Mobile Devices Cause Need For New Area Codes In Many Parts Of Canada

By: Talha Bhatti  |   February 20th, 2013   |   News, O Canada

Canada will be getting a lot of new area codes in different parts of the country thanks to the massive demand generated by the large number of new mobile devices being sold. The demand for new area codes has also been spurred by the way users utilize their device. Director of the Canadian Numbering Administrator, Glenn Pilley, spoke to Yahoo! Canada News explained that, “Items like iPads, which use cell phone frequencies, are assigned telephone numbers” which lets them work properly on the 4G or LTE networks available in Canada. If they did not have their own phone number they would not be able to access the number. He also added that, “Even without my cell phones, I’ve got a home, office and fax number. And I’ve got three cell phones – that’s not including my wife or my kids’ cell phones.” So the old norm of one person requiring only one phone number has been thrown out the window as new mobile technology and ways of communicating have hit the market.

 

According to statistics, metropolitan residents have three numbers per person. Currently only 7.5 million numbers available in one area code and that can fall short quickly when one person is taking up more than one phone number.

 

Manitoba recently got 10-digit dialing in November with the addition of the 431 area code while Toronto is getting another code added with the 437 area code. The Golden Horseshoe region will be next to get a 365 area code while Nova Scotia and PEI will get 236.  Ontario and Alberta will also get their share in the next five years.

 

The Canadian Numbering Administrator works with a six year plan for new area codes. Based  on central office codes each code can have 10,000 phone numbers. Pilley highlights how fast the numbers are being gobbled up saying that, “When we were working on 647, it turned out 416 was almost completely used up by the time [the new area code] was in place in 2000. Now, probably about six to seven million people are using 647.”
Pilley explains that the current growth may not last for too long because the increase in VOIP technology will reduce the need for new numbers eventually. He claims this is already happening and estimates for a time frame by when North America will go to 11 digit codes in now thirty years. He says, “If you had asked me this five years ago, I would have said 2035, now it’s 2042,” said Pilley. “But you never know when that projection may move back out or in.”

Source: Yahoo