This afternoon I made a special effort to walk into Cable & Wireless and register for a fixed line mobile phone subscription. The lady at the customer service counter asked me if I wanted to use my old number and have it upgraded to the postpaid package. I said no, and that I would like a new number. Funny enough, I requested specifically for a ’51′ number. What I actually meant by that was a number that started with ’51′.
A little over a decade ago when people started using mobile phones here in Seychelles, most if not all fixed line mobile numbers started with the ’51′ digits. So ’51′ is the most well-known in a way, in terms of fixed lines. This is the reason why I specifically wanted a number that started with a ’51′. Other fixed line mobile phones begin with ’50′, ’52′, and ’53′.
Interesting enough, after she gave me the list of a few 51 and 52 numbers to choose from, I decided to go with a 52 because it was the “prettiest”. My usage of the term “pretty” to describe numbers made her chuckle. LOL.
She asked me if I would like to have the number published on the phone book and it will be visible for all to see. I said yes. This is basically going to be my ‘business’ number. I will still keep the old number, although I’m thinking of eventually phasing it out.
