Phone prefixes in Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON

In numbers

In-service prefixes

14

Telephone numbers covered

140,000

Carriers

8

Area codes

4

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

January 20, 2006

Most recent assignment

November 11, 2024

Niagara-On-The-Lake’s share of its area codes

Within area code 289, Niagara-On-The-Lake accounts for only 5 of 772 prefixes (0.6%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 87 rate centres. Within area code 365, Niagara-On-The-Lake accounts for only 5 of 702 prefixes (0.7%): the code is dominated by Markham and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 742, Niagara-On-The-Lake accounts for only 2 of 146 prefixes (1.4%): the code is dominated by Brampton and spread over 68 rate centres. Within area code 905, Niagara-On-The-Lake accounts for only 2 of 773 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 94 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Iristel Inc. holds the largest share at 4 prefixes, 28.6% of the total, ahead of 7 other carriers. Code by code: in 289, Iristel Inc. leads with 2 of 5 prefixes ahead of 2 others; in 365, Fibernetics Corporation leads with 1 of 5 prefixes ahead of 4 others; in 742, Iristel Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; in 905, Iristel Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Niagara-On-The-Lake’s 4 area codes, while 6 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

None of Niagara-On-The-Lake’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 14 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them Iristel Inc, Fibernetics Corporation, TELUS Integrated Communications and Bell Canada. A call showing a Niagara-On-The-Lake number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.

How the allocation was built up

Niagara-On-The-Lake’s dated assignments run from 2006 to 2024. The busiest period was 2020–2024, when 5 prefixes went to 4 carriers. 1 prefixes (7%) 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.

Niagara-On-The-Lake’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 TELUS Integrated Communications in 2006. The most recent arrivals are TekSavvy Solutions Inc (2020), ISP Telecom Inc. (2020) and Distributel (2018), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Niagara-On-The-Lake.

Niagara-On-The-Lake has only 14 prefixes, or 140,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.

No single carrier dominates Niagara-On-The-Lake: the leader, Iristel Inc., holds only 28.6% of the prefixes against 7 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.

1 undated in the register.

Dialling a Niagara-On-The-Lake number

Niagara-On-The-Lake is served by 4 overlaid area codes (289, 365, 742 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

Niagara-On-The-Lake shares area codes 289, 365, 742 and 905 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Hamilton, Brampton, Oshawa, St. Catharines-Thorold, Oakville, Markham, Ajax-Pickering and Cooksville. The largest of them, Hamilton, holds 221 prefixes in 289, 365, 742 and 905; the smallest on the list, Dunnville, has just 28.

What a Niagara-On-The-Lake number tells you

A number attached to Niagara-On-The-Lake tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Ontario, 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 8 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 Niagara-On-The-Lake: code 289-272 is recorded for Iristel Inc., so every 289-272-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Niagara-On-The-Lake prefix

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

Had a call from a Niagara-On-The-Lake 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 14 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Ontario