+971 5X mobile numbers: who is calling from the UAE

A number starting +971 5 is a UAE mobile line. e& (Etisalat) issues 050, 054 and 056, and 052, 055 and 058 are the du-side prefixes, but numbers can be ported between the two, so the prefix shows only the original operator. Since August 2024, companies may only telemarket from numbers registered under their commercial licence and only between 9 am and 6 pm.

United Arab Emirates · Mobile numbers · Facts checked November 9, 2026

What these numbers look like

From abroad: +971 50 XXX XXXX
Inside United Arab Emirates: 050 XXX XXXX

Mobile numbers are 9 digits after +971: a two-digit code starting with 5, then 7 digits. Inside the UAE, dial the leading 0 (10 digits).

Who uses +971 5X numbers?

The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA, formerly TRA) runs the UAE National Numbering Plan. Its numbering policy reserves 0 + 5 + Z + 7 digits for mobile services, allocated to operators in blocks of 10,000 to 100,000 numbers. The plan notified to the ITU in 2009 listed 50 and 56 as Etisalat allocations and 52 and 55 as du allocations. Today e& describes 050/054/056 as its original prefixes and invites 052/055/058 numbers to port in. TDRA's porting guidance covers all six prefixes, and porting works both ways between du and e&.

Prefix	Operator	Note
050, 054, 056	e& (Etisalat)	e& lists these as its original mobile prefixes
052, 055, 058	du	052 and 055 are du allocations in the TRA plan; e& lists 052/055/058 as other-operator numbers

Who is calling you from a +971 5X number?

Most +971 5X calls are from individuals or small businesses. Licensed companies doing telemarketing must call from local numbers registered under their trade licence, and individuals may not telemarket from lines in their own name, so a sales pitch from a personal mobile number is itself a violation you can report. TDRA's caller ID feature, rolled out from December 2021 starting with banks, shows the company name for numbers registered to private-sector companies. A "bank" call from an anonymous personal mobile is a red flag.

Scams seen with +971 5X numbers

Bank "update your details" calls: Dubai Police have warned that no government department or bank asks customers for confidential card data such as the CVV or OTP, and have reported arrests in phone fraud cases where callers posed as banks and claimed accounts or cards were blocked.
Unwanted sales calls from personal mobiles: under Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024, individuals may not make marketing calls from landline or mobile numbers registered in their own name.

What to do about a call from +971 5X

Do not give card numbers, CVV codes, OTPs or UAE Pass details over the phone. Call your bank on its official number.
Register your number in the Do Not Call Registry by texting DNCR to 1012 or 2211.
Report an unwanted telemarketing call by texting the caller's number to 1012 or 2211.
Report fraud through the Dubai Police eCrime service (call centre 901) for incidents in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Police Aman (800 2626, SMS 2828), or the Ministry of Interior eCrime platform.
Block the number on your phone and in WhatsApp.

Check the exact number

A series tells you what kind of line called. To check the full number you got, use these free tools:

Phone number validator: which country, mobile or landline, and whether the length is right.
Spam number checker: warning signs that a caller is a scammer.
Who called me? Reverse phone lookup: what the number tells you about the caller.
United Arab Emirates country code +971: full dialing guide and number formats.

Frequently asked questions

Is 050 Etisalat or du?

050 was allocated to Etisalat (now e&). The number may have been ported to du, so the prefix shows only the original operator.

Which prefixes belong to du?

052 and 055 are du allocations, and e& treats 058 numbers as coming from the other operator. Ported numbers keep their prefix.

What hours can telemarketers call in the UAE?

Only between 9 am and 6 pm, under Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024, effective from August 2024.

How do I stop sales calls in the UAE?

Text DNCR to 1012 or 2211 to join the Do Not Call Registry, then report any further sales call by texting the number to the same short code.

Sources

Numbering facts on this page come from the regulator or operator sources below, checked November 9, 2026. We never publish individual personal phone numbers.

TDRA - Regulatory Policy: National Numbering Plan v5.3 (3 June 2015) (tdra.gov.ae)
ITU - United Arab Emirates (country code +971), TRA communication of 9.VI.2009 (itu.int)
TDRA - Porting Numbers (tdra.gov.ae)
e& - #Tag (original prefixes 050/054/056) (eand.ae)
e& - Switch to etisalat (keep your 052/055/058 numbers) (eand.ae)
TDRA - Telemarketing / voice spam (DNCR 1012 / 2211) (tdra.gov.ae)
Ministry of Economy - Cabinet Resolution No. 56 of 2024 on Telemarketing (English) (moet.gov.ae)
WAM - Ministry of Economy, TDRA announce new resolutions regulating telemarketing effective mid-August 2024 (wam.ae)
TDRA - Implementing the feature of displaying the caller's ID (Dec 2021) (tdra.gov.ae)
Dubai Police - no government or bank department asks for financial data (news md121) (dubaipolice.gov.ae)
Dubai Police - Reporting E-Crime (dubaipolice.gov.ae)
u.ae - Cyber safety and digital security (reporting channels) (u.ae)