrastructure, although in modern deployments, calls may be routed over IP backbones. However, the number remains associated with the geographic area for regulatory and emergency service routing purposes.

Overlays and Future Planning

As of the latest updates, there are no overlay codes for this region, and the Guyana Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has not announced any imminent changes to the 328 NDC. However, with the ongoing expansion of fixed and mobile services, the PUC periodically reviews numbering resources. Businesses and residents in the Cottage/Tempe/Onverwagt/Bath/Waterloo area should ensure that their telecommunications providers correctly route calls to this geographic code, especially when using VoIP services that may require accurate location data for emergency calls.