Phone prefixes in Alexander, MB
Alexander, MB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 4 in-service prefixes there, held by 4 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (204, 431). With 4 prefixes, Alexander is a small rate centre within Manitoba: 86th of 245, holding 0.3% of the province’s prefixes, and 1279th of 2,921 rate centres across Canada.
Background reading: Canadian area codes, overlays, and what a 416 number actually tells you · Caller ID spoofing, STIR/SHAKEN, and how to actually block calls in Canada
In numbers
- In-service prefixes
- 4
- Telephone numbers covered
- 40,000
- Carriers
- 4
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- May 7, 2008
- Most recent assignment
- January 17, 2019
Alexander’s share of its area codes
Within area code 204, Alexander accounts for only 2 of 781 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Winnipeg and spread over 245 rate centres. Within area code 431, Alexander accounts for only 2 of 571 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by Winnipeg and spread over 146 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 204 | 2 | 781 | 0.3 % | 204-752 – 204-852 | Winnipeg |
| 431 | 2 | 571 | 0.4 % | 431-643 – 431-832 | Winnipeg |
Who holds these numbers
Bell West Inc. holds the largest share at 1 prefixes, 25.0% of the total, ahead of 3 other carriers. Code by code: in 204, MTS Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; in 431, Bell West Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Alexander’s 2 area codes, while 4 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 204 | 431 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bell West Inc. | — | 1 | 1 |
| MTS Inc. | 1 | — | 1 |
| Provincial Tel Inc. | 1 | — | 1 |
| RFNow Inc. | — | 1 | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
None of Alexander’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 4 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them Bell West Inc, MTS Inc, Provincial Tel Inc and RFNow Inc. A call showing a Alexander number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.
How the allocation was built up
Alexander’s dated assignments run from 2008 to 2019. The busiest period was 2015–2019, when 2 prefixes went to 2 carriers. 1 prefixes (25%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. No prefix has been added since 2020: demand for numbers in Alexander is flat.
Alexander’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to MTS Inc: this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Provincial Tel Inc. in 2008. The most recent arrivals are Bell West Inc. (2019), RFNow Inc. (2017) and Provincial Tel Inc. (2008), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Alexander.
Alexander has just 4 prefixes (40,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
No single carrier dominates Alexander: the leader, Bell West Inc., holds only 25.0% of the prefixes against 3 competitors, a sign of a highly fragmented market where cable companies, mobility brands and VoIP providers weigh as much as the incumbent.
Allocation is mature: only 0.0% of the dated prefixes are less than ten years old, most having been handed out in 2015–2019, and 1 prefixes go back to the undated monopoly era. New Alexander numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–2009 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015–2019 | 2 | 2 |
1 undated in the register.
Dialling a Alexander number
Alexander is served by 2 overlaid area codes (204 and 431). A 431 number is no more “out of town” than a 204 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Alexander shares area codes 204 and 431 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage La Prairie, Steinbach, Oakbank, Stonewall, Dauphin and Selkirk. The largest of them, Winnipeg, holds 386 prefixes in 204 and 431; the smallest on the list, The Pas, has just 10.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg | MB | 204, 431 | 386 | 22 |
| Brandon | MB | 204, 431 | 38 | 12 |
| Portage La Prairie | MB | 204, 431 | 32 | 15 |
| Steinbach | MB | 204, 431 | 24 | 10 |
| Oakbank | MB | 204, 431 | 22 | 13 |
| Stonewall | MB | 204, 431 | 20 | 14 |
| Dauphin | MB | 204, 431 | 19 | 9 |
| Selkirk | MB | 204, 431 | 19 | 10 |
| Thompson | MB | 204, 431 | 15 | 7 |
| Winkler | MB | 204, 431 | 15 | 9 |
| Virden | MB | 204, 431 | 13 | 11 |
| Anola | MB | 204, 431 | 11 | 7 |
| Swan River | MB | 204, 431 | 11 | 7 |
| Altona | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 8 |
| Gimli | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 8 |
| Melita | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 7 |
| Morris | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 7 |
| Neepawa | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 9 |
| Roblin | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 9 |
| The Pas | MB | 204, 431 | 10 | 6 |
What a Alexander number tells you
A number attached to Alexander tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Manitoba, most often Bell West Inc.. It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 4 carriers present here or to a VoIP service usable anywhere. Nor does it tell you who is calling: caller ID can be spoofed, and a Manitoba area code is easy to borrow to look local.
Reading a register entry for Alexander: code 431-832 is recorded for Bell West Inc., so every 431-832-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Alexander, Manitoba” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Alexander prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Alexander, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 204-752 | MTS Inc. | undated |
| 204-852 | Provincial Tel Inc. | 2008 |
| 431-643 | RFNow Inc. | 2017 |
| 431-832 | Bell West Inc. | 2019 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Alexander?
Alexander does not have one area code but 2: 204 and 431. The best-stocked is 204. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Alexander a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 0.0% of Alexander’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Alexander number?
In the register, Bell West Inc. holds the most prefixes in Alexander (1 of 4), ahead of 3 other carriers. Code 431-832, for instance, belongs to Bell West Inc..
Is this Alexander number a scam?
The register cannot say: it records who a prefix was issued to, not who is calling. Search the full number above to see the reports filed against it.
What is the newest prefix in Alexander?
The latest code brought into service is 431-832, assigned to Bell West Inc. on January 17, 2019. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 204-852, goes to Provincial Tel Inc. (May 7, 2008). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 4 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Alexander, MB
204-752 · 204-852 · 431-643 · 431-832
Elsewhere in Manitoba
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | MB | 9 | 6 |
| Boissevain | MB | 9 | 8 |
| Flin Flon | MB | 9 | 6 |
| Lac Du Bonnet | MB | 9 | 9 |
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.