Do I need a phone number to make outbound calls?

No. You can place outbound calls directly through StartACall without purchasing a dedicated phone number.

Can people call me back?

Yes. To receive inbound calls directly in your browser, you must purchase a unique US or Canada digital number, available for $2.14 to $5/month.

Regional Calling Guide: East Africa

Call East Africa
From the USA

Start the call from any browser tab. There is no download, and you only add a number to receive inbound calls.

Product facts

Outbound: No dedicated number required.
Inbound: Requires US/Canada digital number ($2.14 to $5/month).
No apps: Works in Chrome, Safari, Edge, Firefox.

Product facts: Calling East Africa

Outbound calling: Call worldwide instantly. No dedicated number required.
Inbound calling: To receive calls in your browser, a unique US or Canada digital number is required ($2.14 to $5/month).
App-free: Works directly in Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox.

View Codes

Dialing Nairobi...Connecting

How to Call East Africa

Simple steps to reach mobile and landline numbers in the region.

Exit Code

Dial 011 (US landlines) or use '+' (Mobile/VoIP).

Country Code

Enter code (e.g., 254 for Kenya, 251 for Ethiopia).

Subscriber Number

Dial the number. Always drop the leading zero.

Mobile Number Format

In Kenya and Tanzania, mobile numbers usually start with '07' or '01'. When calling from abroad, drop the first '0'.

Example (Kenya): 0712 345 678 becomes +254 712 345 678.

East Africa Country Codes

Country	Country Code	Capital Area Code	Common Mobile Prefixes
Kenya	+254	Nairobi (20)	7xx / 1xx
Ethiopia	+251	Addis Ababa (11)	9xx
Tanzania	+255	Dodoma (26)	7xx / 6xx
Uganda	+256	Kampala (41)	7xx
Rwanda	+250	Kigali (25)	78x
Burundi	+257	Gitega (22)	7x

Call East Africa from the USA in Your Browser

In short

You can call East Africa from the USA directly in your web browser with StartACall, no app download, no SIM card, and no phone number required. Outbound calls to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and neighboring countries are pay as you go and billed per minute. Calls are end to end encrypted, so you can reach family or business contacts privately from any computer.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a phone number to call East Africa from the USA?+

No. Outbound calls in StartACall do not require you to own a phone number. You open your browser, dial the East African number in international format, and pay per minute. A number is only needed if you want to receive inbound calls.

Which East African countries can I call?+

You can dial across the region using each country code, including Kenya (+254), Tanzania (+255), Uganda (+256), Ethiopia (+251), Rwanda (+250), Burundi (+257), and South Sudan (+211). Calls connect from any supported browser in the USA.

How much does it cost to call East Africa?+

Outbound calls are pay as you go and billed per minute, so you only pay for the time you talk. There is no monthly subscription required for placing calls. A US or Canada inbound number, if you want one, costs about $2.14 to $5 per month.

Do I need to download an app or install anything?+

No. StartACall works directly in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox with no app download and no SIM card. You just open the site in your browser and start calling, which makes it easy to use from any computer in the USA.