Area code 226

Area code 226 holds 778 in-service central-office prefixes in the CNAC register, covering roughly 7,780,000 telephone numbers. They are split between 30 carriers and 166 rate centres. The largest is London. Recorded assignments run from July 19, 2006 to April 28, 2021. That ranks it 11 of 55 Canadian area codes by prefix count.

Background reading: Caller ID spoofing, STIR/SHAKEN, and how to actually block calls in Canada · Canadian area codes, overlays, and what a 416 number actually tells you · One-ring scams and the Caribbean area codes that look Canadian

In numbers

In-service prefixes: 778
Telephone numbers covered: 7,780,000
Carriers: 30
Rate centres: 166
Provinces and territories: 1
First assignment: July 19, 2006
Most recent assignment: April 28, 2021

Who holds these numbers

Iristel Inc. holds the largest share at 83 prefixes, 10.7% of the total, ahead of 29 other carriers.

Carrier	Prefixes	Share	First assigned
Iristel Inc.	83	10.7 %	2007
Distributel	74	9.5 %	2008
TELUS Integrated Communications	74	9.5 %	2008
Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless)	67	8.6 %	2006
TekSavvy Solutions Inc	64	8.2 %	2015
Fibernetics Corporation	55	7.1 %	2007
TELUS Mobility	41	5.3 %	2006
InnSysVoice Corp	38	4.9 %	2015
Bell Mobility	35	4.5 %	2006
Comwave Networks	35	4.5 %	2012
Execulink Telecom Inc.	35	4.5 %	2007
Bragg Communications Inc.	34	4.4 %	2009
Fido Solutions Inc.	24	3.1 %	2006
Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Cable)	22	2.8 %	2007
ISP Telecom Inc.	18	2.3 %	2007
Videotron Ltd.	18	2.3 %	2010
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc.	11	1.4 %	2010
Managed Network Systems Inc.	8	1.0 %	2009
Mornington Communications Co-operative Ltd.	7	0.9 %	2009
Gosfield North Communication Co-operative Ltd.	6	0.8 %	2013
IXICA Communications Inc.	5	0.6 %	2020
Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc.	4	0.5 %	2011
Wightman Communications Ltd.	4	0.5 %	2007
Zayo Canada Inc.	4	0.5 %	2007
Hay Communications Co-operative ltd.	3	0.4 %	2012
Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Ltd.	3	0.4 %	2008
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Ltd.	2	0.3 %	2012
Bruce Municipal Telephone System	2	0.3 %	2015
Bell Canada	1	0.1 %	2010
Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Ltd.	1	0.1 %	2015

Where these numbers land

Prefixes in 226 serve 166 rate centres. A rate centre is the billing area a prefix is attached to, not where the handset is.

Rate centre	Province	Prefixes	Carriers
London	ON	72	16
Kitchener-Waterloo	ON	54	17
Windsor	ON	44	15
Brantford	ON	28	13
Guelph	ON	27	14
Chatham	ON	22	13
Hespeler	ON	17	13
Sarnia	ON	17	12
Owen Sound	ON	14	11
Stratford	ON	14	9
Woodstock	ON	13	7
Galt	ON	12	9
Tillsonburg	ON	8	6
Walkerton	ON	8	7
Belmont	ON	7	5
Goderich	ON	7	6
Listowel	ON	7	6
Orangeville	ON	7	6
Simcoe	ON	7	7
Acton	ON	6	6
Essex	ON	6	4
Exeter	ON	6	6
Glencoe	ON	6	6
Leamington	ON	6	5
Linwood	ON	6	6
Preston	ON	6	6
Wellesley	ON	6	6
Ayr	ON	5	5
Breslau	ON	5	5
Centralia	ON	5	5
Clinton	ON	5	4
Crediton	ON	5	5
Drayton	ON	5	5
Durham	ON	5	4
Maidstone	ON	5	4
Plattsville	ON	5	5
Rockwood	ON	5	5
St. Clements	ON	5	5
St. Thomas	ON	5	3
Watford	ON	5	5
Alvinston	ON	4	4
Baden	ON	4	4
Belle River	ON	4	4
Blenheim	ON	4	4
Comber	ON	4	4
Elmira	ON	4	4
Emeryville	ON	4	4
Highgate	ON	4	4
Lucan	ON	4	4
New Dundee	ON	4	4
New Hamburg	ON	4	4
Paris	ON	4	4
Petrolia	ON	4	4
Ridgetown	ON	4	4
St. Jacobs	ON	4	4
Strathroy	ON	4	4
Thornbury	ON	4	4
Tilbury	ON	4	4
Wallaceburg	ON	4	4
Wheatley	ON	4	4
Wingham	ON	4	3
Amherstburg	ON	3	3
Arthur	ON	3	3
Aylmer	ON	3	3
Bothwell	ON	3	3
Bright's Grove	ON	3	3
Chesley	ON	3	3
Corunna	ON	3	3
Courtright	ON	3	3
Dorchester	ON	3	3
Dresden	ON	3	3
Elora	ON	3	3
Fergus	ON	3	3
Harrow	ON	3	3
Ilderton	ON	3	3
Kingsville	ON	3	3
La Salle	ON	3	3
Lambeth	ON	3	3
Markdale	ON	3	3
McGregor	ON	3	3

How the allocation was built up

Period	Prefixes	Carriers
2005–2009	189	17
2010–2014	245	24
2015–2019	256	24
2020–2024	88	8

Overlay area codes

226 shares its rate centres with 519, 548, 382, 506, 782, 902, 236, 250, 428, 819, 873, 204. Overlay codes cover the same ground, which is why ten-digit dialling is required: two neighbours on one street can hold different area codes.

