CRTC To Introduce New Area Codes in Southwestern Ontario & Alberta

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced that it will introduce a new area code in Southwestern Ontario in 2015 and a new province-wide area code in Alberta in 2016. Starting from June 4, 2015, new telephone numbers assigned in the 226 and 519 regions in Southwestern Ontario will be given area code 548. Similarly from April 9, 2016, new telephone numbers assigned in Alberta will be given numbers from area code 825.

According to the media release, existing customers will keep their current area codes and phone numbers. The Canadian Numbering Administrator informed the CRTC that area codes 226 and 519 serving Southwestern Ontario are expected to run out of telephone numbers by September 2015, while the area codes 403, 587, and 780 serving Alberta are expected to run out of telephone numbers by July 2016.

Introduced in 1953, the 519 area code covers most of southwestern Ontario, including such cities as London, Sarnia, Kitchener-Waterloo and Brantford. In October 2006, the 226 area code was added to the area served by area code 519, which required the introduction of mandatory 10-digit local dialling. In January 1999, area code 403 was split in two and the northern half of Alberta received a new area code, 780. In September 2008, area code 587 was introduced for the entire province and 10-digit local dialing became mandatory.