New area code, dialling scheme coming to New Brunswick

A person uses a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, July 18, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

People in New Brunswick will soon have to change how they dial phone numbers, as the 506 area code reaches capacity.

Starting Jan. 20, 2023, New Brunswickers will need to dial 10 digits -- the area code followed by the seven-digit phone number – for all local calls. This will affect all residents and businesses in the province.

“It is important that residents and businesses start reprogramming their communications equipment prior to Jan. 20, 2023, in order to avoid any inconveniences that may be caused by the changes. The goal of our communications efforts is to ensure that everyone is prepared ahead of time,” said Kelly T. Walsh, program manager of the Canadian Numbering Administrator, in a news release.

The move is a result of a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decision from October, which introduced the addition of the new 428 area code for the province.

Starting April 29, 2023, the new area code will be added in New Brunswick and will coexist with the current 506 area code.

Those with 506 area codes will keep their original phone numbers. The 428 area code will only be assigned when the existing inventory of 506 numbers runs out.

The Telecommunications Alliance, a group of major Canadian communications companies, is leading a campaign to inform residents and businesses across New Brunswick about local 10-digit dialling and the new area code.

The alliance recommends people start using 10 digits for all their local calls now, to ensure a successful transition.

It also says residents and businesses should add the 506 area code to programmed numbers in all of their communications devices and equipment, including landlines and cellphones, auto-dialers, computers, alarm systems and lifeline equipment.

As of Thursday, local calls dialled with only seven digits may be intercepted by a network announcement before being connected.

The alliance says the recorded announcement may disrupt data transmission, so it's important to make the necessary dialling changes in advance of Jan. 20, 2023.