Area Code 218 – North Region

Overview of Mauritius Area Code 218

Area code 218 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the North Region of Mauritius, under the country's national numbering plan administered by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA). This code covers the northern part of the island, including the districts of Pamplemousses and Rivière du Rempart, as well as key towns such as Triolet, Goodlands, Grand Baie, and Pereybère. The region is known for its coastal tourism and residential communities, and the code is used for fixed-line (PSTN) services.

Dialing Formats

When calling a fixed-line number in the North Region from within Mauritius, subscribers must dial the full national number, which includes the trunk prefix 0 followed by the area code and the subscriber number. The national significant number (NSN) for Mauritius is 7 digits, with the area code 218 comprising the first three digits. The local number format is 218 XXXX (where XXXX is the 4-digit subscriber line). For international callers, the country code +230 is used, and the leading trunk prefix '0' is omitted. Thus, the international format becomes +230 218 XXXX.

Example Call Scenarios

• Local call (within Mauritius): To call a number in Grand Baie from another part of Mauritius, dial 218 XXXX.
• International call (from abroad): To reach the same number from the United States, dial 011 230 218 XXXX; from the UK, dial 00 230 218 XXXX.

Numbering Plan Considerations

Mauritius operates a closed numbering plan, meaning that all local calls require the full NSN including the area code. There are no overlay codes in the North Region; 218 is the sole geographic code for this area. Fixed-line numbers are portable within the same geographic region, but not across different NDCs. The code is exclusively for fixed-line services; mobile numbers in Mauritius are assigned separate non-geographic prefixes (e.g., 5xxx xxxx). For VoIP services, users may be assigned numbers with geographic codes, but routing is IP-based and not tied to a physical location.

Regulatory and Technical Notes

The ICTA regulates the allocation and use of numbering resources in compliance with ITU-T E.164 recommendations. All fixed-line numbers in Mauritius are 7 digits long, and the maximum number length for international calls is 11 digits (including country code). Callers should be aware that while 218 is a geographic code, some businesses may use it for non-geographic purposes due to number portability, but this does not affect the dialing procedure.