Area codes 709 and 879

Area codes 709 and 879 are the telephone area codes in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

History The first telephone system was installed in Newfoundland in 1885, but domestic long-distance calls within the Dominion of Newfoundland could be placed on a limited basis only in 1921. The first long-distance call from Newfoundland to Canada was made on January 10, 1939, by using a shortwave radio link operated by the Canadian Marconi Company in Montréal. Shortwave radio also carried calls from St. John's to London, England.

When the first comprehensive continental telephone numbering plan was created in 1947, establishing the original North American area codes, Newfoundland had not yet become of part of Canada. No provisions had been made to include Newfoundland in the numbering plan. The Newfoundland telephone system was entirely manual, and dial telephones came to St. John's only in 1948.

After Newfoundland's Confederation with the Dominion of Canada was enacted in 1949, the first cross-province long-distance call was placed from St. John's to Port aux Basques in 1949.

In 1949, Newfoundland was added in an expansion of numbering plan area 902, which comprised the three Maritime provinces. The area code remains in use for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick and Newfoundland were split from the NPA with area code 506 in 1955. In 1962, Labrador was split off and combined with Newfoundland to form a new numbering plan area with area code 709. Canadian direct-distance dial locations gradually increased over the next several years, beginning in 1958 with the country's largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. The area codes served mostly for Operator Toll Dialing until customer dialing of long-distance calls became common in the 1960s.

The incumbent local exchange carrier for area code 709 is Bell Aliant. It is owned by Bell Canada, which was formed in 1999 as a result of a merger that included NewTel Communications (previously Newfoundland Telephone). There had been as many as nine companies in Newfoundland and Labrador until 1951. NewTel acquired the last independent company in 1988.

In 2017, area code 879 was assigned as the second area code for Newfoundland and Labrador for relief action by overlay. In July 2020, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator estimated an exhaustion stage for NPA 709 of June 2028, which led to an indefinite suspension of relief action in 2021. Relief planning was rescheduled by the CRTC on September 15, 2023, for activation of an overlay on February 17, 2024.

