OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC said Wednesday that it has initiated a process to address the projected telephone number shortage that will affect British Columbia within the next six years.
The Canadian Numbering Administrator, which is the authority that administers the distribution of phone numbers in Canada on behalf of the CRTC, told the Commission that the province is expected to run out of telephone numbers by August 2016. The Commission said that it is establishing a relief planning committee to evaluate various options and provide recommendations.
Until 1996, 604 was the only area code in the province. At that time, 250 was introduced to serve the area outside the Greater Vancouver Area. In 2001, area code 778 and 10-digit dialing were introduced in the Greater Vancouver Area, before being extended across the whole province in 2008.
The Commission invites members of the public and telecommunications service providers to participate. Click here for more information on the committee and the procedure.
