Phone prefixes in Dorchester

In numbers

In-service prefixes

15

Telephone numbers covered

150,000

Carriers

13

Area codes

5

Provinces and territories

2

First assignment

May 26, 2005

Most recent assignment

August 1, 2023

Provinces and territories

This name is used for separate rate centres in 2 provinces. The prefixes below share a name in the CNAC register but belong to different communities.

• Ontario — 9 prefixes
• New Brunswick — 6 prefixes

Dorchester’s share of its area codes

Within area code 506, Dorchester accounts for only 6 of 677 prefixes (0.9%): the code is dominated by Moncton and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 226, Dorchester accounts for only 3 of 778 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by London and spread over 166 rate centres. Within area code 519, Dorchester accounts for only 3 of 779 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by London and spread over 210 rate centres. Within area code 548, Dorchester accounts for only 2 of 500 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by London and spread over 170 rate centres. Within area code 382, Dorchester accounts for only 1 of 60 prefixes (1.7%): the code is dominated by Kitchener-Waterloo and spread over 38 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Distributel holds the largest share at 2 prefixes, 13.3% of the total, ahead of 12 other carriers. Code by code: in 506, Distributel leads with 1 of 6 prefixes ahead of 5 others; in 226, Distributel leads with 1 of 3 prefixes ahead of 2 others; in 519, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Cable) leads with 1 of 3 prefixes ahead of 2 others; in 548, Fibernetics Corporation leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; IXICA Communications Inc. is the only holder in 382. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Dorchester’s 5 area codes, while 11 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

2 of Dorchester’s 15 prefixes (13.3%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Fido Solutions Inc and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless). Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Distributel, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Cable), Aliant Telecom(NB) and Bell Canada. 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

Dorchester’s dated assignments run from 2005 to 2023. The busiest period was 2020–2024, when 5 prefixes went to 5 carriers. 2 prefixes (13%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 5 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.

Dorchester’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Aliant Telecom(NB) and Bell Canada: these carriers made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Cable) in 2005. The most recent arrivals are ISP Telecom Inc. (2023), IXICA Communications Inc. (2023) and TekSavvy Solutions Inc (2021), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Dorchester.

Dorchester has only 15 prefixes, or 150,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.

No single carrier dominates Dorchester: the leader, Distributel, holds only 13.3% of the prefixes against 12 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: 38.5% of the dated prefixes go back to the last ten years, the most active period being 2020–2024. The rate centre is growing at a regular rather than explosive pace.

2 undated in the register.

Dialling a Dorchester number

Dorchester is served by 5 overlaid area codes (506, 226, 519, 548 and 382). A 382 number is no more “out of town” than a 506 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

Dorchester shares area codes 506, 226, 519, 548 and 382 with at least 20 other rate centres, including London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor, Moncton, Saint John, Guelph, Brantford and Fredericton. The largest of them, London, holds 217 prefixes in 226, 382, 519 and 548; the smallest on the list, Listowel, has just 23.

What a Dorchester number tells you

A number attached to Dorchester tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Ontario, most often Distributel. It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 13 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 Ontario area code is easy to borrow to look local.

Reading a register entry for Dorchester: code 506-528 is recorded for Distributel, so every 506-528-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Dorchester, Ontario” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Dorchester prefix

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

Had a call from a Dorchester 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 15 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Ontario