GATINEAU – Area code 873 will be rolled out in the area currently served by the 819 code in Quebec starting September 15, the Telecommunications Alliance confirmed Tuesday.
The 819 area code serves western, northern and central Quebec, including the Outaouais, Abitibi, Temiscamingue, the Higher Laurentians, central Quebec (Trois-Rivières, Grand-Mère, Drummondville, Victoriaville) and part of the Eastern Townships (Sherbrooke and Magog).
The two area codes will coexist within the same geographic territory. The 873 code will come into use gradually after September throughout the entire area served by the 819 code. Until then, new numbers with the current area code will continue to be available, and existing numbers will not be affected by the introduction of the new area code.
"The introduction of a new area code in a region does not affect the local calling areas or the way long distance calls are dialled. Special numbers like 9-1-1 will still be dialled using only three digits," said Glenn Pilley, director of the Canadian Numbering Administration, in the announcement. "Introducing new area codes is part of today's reality throughout North America. This measure demonstrates the flexibility and growth potential of the Canadian telecommunications network."
The move comes after a decision by the CRTC designed to meet the continuously growing demand for new telephone numbers.
