Area Code 26 – Alborz

Geographic Overview and Administrative Scope

The +98 26 country-code and prefix combination is the geographic National Destination Code (NDC) for the province of Alborz in Iran. Alborz is one of the country's newest provinces, carved out of Tehran Province in 2010, and its administrative capital is Karaj. The prefix covers the entire province, including the cities of Karaj, Fardis, Kamal Shahr, Mohammadshahr, and the surrounding districts. As a geographic code, it is assigned to fixed-line PSTN services, and calls to this prefix are routed to physical telephone lines within the province.

Dialing Formats and Instructions

For callers within Iran, the national dialing format is 026-XXXX-XXXX, where the trunk prefix '0' is used before the area code. For international callers, the format is +98 26 XXXX XXXX (or +9826XXXXXXX when written without spaces). The total number length after the country code is 10 digits, including the NDC. When calling from outside Iran, the leading '0' is omitted, and the country code +98 is used.

Local callers within Alborz may be able to dial the 8-digit subscriber number directly, but this depends on the specific local dialing plan. For clarity, it is always safe to use the full national format (026-XXXX-XXXX) even for local calls, as the network will recognize the destination.

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

Alborz shares a close numbering relationship with Tehran, and due to the proximity and administrative changes, some numbers may have been migrated or reassigned. However, as of the current ITU-T E.164 allocation, the 26 NDC is exclusively for Alborz. There is no overlay code in this region; the 026 prefix is the sole geographic indicator for the province.

Caller Instructions

For callers inside Iran: dial 026 followed by the 8-digit local number. For callers from abroad: dial the international access code (e.g., 00 or +), then 98, then 26, and then the 8-digit local number. For example, to call a fixed line in Karaj with the number 3456 7890, an international caller would dial +98 26 3456 7890.

Note that this prefix is for fixed-line services only. Mobile numbers in Iran use separate non-geographic prefixes (e.g., 0912, 0935). If you are trying to reach a mobile phone in Alborz, you must use the mobile prefix, not 026.

Practical Applications

Businesses and individuals in Alborz use this prefix for landline communications, including internet DSL lines that are provisioned over PSTN infrastructure. When registering for services or providing contact information, it is important to include the correct prefix to ensure proper routing. For VoIP users, the same international format applies, but the call will terminate on the PSTN network in Alborz.