10-digit local dialling and a new area code to come to northern Ontario

OTTAWA-GATINEAU, Oct. 6 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today announced that effective March 12, 2011 , 10-digit local dialing will be required for all local calls in the 705 area code region of northern Ontario. The CRTC also announced that a new area code, 249, would be introduced in this region.

Today's decision will provide sufficient time for telephone companies to prepare and to effectively inform their customers of these changes.

The transition to 10-digit dialing will begin on January 15, 2011 , and will be gradually introduced over the following weeks. It will become mandatory by March 12, 2011 .

To prevent the exhaustion of telephone numbers in the 705 area code region, new telephone numbers assigned as of March 19, 2011 , may be given area code 249. This means that customers seeking new telephone numbers could be given a number starting with area code 249. Existing customers will keep their current area code and phone numbers.

These measures are being implemented in response to the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) report to the CRTC in March of this year. In its report, the CNA warned that area code 705 is expected to run out of telephone numbers by October 2012 .

    
    Telecom Decision CRTC 2009-622
    http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-622.htm

    The CRTC

    The CRTC is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises
broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

    These documents are available in alternative format upon request.
    

For further information: Media Relations: http://support.crtc.gc.ca/CRTCSubmissionMU/forms/Mediarelations.aspx?lang=e, Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone]; General Inquiries: Tel: [phone], TDD: [phone], Fax: [phone], Toll-free No. 1-877-249-CRTC (2782), TDD - Toll-free No. 1-877-909-CRTC (2782), http://crtc.gc.ca/RapidsCCM/Register.asp?lang=E