Wikipedia

Area code 709

Area code 709is the telephonearea codein theNorth American Numbering Plan(NANP) for the entireCanadianprovince ofNewfoundland and Labrador.

Signal Hill, Newfoundland

History

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The first telephone system was installed in Newfoundland in 1885, but domestic long-distance calls within theDominion of Newfoundlandcould be placed on a limited basis only in 1921. The first long-distance call from Newfoundland to Canada was made on January 10, 1939, by using ashortwave radiolink operated by theCanadian Marconi CompanyinMontréal.Shortwave radio also carried calls from St. John's toLondon,England.

When planning was completed for theoriginal NANP area codesin 1947, Newfoundland had not yet become of part ofCanada.No provisions had been made to include Newfoundland in the continental numbering plan, which later became the North American Numbering Plan. The Newfoundland telephone system was entirely manual, and dial telephones came to St. John's only in 1948.[1]

After Newfoundland's Confederation with the Dominion of Canada was enacted in 1949, the first cross-province long-distance call was placed fromSt. John'stoPort aux Basquesin 1949.[1]

Newfoundland was added toarea code 902,which already covered the threeMaritime provinces,and which remains in use throughoutNova ScotiaandPrince Edward Island.New Brunswickand Newfoundland were split from area code 902 toarea code 506in 1955. In 1962, Labrador was split off and combined with Newfoundland to form a new numbering plan area, with own area code 709.[2]Canadian direct-distance dial locations gradually increased over the next several years, beginning in 1958 with the country's largest cities,Torontoand Montreal. The area codes served mostly for operator routing purposes until customer dialing of long-distance calls became common in the 1960s.

The incumbent local exchange carrier for area code 709 isBell Aliant,which is owned byBell Canada,which was formed in 1999 as a result of a merger that includedNewTel Communications(previously Newfoundland Telephone). There had been as many as nine companies in Newfoundland and Labrador until 1951. NewTel acquired the last independent company in 1988.

Area code 709 was expected to be exhausted by 2027.

In 2017,area code 879was assigned as the second area code for Newfoundland and Labrador for relief action by overlay.[3]After being suspended indefinitely in 2021,[4]relief was rescheduled by the CRTC on September 15, 2023, for activation of anoverlayon February 17, 2024.[5]

The central office prefix 988 is used in the numbering plan area inNorman's Bay.As theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commissionrecommended using the three-digit code988for suicide prevention, after the United States has implemented the same code for theNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline,[6]ten-digit diallingwas implemented on April 1, 2023, across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Service area and central office prefixes

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Telegraph and Telephone Companies".Unofficial Clarenville webpage.
  2. ^Moore, Carl (February 12, 1996)."history.of.area.splits".TELECOM Digest.Archived fromthe originalon July 10, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 6,2007.
  3. ^Wall, Lukas (May 31, 2016)."In the 709 area? You'll soon need to dial 10 digits".CBC News.RetrievedJune 8,2017.
  4. ^"Planning Letter 557: NPA 879 to Overlay NPA 709 (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada"(PDF).NANPA. January 20, 2021.RetrievedSeptember 26,2023.
  5. ^"Planning Letter 622: NPA 879 to Overlay NPA 709 (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)"(PDF).NANPA. September 15, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 26,2023.
  6. ^"Call for comments – Introduction of a three-digit abbreviated dialing code for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services".June 3, 2021.
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Newfoundland and Labradorarea codes:709/879
North:Country code299inGreenland
West:418/581,819/873,782/902 709 East:Atlantic Ocean
South:418/581,country code508inSaint-Pierre and Miquelon,Atlantic Ocean
Nova ScotiaandPrince Edward Islandarea codes:782/902
Quebecarea codes:418/581/367,450/579/354,514/438/263,819/873/468
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