News Release

June 18, 2001

CRTC WANTS COMMENTS ON TELEPHONE NUMBER DEPLETION IN 613 AND 819 AREA CODES

OTTAWA-HULL — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) expects the telephone numbers in the 613 and 819 area codes to run out in the next five or six years. The CRTC is now looking at how to best deal with this issue.

The Commission wants to hear comments on the solutions identified by the industry. It underscores the benefit of public input to help it deal with these problems.

Canada, like most of the industrialized world, is experiencing a growing need for telephone numbers. In the last five years, the demand for telephone numbers has increased much faster than experts have predicted. Telephone numbers are needed to provide basic service to new subscribers, and to meet the growing demand for new services such as Internet access, fax machines, wireless phones, and pagers.

Area code exhaust occurs when there are no more central office codes (central office codes are the first three digits of a seven digit phone number) for assignment to telecommunications service providers. The demand for central office codes has increased dramatically and with increased competition, more are needed.

Every year, the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) conducts a survey of all service providers to determine what their needs will be for the next several years. Based on this information, the CNA projects when area code exhaust will occur and when relief planning should begin.

In February 2001, CNA conducted its annual survey of all service providers in all Canadian area codes and forecast that the telephone numbers in the 613 and 819 area codes might exhaust by 2007. As surveys are conducted on a regular basis to monitor trends, this current date could change.

The 613 and 819 case is unique in that the local calling area of Ottawa-Hull overlaps two provinces and two area codes and callers only have to dial seven digits. Currently in this area, some codes are "protected". This means that central office codes are only assigned in one area and not in the other. By "protecting " certain central office codes, fewer are left to assign and the area code runs out much faster.

Generally, there are two common methods for dealing with area code exhaust:

• "Splitting" an area code into two or more parts. This is usually done along a border of a municipality, or a major road; or
• "Overlaying" the area code is when existing customers keep their area code, but new numbers use the new area code.

The CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) has made a number of recommendations. (CISC is an ad hoc committee established by the CRTC to assist in developing information, procedures and guidelines as may be required in various aspects of the CRTC's regulatory activities.)

CISC recommended that in order to delay area code exhaust, a first step would be to stop protecting codes and free them up for use. However, this would mean that consumers would have to dial ten digits for local calls. Should this recommendation be adopted, the problem in area code 819 would be effectively solved for the time being.

In the case of area code 613, CISC suggested that the Commission consider providing further relief using the overlay method.

The Commission would like to hear your comments, suggestions or views on this issue. The Commission will use this input to help it do the following:

1. Identify solutions to the exhaust issue in the 613 and 819 area codes;
2. Evaluate the options and recommendations developed by the CISC Ad Hoc Number Planning Area 613/819 Relief Planning Committee and described in the planning document (see Public Notice CRTC 2001-71);
3. Determine the effects of various relief options on consumers, telecommunications service providers and all other affected parties;
4. Establish an appropriate relief date(s) for area codes 613/819; and
5. Determine which relief option(s) is most appropriate to alleviate the exhaust of area codes 613 and 819.

Persons interested in participating in this proceeding must notify the Commission of their intent to do so in writing by July 14^th, 2001. Comments must then by filed with the Commission by August 8^th, 2001. Finally, parties may file reply comments by August 22^nd, 2001.

Reference Document: Public Notice CRTC 2001-71

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General Inquiries:
   Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
   Tel: (819) 997-0313, TDD: (819) 994-0423, Fax: (819) 994-0218
   Toll-free # 1-877-249-CRTC (2782), eMail: info@crtc.gc.ca 
   TDD - Toll-free # 1-877-909-2782
Media Relations:
   Denis Carmel, Tel: (819) 997-9403, eMail: denis.carmel@crtc.gc.ca 

Copies of today’s documents are available through our Internet site (http://www.crtc.gc.ca) or by contacting the public examination room of any CRTC office. These documents are available in alternative format upon request.

Date Modified: 2001-06-18

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