Area Code 41 – Port Elizabeth/Uitenhage

Geographic Coverage and Administrative Jurisdiction

The +27 41 country and area code combination designates a specific geographic numbering area within South Africa's national telecommunication plan, as defined under ITU-T E.164. This code serves the Eastern Cape province, primarily covering the metropolitan area of Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and the adjacent industrial town of Uitenhage (now part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality). The region encompasses key suburbs such as Summerstrand, Walmer, Newton Park, and Kariega, along with the Coega Industrial Development Zone and the Port of Ngqura. Administratively, the code falls under the jurisdiction of the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA), which manages the national numbering plan.

Dialing Formats and Caller Instructions

For callers dialing from within South Africa, the trunk prefix '0' is used before the area code, followed by the subscriber number. The national significant number (NSN) for this region is 10 digits in length, comprising the area code '41' and a 7-digit local subscriber number. Thus, a local call is placed by dialing 041 XXX XXXX. For international callers, the South African country code +27 is used, and the leading '0' is omitted, resulting in the format +27 41 XXX XXXX. Callers from abroad should replace the '+' with their international access prefix (e.g., 011 from the US, 00 from most European countries).

Overlay and Numbering Considerations

Currently, no overlay code has been implemented for this geographic area, meaning that the 041 code is the sole area code for the region. However, due to the increasing demand for telecommunication services, ICASA has considered number conservation measures. Subscribers within the area can dial local numbers using only the 7-digit subscriber number when calling within the same exchange, but for calls from other areas, the full national format with the trunk prefix is required.

Service and Usage Notes

Geographic numbers are primarily used for fixed-line services, including PSTN and VoIP lines that are tied to a physical address. Businesses and residents in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro use these numbers for voice, fax, and data services. When calling from a mobile phone, the same dialing rules apply, and the call is routed as a geographic call, potentially incurring higher rates depending on the caller's tariff plan. It is important to note that number portability allows users to retain their 041 number even if they move to a different service provider, but the number remains associated with the geographic area.