Area codes 343/613 running out of phone numbers faster than expected

GATINEAU — Having been notified last week by the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) that the projected exhaust date (PED) for phone numbers in the 343/613 area code has advanced by 16 months, the CRTC has authorized the CNA to activate what’s called a jeopardy condition plan to deal with the problem. The 343/613 area codes cover the Ottawa area and eastern Ontario, including the cities of Kingston, Belleville, Brockville, Pembroke, Bancroft and Cornwall. (The 343 area code was added to the 613 region almost 11 years ago, in May 2010.) The CNA’s January 2021 Relief-Numbering Resource Utilization Forecast (R-NRUF) shows...