Phone prefixes in Canso, NS
Canso, NS is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 3 in-service prefixes there, held by 3 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (902, 782). With 3 prefixes, Canso is a small rate centre within Nova Scotia: 88th of 146, holding 0.2% of the province’s prefixes, and 1558th 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
- 3
- Telephone numbers covered
- 30,000
- Carriers
- 3
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- April 21, 2016
- Most recent assignment
- June 6, 2017
Canso’s share of its area codes
Within area code 902, Canso accounts for only 2 of 782 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Halifax and spread over 175 rate centres. Within area code 782, Canso accounts for only 1 of 456 prefixes (0.2%): the code is dominated by Halifax and spread over 142 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 902 | 2 | 782 | 0.3 % | 902-366 – 902-710 | Halifax |
| 782 | 1 | 456 | 0.2 % | 782-434 – 782-434 | Halifax |
Who holds these numbers
Aliant Telecom (NS) holds the largest share at 1 prefixes, 33.3% of the total, ahead of 2 other carriers. Code by code: in 902, Aliant Telecom (NS) leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; Bragg Communications Inc. is the only holder in 782. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Canso’s 2 area codes, while 3 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 902 | 782 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aliant Telecom (NS) | 1 | — | 1 |
| Bragg Communications Inc. | — | 1 | 1 |
| Iristel Inc. | 1 | — | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
None of Canso’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 3 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them Aliant Telecom (NS), Bragg Communications Inc and Iristel Inc. A call showing a Canso number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.
How the allocation was built up
Canso’s dated assignments run from 2016 to 2017. The busiest period was 2015–2019, when 2 prefixes went to 2 carriers. 1 prefixes (33%) 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 Canso is flat.
Canso’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Aliant Telecom (NS): this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Bragg Communications Inc. in 2016. The most recent arrivals are Iristel Inc. (2017) and Bragg Communications Inc. (2016), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Canso.
Canso has just 3 prefixes (30,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
No single carrier dominates Canso: the leader, Aliant Telecom (NS), holds only 33.3% of the prefixes against 2 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 Canso numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
Dialling a Canso number
Canso is served by 2 overlaid area codes (902 and 782). A 782 number is no more “out of town” than a 902 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Canso shares area codes 902 and 782 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Halifax, Charlottetown, Sydney, Truro, Amherst, New Glasgow, Kentville and Summerside. The largest of them, Halifax, holds 220 prefixes in 782 and 902; the smallest on the list, Musquodoboit Harbour, has just 12.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax | NS | 782, 902 | 220 | 15 |
| Charlottetown | PE | 782, 902 | 54 | 11 |
| Sydney | NS | 782, 902 | 44 | 11 |
| Truro | NS | 782, 902 | 30 | 12 |
| Amherst | NS | 782, 902 | 27 | 12 |
| New Glasgow | NS | 782, 902 | 27 | 10 |
| Kentville | NS | 782, 902 | 25 | 11 |
| Summerside | PE | 782, 902 | 24 | 9 |
| Windsor | NS | 782, 902 | 24 | 12 |
| Bridgewater | NS | 782, 902 | 22 | 12 |
| Yarmouth | NS | 782, 902 | 21 | 10 |
| Antigonish | NS | 782, 902 | 16 | 8 |
| Liverpool | NS | 782, 902 | 16 | 11 |
| Chester | NS | 782, 902 | 15 | 11 |
| Montague | PE | 782, 902 | 14 | 8 |
| Shubenacadie | NS | 782, 902 | 14 | 9 |
| Barrington | NS | 782, 902 | 13 | 8 |
| Digby | NS | 782, 902 | 13 | 8 |
| Alberton | PE | 782, 902 | 12 | 7 |
| Musquodoboit Harbour | NS | 782, 902 | 12 | 9 |
What a Canso number tells you
A number attached to Canso tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Nova Scotia, most often Aliant Telecom (NS). It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 3 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 Nova Scotia area code is easy to borrow to look local.
Reading a register entry for Canso: code 902-366 is recorded for Aliant Telecom (NS), so every 902-366-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Canso, Nova Scotia” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Canso prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Canso, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 782-434 | Bragg Communications Inc. | 2016 |
| 902-366 | Aliant Telecom (NS) | undated |
| 902-710 | Iristel Inc. | 2017 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Canso?
Canso does not have one area code but 2: 902 and 782. The best-stocked is 902. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Canso a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 0.0% of Canso’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Canso number?
In the register, Aliant Telecom (NS) holds the most prefixes in Canso (1 of 3), ahead of 2 other carriers. Code 902-366, for instance, belongs to Aliant Telecom (NS).
Is this Canso 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 Canso?
The latest code brought into service is 902-710, assigned to Iristel Inc. on June 6, 2017. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 782-434, goes to Bragg Communications Inc. (April 21, 2016). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 3 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Canso, NS
782-434 · 902-366 · 902-710
Elsewhere in Nova Scotia
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Port Hawkesbury | NS | 12 | 8 |
| Caledonia | NS | 11 | 7 |
| Shelburne | NS | 11 | 8 |
| Middleton | NS | 10 | 6 |
| Weymouth | NS | 10 | 5 |
| Parrsboro | NS | 9 | 7 |
| Sackville | NS | 9 | 6 |
| Annapolis Royal | NS | 8 | 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.