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The Unofficial 416/647 & 289/905 New Area Code Poll

Which of the following area codes would you prefer be used to relieve 289/905?


  • Total voters
    36
I really wished that when they set up the new codes that they would have saved 416 for landlines and deployed 647 on mobile phones. There have been stories in the paper about homeowners getting 647 landlines and having a tough time get responses from job interviews or with getting friends to call them. Overlaying area codes is difficult. Some differentiation would have helped.
 
I really wished that when they set up the new codes that they would have saved 416 for landlines and deployed 647 on mobile phones. There have been stories in the paper about homeowners getting 647 landlines and having a tough time get responses from job interviews or with getting friends to call them. Overlaying area codes is difficult. Some differentiation would have helped.

I think the nice thing about the overlay is that cell phones are indistinguishable from landlines by area code. I don't know why anyone with a 647 area code would have a hard time getting a job interview. That makes positively no sense to me. This isn't 2000 anymore. 647 is extremely common. You could argue that people aren't familiar with 289 (even though 289 is closer to being exhausted than 647), but I know tons of people with 647 numbers. And 416 numbers aren't impossible to get. They're refreshed every morning. It won't be a great number, but they're always be 416 numbers, as long as there's people still changing providers, moving, cancelling service, whatever. Our house is 905. My mom, my older sister and I all have 416 numbers. My little sister and uncles have 647. My brother has 905. I like the variety.
 
One problem with cell phones is that call display does not display the caller's name, unlike land lines. Would like to add my name to my cell phone display.

There still is a call blocking (lift the receiver and press *67 (or dial 1167 on rotary phones); listen for 3 beeps; dial the number you are calling), should one not want their name displayed.
 
One problem with cell phones is that call display does not display the caller's name, unlike land lines. Would like to add my name to my cell phone display.

There still is a call blocking (lift the receiver and press *67 (or dial 1167 on rotary phones); listen for 3 beeps; dial the number you are calling), should one not want their name displayed.

I guess you don't have a Rogers or Fido cell phone. Both Rogers/Fido have name display.
 
A way of tackling the North American phone number problem...

Everyone: With the widespread use of all the phone gadgets and computers we have today North America is running short of phone numbers in many places.

I see no way out unless we add another digit to our phone numbers.
There are three ways to do this:
1-4-digit area codes
2-4-digit prefix exchanges
3-5-digit suffix numbers

In my opinion the best way is a 4-digit area code. To eliminate confusion upon implementation it can be accomplished this way - For example in the 416 area: a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0 system like this: 4161,4162,4163 up to 4160 if all ten digits ever had to be used. This would allow for millions of new phone numbers in each area code and it would have a system based on existing area codes.

The other two options would open up phone numbers also but would not solve the area code problem. 8-digit phone numbers would take getting used to but would be a possible necessity in the near future.

There are area codes that are safe in some areas that I feel should retain the current system and only use the 4-digit area codes if they indeed run out of numbers. The new 4-digit area codes would be used strictly where it is necessary.

Mentioned also previously was using existing area codes in new phone numbers - new exchanges I noticed in places use existing area codes for prefixes which I suspect means the areas using them are running short of phone numbers. A good buddy of mine has Chicago's main area code (312) as a prefix on his cell phone as a good example.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Insight and opinion by Long Island Mike

P.S. TO THE MODERATOR: If the three questions can be added as a poll please do so!
 
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Everyone: With the widespread use of all the phone gadgets and computers we have today North America is running short of phone numbers in many places.

I see no way out unless we add another digit to our phone numbers.
There are three ways to do this:
1-4-digit area codes
2-4-digit prefix exchanges
3-5-digit suffix numbers

In my opinion the best way is a 4-digit area code. To eliminate confusion upon implementation it can be accomplished this way - For example in the 416 area: a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0 system like this: 4161,4162,4163 up to 4160 if all ten digits ever had to be used. This would allow for millions of new phone numbers in each area code and it would have a system based on existing area codes.

The other two options would open up phone numbers also but would not solve the area code problem. 8-digit phone numbers would take getting used to but would be a possible necessity in the near future.

There are area codes that are safe in some areas that I feel should retain the current system and only use the 4-digit area codes if they indeed run out of numbers. The new 4-digit area codes would be used strictly where it is necessary.

Mentioned also previously was using existing area codes in new phone numbers - new exchanges I noticed in places use existing area codes for prefixes which I suspect means the areas using them are running short of phone numbers. A good buddy of mine has Chicago's main area code (312) as a prefix on his cell phone as a good example.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
Insight and opinion by Long Island Mike

P.S. TO THE MODERATOR: If the three questions can be added as a poll please do so!

NANPA's website addresses the issue of moving to 11-digit phone numbers. I remember reading about it before. That won't be happening for a while though.

One thing that won't happen though is moving to 4 digit area codes in only some areas. I don't think NANPA would introduce such a discontinuity. If we're moving to 4-digit area codes, it'll be all of them.

Actually my little sister's phone number begins with 647-289 (647 being the area code of course, and the exchange is 289, which also happens to be a neighbouring NPA--overlay of 905).

Anyway, I guess we'll see if the need for more phone numbers keeps growing or not. Maybe as people give up landlines more numbers will get recycled more leading to diminished need.
 
11-digit phone numbers: What is the best way:

CC: Good insight about 11-digit phone numbers-I fully understand the uniformity of having ALL 4-digit area codes,4-digit prefixes or 5-digit suffixes.

