Phone prefixes in Fort Erie, ON

In numbers

In-service prefixes

20

Telephone numbers covered

200,000

Carriers

11

Area codes

3

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

May 10, 2001

Most recent assignment

May 30, 2024

Fort Erie’s share of its area codes

Within area code 289, Fort Erie accounts for only 8 of 772 prefixes (1.0%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 87 rate centres. Within area code 365, Fort Erie accounts for only 7 of 702 prefixes (1.0%): the code is dominated by Markham and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 905, Fort Erie accounts for only 5 of 773 prefixes (0.6%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 94 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Bell Canada holds the largest share at 5 prefixes, 25.0% of the total, ahead of 10 other carriers. Code by code: in 289, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) leads with 2 of 8 prefixes ahead of 5 others; in 365, Iristel Inc. leads with 4 of 7 prefixes ahead of 3 others; Bell Canada is the only holder in 905. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Fort Erie’s 3 area codes, while 11 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

4 of Fort Erie’s 20 prefixes (20.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless), Bell Mobility and Fido Solutions Inc. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Bell Canada, Iristel Inc, TELUS Integrated Communications and Distributel. 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

Fort Erie’s dated assignments run from 2001 to 2024. The busiest period was 2005–2009, when 5 prefixes went to 5 carriers. 5 prefixes (25%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 4 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.

Fort Erie’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Bell Canada: this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) in 2001. The most recent arrivals are IXICA Communications Inc. (2020), TekSavvy Solutions Inc (2020) and Distributel (2018), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Fort Erie.

Fort Erie has only 20 prefixes, or 200,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.

No single carrier dominates Fort Erie: the leader, Bell Canada, holds only 25.0% of the prefixes against 10 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: 26.7% of the dated prefixes go back to the last ten years, the most active period being 2005–2009. The rate centre is growing at a regular rather than explosive pace.

5 undated in the register.

Dialling a Fort Erie number

Fort Erie is served by 3 overlaid area codes (289, 365 and 905). A 905 number is no more “out of town” than a 289 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

Fort Erie shares area codes 289, 365 and 905 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Hamilton, Oshawa, Brampton, St. Catharines-Thorold, Oakville, Markham, Cooksville and Ajax-Pickering. The largest of them, Hamilton, holds 213 prefixes in 289, 365 and 905; the smallest on the list, Woodbridge, has just 28.

What a Fort Erie number tells you

A number attached to Fort Erie tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Ontario, most often Bell Canada. It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 11 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 Fort Erie: code 905-871 is recorded for Bell Canada, so every 905-871-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Fort Erie, Ontario” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Fort Erie prefix

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

Had a call from a Fort Erie 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 20 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Ontario