Calling to Lesotho
- A leading '+' in the phone number means 'dial your country's exit code'.
- Calling from a mobile phone: dial from on the country where you're currently located.
- Calling from a VoIP or satellite phone: dial from on the country where the phone is registered.
… to a mobile (cellular) phone or text (sms)
Use the same call sequence.
Mobile phone numbers begin with ‘5’ or ‘6’.
When calling a mobile phone user, dial to the country where the mobile phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a VoIP phone
Use the same call sequence.
When calling a VoIP phone user, dial to the country where the VoIP phone is registered, regardless of where the person is roaming.
… to a satellite phone
Lesotho does not have a country-specific satellite phone system.
Most satellite phones operate on their country code – calls to these satellite phones follow their call sequence.
… sending a fax
Use the same call sequence.
Calling within Lesotho (domestic dialing)
Dial the entire eight-digit phone number as it is listed. There is no trunk number used when calling within Lesotho.
| eight-digit number |
| firsttwo |
Lesotho’s phone numbers explained
Number details
Lesotho’s phone numbers are eight digits.
The first digit designates whether the phone number is a landline or mobile phone.
The second digit of a landline designates an area of Lesotho.
Mobile numbers are represented by area codes starting with 5 or 6.
An example of a Lesotho phone number
The Royal Archives and Museum lists its phone number in Maseru as (+266) 22218008.
Number explanation
| 266 | 22 | 218008 |
| country code for Lesotho | represents a landline phone number in Maseru | local phone number in Maseru |
Local example – calling from another location in Maseru, Lesotho
Dial the entire eight-digit phone number for all calls within Lesotho
| 22 | 218008 |
| represents a landline phone number in Maseru | local phone number in Maseru |
Long distance example – calling from Mokhotlong, Lesotho (on the other side of the country)
Dial the entire eight-digit phone number for all calls within Lesotho
| 22 | 218008 |
| represents a landline phone number in Maseru | local phone number in Maseru |
International example – calling from outside Lesotho
To call from outside Lesotho, dial the exit code of the country the call is dialed from, followed by Lesotho’s country code of ‘266’, followed by the local phone number.
| exit code | 266 | 22 | 218008 |
| exit code for the country the call is dialed from | country code for Lesotho | represents a landline phone number in Maseru | local phone number in Maseru |
Calling from Lesotho
’00’ is used as an exit code when dialing an international call from Lesotho.
Sources and more resources
- Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA)– Lesotho’s telephone systems regulator.
- ITU (International Telecommunications Union) – United Nations specialized agency for information and communications technologies.
- International Telecommunications Union – DIALLING PROCEDURES (INTERNATIONAL PREFIX, NATIONAL (TRUNK) PREFIX AND NATIONAL (SIGNIFICANT) NUMBER) (IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITU-T RECOMMENDATION E.164 (11/2010)) – A collection of dialing procedures for all countries and regions of the world. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
- International Telecommunications Union – Lesotho (country code +266) National Numbering Plan – Details of Lesotho’s telephone numbering plan as submitted to the ITU. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- Wikipedia – Telephone numbers in Lesotho – Wikipedia entry for telephone number data for Lesotho. Includes specific number ranges for each city as well as detail on calling procedures.
- BT – The Phonebook – Lesotho – Entry for Lesotho in the British Telecom international directory.