Canada started with area codes in 1947 with only 9, after March 25th, 2013 there will be 29, and it’s expected to grow to 35 over the next few years. According to the CNAC (Canadian Numbering Administrator) people now have the ability to have more than one phone number, be it Smartphone or tablet. On this, we have to factor the growing utilization of technologies such as VOIP that allow you to have apps and thus making it almost invisible to the user the fact they may have multiple numbers. Essentially these new area codes overlap in regions where an existing area code is near depletion. The way telephone numbers are assigned and released, for instance, a subscriber cancels his/her subscription that number is put again to the pool of available numbers. What is happening now is that there is a faster consumption of new numbers than those that are being released. In the Toronto area (41/647), for example, there are 7.5 million unique phone numbers. If we look at the data from the 2011 census, the city of Toronto has 2.6 million inhabitants if we consider Metro Toronto; then we have 5.5 million inhabitants. Whichever way is looked at this shows how ferocious the phone number consumption is.
The new area codes to be released are designated for Quebec, Manitoba, and Ontario.
Quebec area code 819 will also have 873.
Toronto area code 416 and 647 will also have 437.
GTA area code 289 and 905 will also have 365.
Ontario area code 705 will also have 249.
In Manitoba area code 204 will also have 431.
Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatewchan are all up next to get new overlapping area codes. Note the release of these new area codes will begin gradually on March 25th, but realistically it may take a while for the new phone area codes numbers to start being assigned. In any case, it does not change in any way the existing numbers. Well, think that nowadays majority dials using contact information by means of clicking a Name or just scrolling the phone’s phonebook!