The central office prefix 988 is used in the numbering plan area in Norman's Bay. As the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission recommended using the three-digit code 988 for suicide prevention, after the United States has implemented the same code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, ten-digit dialling was implemented on April 1, 2023, across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Service area and central office prefixes At the time of creation of the 879 overlay, NPA 709 comprised 209 exchange areas. Premium numbers: 976 Arnold's Cove: 463, 556 Badger: 539 Baie Verte: 297, 529, 532, 554 Battle Harbour: 972 Bay L'Argent: 373 461 Bay Roberts: 222, 680, 683, 703, 786, 787, 788, 983 Beaumont: 264 Belleoram: 881 Bellevue: 442, 762 Bell Island: 488, 849 Birchy Bay: 659, 761 Bishop's Falls: 258, 395 Black Duck Cove: 877 Black Tickle: 471 Bonavista: 218, 468, 470, 476, 704 Botwood: 257, 389 Boyd's Cove: 259, 656 Branch: 338 Brent's Cove: 575, 661 Brig Bay: 247 Brigus: 527, 528 Brown's Arm: 654 Buchans: 672, 719 Burgeo: 886 Burin: 342, 891, 894 Burlington: 239, 252 Burnt Islands, Isle aux Morts, Margaree: 698 Campbellton: 261, 262 Cape Broyle: 432, 756 Carbonear: 501, 595, 596, 597, 945, 978 Carmanville: 291, 534, 858 Cartwright: 938 Catalina: 469, 477 Centreville: 522, 561, 678 Chance Cove: 460, 768 Change Islands: 621 Chapel Arm: 592, 593 Charlottetown (Bonavista Bay): 664, 667 Charlottetown (Labrador): 949 Churchill Falls: 735, 925, 977 Clarenville: 425, 426, 427, 429, 433, 466, 766, 907, 979 Clarke's Head: 676, 767 Codroy: 955 Come By Chance: 472, 542, 557 Comfort Cove-Newstead: 244, 246 Conche: 622 Cook's Harbour: 249 Coomb's Cove: 887 Corner Brook: 216, 289, 388, 412, 612, 619, 630, 632, 634, 637, 638, 639, 640, 660, 785 Cottrell's Cove: 485, 491 Cow Head: 243 Daniel's Harbour: 898 Deer Lake: 215, 299, 391, 633, 635, 636 Degras: 272, 644 Eastport: 303, 526, 677 Englee: 866 English Harbour East: 245, 376 English Harbour West: 888 Fair Haven: 878 Fermeuse: 363, 718 Flatrock: 437 Fleur de Lys: 253 Flower's Cove: 456 Fogo: 266, 270, 863, 989 Forteau: 931 Francois: 842 French Island: 934 Freshwater: 213, 226, 227, 230, 286, 980 Gambo: 524, 564, 674 Gander: 220, 234, 235, 256, 287, 381, 422, 424, 431, 571, 651 Garden Cove: 549, 550 Garnish: 328, 826 Gaultois: 841 Glenwood: 574, 679 Glovertown: 520, 533, 563, 985 Grand Bank: 353, 377, 832 Grand Bruit: 492 Grand Falls-Windsor: 290, 292, 293, 358, 393, 486, 489, 572 Grandois: 423 Great Harbour Deep: 843 Green Island Cove: 475 Greenspond: 223, 269 Grey River: 296 Griquet: 623 Hampden: 455 Hant's Harbour: 586 Happy Valley-Goose Bay: 217, 372, 414, 896, 897, 899, 929, 982, 998 Harbour Breton: 323, 885 Harbour Main: 229, 231 Hare Bay: 523, 537 Harry's Harbour: 624 Hawke's Bay: 248 Heart's Content: 583, 585 Heart's Delight: 588, 590 Hermitage: 880, 883 Hickman's Harbour: 547, 559 Hillgrade: 628, 827 Hillview: 434, 546 Hopedale: 933 Horwood: 671, 892 Humber Arm South: 789 Jackson's Arm: 459 Jamestown: 473 Jeffrey's: 274, 645, 775 Joe Batt's Arm: 658 King's Cove: 447, 448 King's Point: 268, 481 Labrador City - Wabush: 280, 282, 285, 288, 413, 930, 944, 962, 987 Ladle Cove: 670, 874 Lamaline: 369, 857 L'Anse-au-Loup: 927 La Poile: 496 Lark Harbour: 681 La Scie: 566, 675 Leading Tickles: 483 Lewisporte: 535, 541, 569 Little Bay: 267 Little Bay Islands: 626 Little Harbour: 465 Little Heart's Ease: 435, 548 Long Harbour: 228 Long Pond: 240, 284, 480, 744, 781, 834, 835 Lourdes: 271, 642 Lower Island Cove: 584 Lumsden: 281, 530 Main Brook: 865 Makkovik: 923 Mary's Harbour: 921 Marystown: 276, 277, 279, 332, 357, 567, 909, 981 McCallum: 846 McIvers: 688 Millertown: 852 Milltown: 882, 889 Ming's Bight: 254 Monkstown: 356 Monroe: 663 Moreton's Harbour: 684, 831 Mount Carmel: 521, 578 Musgrave Harbour: 655 Musgravetown: 439, 467 Nain: 922 Natuashish: 478 New Chelsea: 586, 591 New Harbour: 580, 582 Newman's Cove: 445, 446 Nipper's Harbour: 255 Norman's Bay: 988 Norris Arm: 653 North West River: 497 Old Perlican: 587, 620 Pacquet: 251, 565 Paradise River: 845 Pasadena: 394, 686 Petite Forte: 428 Pinsent's Arm: 951 Plate Cove: 544, 545 Point Leamington: 484 Pool's Cove: 665 Port Albert: 241 Port au Port: 278, 648 Port aux Basques: 694, 695, 696 Port Blandford: 347, 543 Port Hope Simpson: 960 Port Rexton: 436, 464, 562 Port Saunders: 298, 861 Portugal Cove: 242, 560, 773, 895 Postville: 479 Pouch Cove: 232, 335 Princeton: 462, 558 Raleigh: 452 Ramea: 625 Red Bay: 920 Reef's Harbour: 847 Rencontre East: 848 Rigolet: 947 River of Ponds: 225 Robert's Arm: 650, 652, 869 Rocky Harbour: 419, 458 Roddickton: 457, 774 Rose Blanche: 956 Rushoon: 374, 443 Seal Cove (Fortune Bay): 851 Seal Cove (White Bay): 531 Seldom: 627 Smokey: 961 Sop's Arm: 482 South Brook: 657, 868 Springdale: 668, 673, 692, 867, 990 St. Alban's: 324, 500, 538 St. Anthony: 212, 449, 450, 454 St. Brendan's: 669 St. Bride's: 337, 519 Stephenville: 214, 283, 641, 643, 649, 721, 973 Stephenville Crossing: 444, 646 St. George's: 275, 647 St. John's (including some suburbs): 221, 237, 260, 273, 314, 315, 325, 327, 330, 341, 351, 352, 364, 368, 383, 415, 551, 552, 553, 570, 576, 579, 631, 682, 685, 687, 689, 690, 691, 693, 697, 699, 700, 701, 702, 705, 722, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 733, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 743, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 752, 753, 754, 757, 758, 763, 764, 765, 769, 770, 771, 772, 777, 778, 782, 793, 800, 833, 844, 850, 853, 864, 948, 986, 997, 999 St. Lawrence: 320, 359, 873 St. Lewis: 939 St. Mary's: 295, 525 Summerford: 629, 723 Summerside: 783 Terra Nova: 265 Terrenceville: 375, 662 Torbay: 233, 400, 401, 437, 577 Trepassey: 326, 438, 717 Triton: 263, 421, 441 Trout River: 451 Twillingate: 304, 884, 893 Upper Island Cove: 573, 589, 594, 720, 910, 984 Victoria Conception Bay North: 595, 596 Wesleyville: 348, 536, 540 Western Bay: 598 Westport: 224, 236 Whitbourne: 759, 760 Wild Cove: 329 William's Harbour: 924 Winterton: 583 Witless Bay: 238, 334, 493 Woody Point: 453

Area codes 709 and 879

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