Phone prefixes in Chibougamau, QC

In numbers

In-service prefixes

12

Telephone numbers covered

120,000

Carriers

7

Area codes

3

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

March 28, 2013

Most recent assignment

June 24, 2024

Chibougamau’s share of its area codes

Within area code 581, Chibougamau accounts for only 9 of 778 prefixes (1.2%): the code is dominated by Quebec and spread over 232 rate centres. Within area code 418, Chibougamau accounts for only 2 of 777 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Quebec and spread over 258 rate centres. Within area code 367, Chibougamau accounts for only 1 of 233 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by Quebec and spread over 111 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Iristel Inc. holds the largest share at 3 prefixes, 25.0% of the total, ahead of 6 other carriers. Code by code: in 581, Iristel Inc. leads with 2 of 9 prefixes ahead of 5 others; Telebec Ltee. is the only holder in 418; Iristel Inc. is the only holder in 367. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Chibougamau’s 3 area codes, while 6 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

3 of Chibougamau’s 12 prefixes (25.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility and TELUS Mobility. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Iristel Inc, ISP Telecom Inc, Telebec Ltee and SSi Micro Ltd. 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

Chibougamau’s dated assignments run from 2013 to 2024. The busiest period was 2010–2014, when 4 prefixes went to 4 carriers. 2 prefixes (17%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 2 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.

Chibougamau’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Telebec Ltee: this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to ISP Telecom Inc. in 2013. The most recent arrivals are SSi Micro Ltd. (2021), Iristel Inc. (2016) and TELUS Quebec (2014), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Chibougamau.

Chibougamau has only 12 prefixes, or 120,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.

No single carrier dominates Chibougamau: the leader, Iristel Inc., holds only 25.0% of the prefixes against 6 competitors, a sign of a highly fragmented market where cable companies, mobility brands and VoIP providers weigh as much as the incumbent.

Demand remains steady: 20.0% of the dated prefixes go back to the last ten years, the most active period being 2010–2014. The rate centre is growing at a regular rather than explosive pace.

The register also shows 1 prefix assigned but not yet in service in Chibougamau (Cogeco Connexion Inc): numbers that will start showing up on call displays in the coming months.

2 undated in the register.

Dialling a Chibougamau number

Chibougamau is served by 3 overlaid area codes (581, 418 and 367). A 367 number is no more “out of town” than a 581 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

Chibougamau shares area codes 581, 418 and 367 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Quebec, Chicoutimi, Alma, Rimouski, Riviere-du-Loup, Thetford Mines, Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce and Levis. The largest of them, Quebec, holds 282 prefixes in 367, 418 and 581; the smallest on the list, Saint-Henri-de-Levis, has just 16.

What a Chibougamau number tells you

A number attached to Chibougamau tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Quebec, most often Iristel Inc.. It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 7 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 Quebec area code is easy to borrow to look local.

Reading a register entry for Chibougamau: code 581-481 is recorded for Iristel Inc., so every 581-481-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Chibougamau, Quebec” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Chibougamau prefix

Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Chibougamau, with its original holder and year of assignment.

Had a call from a Chibougamau number?

No clear pattern in reports on these numbers yet. If a call worried you:

1. Call back on a number you trust

   If a caller says they are your bank, the Canada Revenue Agency, a courier or your phone company, hang up and call the organization on the number from its website or your statement, never the number that called you. Caller ID can be faked.

2. Report the fraud

   Report the call or text to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online or at 1-888-495-8501. If you lost money or gave out personal details, tell your bank first, then your local police.

   Report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre ↗

3. Register on the National Do Not Call List

   Registering a landline or mobile on the National DNCL is free. Registered charities, political parties, newspapers and companies you already do business with may still call.

   National Do Not Call List ↗Who can still call you ↗

4. Forward suspicious texts to 7726

   Forward a scam or spam text to 7726 (SPAM on the keypad). It's free, and your carrier uses it to block the sender. Don't tap links or reply.

   Get Cyber Safe: forwarding to 7726 ↗

Allocated prefixes

All 12 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Quebec