Area codes 905, 289, and 365

Area codes 905, 289, and 365 are overlay area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in Southern Ontario, Canada, particularly covering the Niagara Peninsula, the city of Hamilton, Halton Region, Peel Region, York Region, and Durham Region. Area code 905 was assigned on October 4, 1993, as a split from area code 416. After 289 was overlaid on June 9, 2001, all local calls required ten-digit dialling. On April 13, 2010, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) introduced the overlay area code 365,[1] which became operational on March 25, 2013.[2][3] The three area codes are expected to become exhausted by March 2025.[4]

The plan area surrounds the overlay area codes 416/647/437, which cover the city of Toronto, leading residents to popularly coin suburban Toronto as "the 905". It is bound by area code 519/226 in the west, 705/249 in the north, 613/343 in the east, and New York State area code 716 on the eastern prong of the Niagara Peninsula. The incumbent local exchange carrier for these area codes is Bell Canada.

History

The 905 area code was once used as a block of alternate numbers for calls from the United States to Mexico (+52-5-...) in the days when overseas calls otherwise would have needed to be placed through a telephone operator. This use became obsolete with the widespread introduction of direct dial overseas calls and was completely abolished no later than February 1, 1991. Partly because of this prior usage of the number 905, area code 905 was the last of the "original-1947-format" area codes (that is, area codes with "0" [zero] or "1" [one] for the middle digit, and 2-9 for the first digit) to be assigned.

By October 1991, area code 905 had been assigned to relieve exchanges in the Greater Toronto Area—which, then as now, was Canada's largest toll-free calling zone. While the Golden Horseshoe's explosive growth would have made another area code necessary in any event, the timetable was significantly increased due to Canada's inefficient system of number allocation. Canada does not use number pooling as a relief measure. Each CLEC is assigned blocks of 10,000 numbers for every rate centre where it plans to offer service, no matter how small. While most rate centres don't need nearly that many numbers, a number is unavailable for reassignment elsewhere once assigned to a CLEC and rate centre. This resulted in thousands of wasted numbers.

The problem was not as severe in the Golden Horseshoe as in the rest of Canada; then as now, numbers tended to be used up fairly quickly. However, the proliferation of cell phones, pagers, fax machines, and dial-up Internet connections made it apparent that the Golden Horseshoe needed another area code. it is very likely that a split would have been staved off for somewhat longer had it been possible to reallocate numbers in the Golden Horseshoe's smaller rate centres to Toronto.

Automatic number identification (ANI) on the NPA's switching systems began transmission on October 11, 1992 for some central office codes. The new numbering plan area (NPA) entered service on October 11, 1993. Permissive dialing of 416 continued across the Golden Horseshoe until January 1, 1994.

Five years after its introduction, 905 was close to exhaustion far sooner than anticipated, again due to the number allocation problem. By 1999, the CRTC had established an ad-hoc committee to study NPA relief planning for area code 905. A split of the 905 NPA was considered, with various options presented:

The overlay option was chosen because it would cause the least disruption; it would require no changes for existing customers in the 905 area. It would also be far easier to implement technically. Bell and the other carriers in the area were especially supportive of an overlay; they did not want to force their customers to have to change their numbers for the second time in less than a decade or force en masse reprogramming of cell phones. For the same reason, Toronto itself was overlaid with area code 647 (and later 437).

The 289 NPA overlay was approved by the CRTC on August 15, 2000 (Order CRTC 2000-772). Earlier that month, Toufic Saliba, consultant and technical engineer at the Commission, directed the addition of area code 289 in the 905 area code region. In doing so, Saliba directed that all carriers put in place a 10-digit dialing plan for all local calls. In this order, the Commission directed Bell Canada to implement the 10-digit local dialing plan.[5] 289 came into service on April 7, 2001, and was in full operation by June 9, 2001.

905 officially became exhausted in November 2005. All new central office prefixes are assigned in NPA 289, as there are no longer any available prefixes in 905. Part of the problem stemmed from the creation of "megacities" across Ontario at the turn of the millennium. Many of these enlarged cities are split between multiple rate centres which have never been amalgamated. The largest city in the NPA, Mississauga--the sixth-largest city in all of Canada--is split between five rate centres, even though it has been a single municipality since 1974. Another example is Hamilton; it is split between nine rate centres.

Due to the fact that this is a large and rapidly growing region, area code 365 was assigned for further relief on March 25, 2013, and area code 742 has been set aside for further relief as the area is expected to exhaust by 2036 at current growth rates.[6]

The term the 905 or the 905 belt is used to describe the suburban areas of the Greater Toronto Area,[7] while Toronto proper is referred to as the 416. The term 905er is often used pejoratively by downtown and inner-city Toronto residents to refer to people from Toronto's suburbs.[8]

Canadian rapper Maestro rendered homage to the area code in his song "416/905 (TO Party Anthem)".

In June 2015, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment announced the formation of an NBA Development League team for the Toronto Raptors based in Mississauga called Raptors 905.

Rate centres and central office codes

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hui, Ann (April 13, 2010). "‘905’ gets some new numbers". Toronto Star. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  2. ↑ Lu, Vanessa (July 22, 2011). Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers. Missing or empty |title= (help);
  3. ↑ "2 new area codes coming to GTA next month". CBC News. February 13, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2013.
  4. ↑ "NPA 289/905" (PDF). Canadian Numbering Administrator. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Order CRTC 2001-840 (copy archived February 3, 2004)
  6. ↑ "Telecom Decision CRTC 2010-213". Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "905 region to add new area code". CBC News. April 13, 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2010. The area around Toronto is known colloquially as "the 905," after the area code that was added in 1993 and covers such areas as Mississauga and Niagara Falls.
  8. ↑ Toronto, Cultural Tips, Places of a Lifetime, Travel, Photography - National Geographic
Ontario area codes: 226, 249, 289, 343, 365, 416, 519, 613, 647, 705, 807, 905
North: 705
West: 519/226 Area codes 905 and 289 completely surrounding 416/647 East: 613/343, 716
South: 716, 585, Lake Ontario
New York area codes: 212, 315, 332, 347, 516, 518, 585, 607, 631, 646, 680, 716, 718, 838, 845, 914, 917, 929, 934

Coordinates: 43°37′48″N 79°50′20″W / 43.630°N 79.839°W / 43.630; -79.839

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