Allocated prefixes

Showing 284 of 778 prefixes, largest rate centres first.

London, ON

226-209 · 226-213 · 226-219 · 226-224 · 226-234 · 226-235 · 226-236 · 226-237 · 226-238 · 226-239

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON

226-214 · 226-215 · 226-220 · 226-240 · 226-241 · 226-243 · 226-317 · 226-336 · 226-338 · 226-339

Windsor, ON

226-216 · 226-221 · 226-246 · 226-260 · 226-280 · 226-315 · 226-340 · 226-344 · 226-345 · 226-346

Brantford, ON

226-208 · 226-227 · 226-250 · 226-267 · 226-269 · 226-368 · 226-381 · 226-387 · 226-388 · 226-400

Guelph, ON

226-203 · 226-217 · 226-251 · 226-299 · 226-314 · 226-326 · 226-332 · 226-337 · 226-343 · 226-361

Chatham, ON

226-205 · 226-229 · 226-281 · 226-282 · 226-296 · 226-312 · 226-404 · 226-494 · 226-542 · 226-626

Hespeler, ON

226-201 · 226-218 · 226-319 · 226-341 · 226-360 · 226-475 · 226-566 · 226-589 · 226-608 · 226-696

Sarnia, ON

226-254 · 226-313 · 226-349 · 226-357 · 226-402 · 226-472 · 226-672 · 226-710 · 226-718 · 226-776

Owen Sound, ON

226-256 · 226-277 · 226-279 · 226-379 · 226-424 · 226-537 · 226-568 · 226-664 · 226-668 · 226-908

Stratford, ON

226-261 · 226-300 · 226-354 · 226-584 · 226-633 · 226-766 · 226-775 · 226-779 · 226-786 · 226-801

Woodstock, ON

226-228 · 226-232 · 226-242 · 226-253 · 226-536 · 226-547 · 226-557 · 226-705 · 226-793 · 226-795

Galt, ON

226-318 · 226-362 · 226-474 · 226-533 · 226-588 · 226-607 · 226-616 · 226-742 · 226-765 · 226-859

Tillsonburg, ON

226-231 · 226-351 · 226-352 · 226-553 · 226-641 · 226-741 · 226-970 · 226-993

Walkerton, ON

226-230 · 226-257 · 226-285 · 226-436 · 226-681 · 226-839 · 226-840 · 226-990

Belmont, ON

226-406 · 226-407 · 226-489 · 226-570 · 226-639 · 226-815 · 226-948

Goderich, ON

226-222 · 226-408 · 226-421 · 226-458 · 226-543 · 226-939 · 226-963

Listowel, ON

226-306 · 226-430 · 226-622 · 226-640 · 226-756 · 226-767 · 226-885

Orangeville, ON

226-200 · 226-259 · 226-309 · 226-558 · 226-850 · 226-916 · 226-917

Simcoe, ON

226-206 · 226-440 · 226-514 · 226-534 · 226-550 · 226-567 · 226-931

Acton, ON

226-298 · 226-327 · 226-540 · 226-828 · 226-876 · 226-901

Essex, ON

226-479 · 226-602 · 226-605 · 226-629 · 226-844 · 226-906

Exeter, ON

226-393 · 226-423 · 226-574 · 226-735 · 226-762 · 226-945

Glencoe, ON

226-427 · 226-488 · 226-585 · 226-690 · 226-873 · 226-944

Leamington, ON

226-202 · 226-286 · 226-638 · 226-843 · 226-918 · 226-936

Linwood, ON

226-233 · 226-516 · 226-695 · 226-764 · 226-823 · 226-861

Preston, ON

226-204 · 226-473 · 226-512 · 226-535 · 226-714 · 226-865

Wellesley, ON

226-244 · 226-529 · 226-660 · 226-729 · 226-819 · 226-869

Ayr, ON

226-538 · 226-556 · 226-642 · 226-740 · 226-854

Breslau, ON

226-366 · 226-510 · 226-632 · 226-754 · 226-856

Centralia, ON

226-425 · 226-491 · 226-571 · 226-728 · 226-847

Clinton, ON

226-420 · 226-455 · 226-457 · 226-532 · 226-699

Crediton, ON

226-426 · 226-492 · 226-572 · 226-744 · 226-849

Drayton, ON

226-223 · 226-530 · 226-760 · 226-818 · 226-857

Durham, ON

226-258 · 226-432 · 226-702 · 226-907 · 226-953

Maidstone, ON

226-252 · 226-481 · 226-643 · 226-827 · 226-836

Plattsville, ON

226-353 · 226-518 · 226-656 · 226-713 · 226-864

Rockwood, ON

226-328 · 226-539 · 226-576 · 226-838 · 226-902

St. Clements, ON

226-255 · 226-515 · 226-715 · 226-824 · 226-866

St. Thomas, ON

226-210 · 226-212 · 226-546 · 226-956 · 226-994

Watford, ON

226-462 · 226-508 · 226-720 · 226-848 · 226-870

Allocation source: Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNAC), the registry that records which carrier a central-office code was originally issued to. An allocation says who was issued the prefix, not who serves the number today: numbers can be ported between carriers, and caller ID can be spoofed outright.