News Release

April 22, 2002

CRTC APPROVES A NEW AREA CODE AND
10-DIGIT DIALING FOR SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

OTTAWA-GATINEAU - 10-digit dialing and a new telephone area code will be coming to southwestern Ontario by 2005. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has approved these two measures as part of a relief plan to deal with the dwindling supply of telephone numbers in the 519 area code region.

These two steps will increase the quantity of telephone numbers in the region and reduce the waste of numbers. The 519 area code serves a large number of communities and more than a dozen cities in southwestern Ontario, including Guelph, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Owen Sound, Stratford and Windsor.

The relief plan calls for a new area code to serve the same geographic region as the 519 area code by the first quarter of 2005. This approach will allow existing telephone numbers and current exchange boundaries to remain unchanged. After its introduction, new telephone numbers will be assigned in the new area code.

The plan also calls for 10-digit dialing to be phased in over a four-month period before the new area code is introduced. During the phase-in period, a recorded message will remind customers who use seven-digits for local calls to use 10-digits, however, seven-digit dialing will still work. After the phase-in period, anyone making local calls within area code 519, or between points in area code 519 and neighbouring area codes, will need to dial 10-digits. The phase-in period will also allow businesses to make necessary adjustments to telecommunications equipment.

To help users in southwestern Ontario deal with these changes, the CRTC has called for a comprehensive consumer awareness program to be developed to advise telephone users in the 519 and adjacent area codes about the upcoming changes.

The relief plan, approved by the CRTC, was developed after a process of consultation with both the industry and consumers. Similar relief strategies, including 10-digit local dialing, have already been successfully introduced in the Toronto and Vancouver areas. The Commission is confident this relief plan is the best possible solution for both customers and service providers in the southwestern region of Ontario.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

Reference documents:
     Telecom Decision CRTC 2002-25
     Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2001-101
     Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2001-21

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Media Inquiries:
     Denis Carmel, Tel: (819) 997-9403, eMail: denis.carmel@crtc.gc.ca

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

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: 2002-04-22

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