If the "Gadget Explosion" continues as many suspect it will we will need those new phone numbers that would be provided by the added digit.

I still think that 4-digit area codes would work best but 4-digit prefixes come a close second provided we do not run out of useable 3-digit area codes.

More thoughts: I wonder if all North American jurisdictions now use a 1 prefix for any out of area code calls-Long Island (When both Nassau and Suffolk Counties were 516) was a latecomer to this around 1990 I believe.

Are there places that require 10-digits for ALL local calls? I believe any "overlay" code requires them. Here on LI with one area code each for Nassau(516) and Suffolk County(631) we still have 7 digit in-code calls.

I will add the NANPA web address: www.nanpa.com/ for further information on North American area codes.

Canada'a area codes can be found here: www.cnac.ca/ at the Canada Number Administrator site.

Insight and thoughts from LI MIKE
 
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Mike I think the exponential growth in phone numbers will have to start slowing down in the future as cell phone penetration takes hold and people move away from multiple numbers and just have one phone number which can function as landline, mobile, whatever. But we will see. NANPA pay have to introduce 4-digit area codes. My guess is they will simply add a 0 after every current existing area code. 416 will beome 4160, 905 will become 9050, 212 will become 2120. There was some discussion about using a prefix for Canada and one for the US, but it was felt that it would defeat the purpose of NANPA, which is sharing area codes across countries I guess.

As for using 1 to dial long distance, I wasn't aware of any other way to do so. Well I know of 011 for calls outside of NANPA.

You're correct when you say any overlay requires 10-digit dialling. 416 and 905 both have overlays so we've been using 10-digit dialling for years. If anything, to us 7-digit dialling seems archaic :) But NANPA is moving toward 10-digit dialling as a universal requirement.
 
Distributed overlay, area code 365 recommended.

Link: http://cnac.ca/npa_codes/relief/289...edParty_contrib_NPA_289-905_PD_2009-10-12.doc

Bell Canada has considered the potential NPA Codes to be used to provide relief for NPA 289/905 and proposes that NPA Code 365 be implemented for relief of 289/905 as it would require the minimum quantity of software upgrades to support existing local dialling between NPA 289/905 and its neighbouring NPAs.

In addition, due to the fact that the future demand for CO Codes in NPA 289/905 has been volatile in recent NRUFs and that the 289/905 region has been forecast to exhaust twice in the next 20 year period in both the 2008 and 2009 Annual G-NRUF, it is recommended that NPA Code 367 be reserved for future subsequent relief in the 289/905 region. Alternatively, due to the potential for significant customer confusion if both 365 and 367 are assigned in the same region, NPA Code 742 could be reserved for future relief in the 289/365/905 region which could significantly reduce customer confusion between NPAs with very similar numbers, even though it is not optimal for relief.

In addition, as it is designated as unassignable in both of NPAs 289/905 and 416/647, it is recommended that NPA Code 437 be reserved for future relief in the 416/647 region, if relief of that region is not provided at the same time as relief of NPA 289/905.
 
Toronto’s two new area codes approved
Published On Fri Jul 22 2011
Vanessa Lu Business Reporter

It’s official.

Toronto’s newest area code will be 437, and because of soaring demand for phone numbers, the area code 387 is set aside for future use.

The Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission announced Friday the approval of the 437 area code in Toronto because the city would likely run out of its current 416 and 647 numbers by May 2014.

The new area code will go into effect on March 25, 2013, on the same date that 365 is already scheduled to be introduced in the 905 area.

High-tech gadgets from tablets to Internet sticks plus smartphone use are causing soaring demand for new numbers.

Each area code holds about 7.5 million possible numbers. Almost all of 416 are in use, and 647 has two-thirds of its numbers assigned. That translates into about 11.5 million numbers in an area with a population of 2.5 million, or more than four numbers per person.

The Canadian Numbering Administrator, which oversees Canadian area codes on behalf of the telecom industry and the CRTC, recommended 437 because it works with potential phone numbers.

When officials choose a new area code, they want to avoid duplicate or confusing combinations such as 647-647-0000 or 647-416-0000.

“There’s no hocus-pocus. There are no warm and fuzzy feelings. There is no favourite numbers, it’s just a plain old cold spreadsheet,” said CNA director Glenn Pilley in an interview earlier this week. “That’s the one that fell out of the spreadsheet.”

The introduction of 437 will coincide with 365, a new area for the 905 area that surrounds Toronto, stretching from Niagara to Oshawa. Its other area code 289, used mostly for cellphones, is also in high use.

Although both area codes will go into effect in 2013, but Pilley says it likely won’t be in widespread use for another year, though some companies might want to grab a few key numbers right away.

“We like to put the new area code in a year early, in case there is a technical glitch, or in case there’s a run on numbers for a new type of service,” he said.

In its ruling, the CRTC said because Toronto already has 10-digit local dialling, adding the 437 area code “would present minimal issues with very minimal disruption to subscribers.”

By introducing both 437 and 365 on the same date, it should make it easier for phone carriers and consumers, it added.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1028932--toronto-s-two-new-area-codes-approved

In summary, ultimately the GTA's area codes will be as follows:

City of Toronto 416/647/437/387
Peel, York, Halton, Durham, Hamilton 905/289/365/742
 

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