Phone prefixes in Hamilton, ON

In numbers

In-service prefixes

222

Telephone numbers covered

2,220,000

Carriers

23

Area codes

4

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

October 21, 1999

Most recent assignment

June 12, 2026

Hamilton’s share of its area codes

Within area code 905, Hamilton takes 95 of 773 prefixes (12.3%), a substantial slice of a code shared by 94 rate centres, the largest of them Hamilton. Within area code 289, Hamilton accounts for only 71 of 772 prefixes (9.2%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 87 rate centres. Within area code 365, Hamilton accounts for only 48 of 706 prefixes (6.8%): the code is dominated by Markham and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 742, Hamilton accounts for only 8 of 148 prefixes (5.4%): the code is dominated by Brampton and spread over 68 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Bell Canada holds the largest share at 49 prefixes, 22.1% of the total, ahead of 22 other carriers. Code by code: in 905, Bell Canada leads with 46 of 95 prefixes ahead of 10 others; in 289, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) leads with 18 of 71 prefixes ahead of 15 others; in 365, Bell Mobility leads with 23 of 48 prefixes ahead of 12 others; in 742, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) leads with 5 of 8 prefixes ahead of 3 others. 2 carriers hold prefixes in every one of Hamilton’s 4 area codes, while 10 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

110 of Hamilton’s 222 prefixes (49.5%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless), TELUS Mobility and Fido Solutions Inc. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Bell Canada, Iristel Inc, Videotron Ltd and TELUS Integrated Communications. 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

Hamilton’s dated assignments run from 1999 to 2026. The busiest period was 2010–2014, when 40 prefixes went to 12 carriers. 66 prefixes (30%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 41 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.

Hamilton’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Bell Canada, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) and TELUS Mobility: 7 carriers made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to Bell Mobility in 1999. The most recent arrivals are Cogeco Connexion Inc. (2024), Beanfield Technologies Inc. (2021) and TekSavvy Solutions Inc (2020), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Hamilton.

Its 222 prefixes stand for 2,220,000 possible numbers: Hamilton is a large rate centre, the kind that hosts several switching offices and a sizeable business clientele.

No single carrier dominates Hamilton: the leader, Bell Canada, holds only 22.1% of the prefixes against 22 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: 26.3% 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.

66 undated in the register.

Dialling a Hamilton number

Hamilton is served by 4 overlaid area codes (905, 289, 365 and 742). A 742 number is no more “out of town” than a 905 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

Hamilton shares area codes 905, 289, 365 and 742 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Brampton, Oshawa, St. Catharines-Thorold, Oakville, Markham, Ajax-Pickering, Cooksville and Thornhill. The largest of them, Brampton, holds 116 prefixes in 289, 365, 742 and 905; the smallest on the list, Maple, has just 28.

What a Hamilton number tells you

A number attached to Hamilton 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 23 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 Hamilton: code 289-237 is recorded for Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless), so every 289-237-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Hamilton, Ontario” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Hamilton prefix

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

What people check and report about Hamilton numbers

Searches typed into this site's lookup form since July 28, 2026, plus the verdicts and moderated reports visitors left. A search usually follows a missed call.

Checks

44

Different numbers

43

Different people

43

Had a call from a Hamilton 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 222 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Ontario