Phone prefixes in Bow Island, AB
Bow Island, AB 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 (403, 825). With 4 prefixes, Bow Island is a small rate centre within Alberta: 117th of 337, holding 0.1% of the province’s prefixes, and 1280th 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
- April 21, 2009
- Most recent assignment
- July 17, 2019
Bow Island’s share of its area codes
Within area code 403, Bow Island accounts for only 2 of 781 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 142 rate centres. Within area code 825, Bow Island accounts for only 2 of 769 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 301 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 403 | 2 | 781 | 0.3 % | 403-545 – 403-584 | Calgary |
| 825 | 2 | 769 | 0.3 % | 825-697 – 825-985 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
Distributel holds the largest share at 1 prefixes, 25.0% of the total, ahead of 3 other carriers. Code by code: in 403, Shaw Telecom Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; in 825, Distributel leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Bow Island’s 2 area codes, while 4 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 403 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distributel | — | 1 | 1 |
| Shaw Telecom Inc. | 1 | — | 1 |
| TELUS | 1 | — | 1 |
| TELUS Mobility | — | 1 | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
1 of Bow Island’s 4 prefixes (25.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: TELUS Mobility. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Distributel, Shaw Telecom Inc and TELUS. This is a sort by name, not a licence lookup, and a mobile prefix may have been ported to another network since.
How the allocation was built up
Bow Island’s dated assignments run from 2009 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 Bow Island is flat.
Bow Island’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to TELUS: this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Shaw Telecom Inc. in 2009. The most recent arrivals are TELUS Mobility (2019), Distributel (2016) and Shaw Telecom Inc. (2009), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Bow Island.
Bow Island 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 Bow Island: the leader, Distributel, 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 Bow Island 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 Bow Island number
Bow Island is served by 2 overlaid area codes (403 and 825). A 825 number is no more “out of town” than a 403 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Bow Island shares area codes 403 and 825 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, High River, Canmore and Banff. The largest of them, Calgary, holds 516 prefixes in 403 and 825; the smallest on the list, Okotoks, has just 10.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary | AB | 403, 825 | 516 | 20 |
| Edmonton | AB | 825 | 91 | 12 |
| Red Deer | AB | 403, 825 | 51 | 10 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 403, 825 | 42 | 10 |
| Medicine Hat | AB | 403, 825 | 30 | 10 |
| High River | AB | 403, 825 | 20 | 11 |
| Canmore | AB | 403, 825 | 18 | 11 |
| Banff | AB | 403, 825 | 16 | 10 |
| Strathmore | AB | 403, 825 | 15 | 9 |
| Brooks | AB | 403, 825 | 14 | 6 |
| Airdrie | AB | 403, 825 | 13 | 8 |
| Drumheller | AB | 403, 825 | 13 | 8 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 825 | 13 | 4 |
| Olds | AB | 403, 825 | 13 | 9 |
| Rocky Mountain House | AB | 403, 825 | 13 | 9 |
| Pincher Creek | AB | 403, 825 | 12 | 9 |
| Cochrane | AB | 403, 825 | 10 | 7 |
| Crowsnest Pass | AB | 403, 825 | 10 | 6 |
| Hanna | AB | 403, 825 | 10 | 7 |
| Okotoks | AB | 403, 825 | 10 | 7 |
What a Bow Island number tells you
A number attached to Bow Island tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Alberta, most often Distributel. 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 an Alberta area code is easy to borrow to look local.
Reading a register entry for Bow Island: code 825-697 is recorded for Distributel, so every 825-697-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Bow Island, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Bow Island prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Bow Island, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 403-545 | TELUS | undated |
| 403-584 | Shaw Telecom Inc. | 2009 |
| 825-697 | Distributel | 2016 |
| 825-985 | TELUS Mobility | 2019 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Bow Island?
Bow Island does not have one area code but 2: 403 and 825. The best-stocked is 403. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Bow Island a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 25.0% of Bow Island’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Bow Island number?
In the register, Distributel holds the most prefixes in Bow Island (1 of 4), ahead of 3 other carriers. Code 825-697, for instance, belongs to Distributel.
Is this Bow Island 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 Bow Island?
The latest code brought into service is 825-985, assigned to TELUS Mobility on July 17, 2019. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 403-584, goes to Shaw Telecom Inc. (April 21, 2009). 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.
Bow Island, AB
403-545 · 403-584 · 825-697 · 825-985
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort McMurray | AB | 62 | 13 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 49 | 13 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 25 | 8 |
| Peace River | AB | 24 | 10 |
| St. Albert | AB | 23 | 8 |
| Leduc | AB | 21 | 10 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 21 | 9 |
| Camrose | AB | 20 | 11 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 18 | 7 |
| Edson | AB | 18 | 9 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 17 | 7 |
| High Level | AB | 17 | 6 |
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.