Change in Kuwait phone numbers

Wataniya Telecom and Zain, Kuwait’s main two mobile operators, announced Wednesday that the addition of one extra digit to all mobile telephone numbers will be up and running this month. In a joint press release, they stated that beginning Sept 19, all Zain customers will add a “9” to their mobile phone numbers, and Wataniya customers will add a “6” to their mobile phone numbers. From Friday, Sept 19, customers will be able to call either the old seven-digit phone numbers or the new eight-digit phone numbers and their phone calls will be connected. This gives everyone some time to get used to the new system. Almost one month later, on Oct 17, all phone numbers including landlines will officially be converted to eight-digit numbers. If anyone calls an old seven-digit number, they will be answered by an automated message that gives them the right number to call. So if you call 520 0550 on Oct 17, you will be answered by a voice message that will ask you to add a “2” and call 2 520 0550.

Not only is this new numbering plan simple, but Wataniya Telecom and Zain are also providing their customers with every available method of assistance imaginable. From software that updates the contacts on your phone to the new numbers to a special hotline open 24/7 to answer all questions, the telecommunications company’s are taking extreme measures to ensure that all customers are fully taken care of and that the transition is simple and relaxed. No matter what company you are with, everyone can dial “116” for help anytime anywhere. “Thanks to this new numbering plan, Kuwait will be joining the few Gulf countries that are advancing at an impressive rate. Bahrain’s done it; so has Saudi Arabia. Now, Kuwait is joining the new generation phone numbers. With these smooth guiding and transitional steps, Kuwait is proving that it is a force to be reckoned with in the Gulf, and the telecommunications companies prove exactly why they are infamous and great throughout the Middle East,” says the statement.

Source : Arab times online