Phone prefixes in Cold Lake, AB
Cold Lake, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 5 in-service prefixes there, held by 4 carriers and spread across 3 area codes (587, 780, 825). With 5 prefixes, Cold Lake is a small rate centre within Alberta: 98th of 337, holding 0.2% of the province’s prefixes, and 1081st 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
- 5
- Telephone numbers covered
- 50,000
- Carriers
- 4
- Area codes
- 3
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- October 30, 2009
- Most recent assignment
- May 1, 2018
Cold Lake’s share of its area codes
Within area code 587, Cold Lake accounts for only 2 of 779 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 137 rate centres. Within area code 780, Cold Lake accounts for only 2 of 780 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 825, Cold Lake accounts for only 1 of 769 prefixes (0.1%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 301 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 587 | 2 | 779 | 0.3 % | 587-381 – 587-491 | Calgary |
| 780 | 2 | 780 | 0.3 % | 780-639 – 780-654 | Edmonton |
| 825 | 1 | 769 | 0.1 % | 825-723 – 825-723 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
TELUS holds the largest share at 2 prefixes, 40.0% of the total, ahead of 3 other carriers. Code by code: in 587, TELUS leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; in 780, TELUS leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; Distributel is the only holder in 825. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Cold Lake’s 3 area codes, while 3 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 587 | 780 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TELUS | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Bell West Inc. | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Bragg Communications Inc. | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Distributel | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
None of Cold Lake’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 5 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them TELUS, Bell West Inc, Bragg Communications Inc and Distributel. A call showing a Cold Lake number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.
How the allocation was built up
Cold Lake’s dated assignments run from 2009 to 2018. The busiest period was 2015–2019, when 3 prefixes went to 3 carriers. 1 prefixes (20%) 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 Cold Lake is flat.
Cold Lake’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 Bragg Communications Inc. in 2009. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2018), TELUS (2016) and Bell West Inc. (2015), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Cold Lake.
Cold Lake has just 5 prefixes (50,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
TELUS leads with 40.0% of the prefixes, but 3 competitors have set up in Cold Lake: a market where the incumbent keeps the edge without exclusivity.
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 Cold Lake numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–2009 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015–2019 | 3 | 3 |
1 undated in the register.
Dialling a Cold Lake number
Cold Lake is served by 3 overlaid area codes (587, 780 and 825). A 825 number is no more “out of town” than a 587 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Cold Lake shares area codes 587, 780 and 825 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Sherwood Park and Peace River. The largest of them, Edmonton, holds 489 prefixes in 587, 780 and 825; the smallest on the list, High Level, has just 16.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 489 | 18 |
| Calgary | AB | 587, 825 | 341 | 18 |
| Fort McMurray | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 60 | 13 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 49 | 13 |
| Red Deer | AB | 587, 825 | 31 | 13 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 587, 825 | 25 | 12 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 25 | 8 |
| Peace River | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 24 | 10 |
| St. Albert | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 23 | 8 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 9 |
| Leduc | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 10 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 9 |
| Medicine Hat | AB | 587, 825 | 21 | 10 |
| Camrose | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 20 | 11 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 18 | 7 |
| Edson | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 18 | 9 |
| Banff | AB | 587, 825 | 17 | 10 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 17 | 7 |
| High River | AB | 587, 825 | 17 | 10 |
| High Level | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 16 | 6 |
What a Cold Lake number tells you
A number attached to Cold Lake tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Alberta, most often TELUS. 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 Cold Lake: code 587-491 is recorded for TELUS, so every 587-491-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Cold Lake, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Cold Lake prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Cold Lake, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 587-381 | Bell West Inc. | 2015 |
| 587-491 | TELUS | 2016 |
| 780-639 | TELUS | undated |
| 780-654 | Bragg Communications Inc. | 2009 |
| 825-723 | Distributel | 2018 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Cold Lake?
Cold Lake does not have one area code but 3: 587, 780 and 825. The best-stocked is 587. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Cold Lake a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 0.0% of Cold Lake’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Cold Lake number?
In the register, TELUS holds the most prefixes in Cold Lake (2 of 5), ahead of 3 other carriers. Code 587-491, for instance, belongs to TELUS.
Is this Cold Lake 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 Cold Lake?
The latest code brought into service is 825-723, assigned to Distributel on May 1, 2018. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 780-654, goes to Bragg Communications Inc. (October 30, 2009). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 5 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Cold Lake, AB
587-381 · 587-491 · 780-639 · 780-654 · 825-723
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canmore | AB | 26 | 13 |
| Airdrie | AB | 23 | 10 |
| Strathmore | AB | 22 | 12 |
| Brooks | AB | 19 | 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.