Phone prefixes in Provost, AB
Provost, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 6 in-service prefixes there, held by 5 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (780, 587). With 6 prefixes, Provost is a small rate centre within Alberta: 86th of 337, holding 0.2% of the province’s prefixes, and 891st 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
- 6
- Telephone numbers covered
- 60,000
- Carriers
- 5
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- March 7, 2002
- Most recent assignment
- November 20, 2013
Provost’s share of its area codes
Within area code 780, Provost accounts for only 4 of 780 prefixes (0.5%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 587, Provost accounts for only 2 of 779 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 137 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780 | 4 | 780 | 0.5 % | 780-272 – 780-753 | Edmonton |
| 587 | 2 | 779 | 0.3 % | 587-767 – 587-878 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
TELUS holds the largest share at 2 prefixes, 33.3% of the total, ahead of 4 other carriers. Code by code: in 780, TELUS leads with 2 of 4 prefixes ahead of 2 others; in 587, Distributel leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Provost’s 2 area codes, while 5 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 780 | 587 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| TELUS | 2 | — | 2 |
| Bell Mobility | 1 | — | 1 |
| Distributel | — | 1 | 1 |
| Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 1 | — | 1 |
| TELUS Mobility | — | 1 | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
3 of Provost’s 6 prefixes (50.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) and TELUS Mobility. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by TELUS 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
Provost’s dated assignments run from 2002 to 2013. The busiest period was 2005–2009, when 3 prefixes went to 3 carriers. 1 prefixes (17%) 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 Provost is flat.
Provost’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 TELUS in 2002. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2013), TELUS Mobility (2008) and Bell Mobility (2007), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Provost.
Provost has just 6 prefixes (60,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
No single carrier dominates Provost: the leader, TELUS, holds only 33.3% of the prefixes against 4 competitors, a sign of a highly fragmented market where cable companies, mobility brands and VoIP providers weigh as much as the incumbent.
Allocation is mature: only 0.0% of the dated prefixes are less than ten years old, most having been handed out in 2005–2009, and 1 prefixes go back to the undated monopoly era. New Provost numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2004 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005–2009 | 3 | 3 |
| 2010–2014 | 1 | 1 |
1 undated in the register.
Dialling a Provost number
Provost is served by 2 overlaid area codes (780 and 587). A 587 number is no more “out of town” than a 780 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Provost shares area codes 780 and 587 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Sherwood Park, Red Deer, St. Albert and Lloydminster. The largest of them, Edmonton, holds 398 prefixes in 587 and 780; the smallest on the list, Slave Lake, has just 12.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | AB | 587, 780 | 398 | 18 |
| Calgary | AB | 587 | 195 | 16 |
| Fort McMurray | AB | 587, 780 | 54 | 13 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 587, 780 | 42 | 13 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 587, 780 | 21 | 8 |
| Red Deer | AB | 587 | 20 | 12 |
| St. Albert | AB | 587, 780 | 19 | 7 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 587, 780 | 18 | 9 |
| Leduc | AB | 587, 780 | 17 | 9 |
| Camrose | AB | 587, 780 | 16 | 10 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 587, 780 | 15 | 7 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 587 | 15 | 10 |
| Peace River | AB | 587, 780 | 15 | 10 |
| Edson | AB | 587, 780 | 14 | 8 |
| Medicine Hat | AB | 587 | 14 | 9 |
| Vegreville | AB | 587, 780 | 14 | 9 |
| Wetaskiwin | AB | 587, 780 | 13 | 9 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 587, 780 | 12 | 6 |
| High Level | AB | 587, 780 | 12 | 5 |
| Slave Lake | AB | 587, 780 | 12 | 8 |
What a Provost number tells you
A number attached to Provost 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 5 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 Provost: code 780-704 is recorded for TELUS, so every 780-704-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Provost, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Provost prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Provost, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 587-767 | Distributel | 2013 |
| 587-878 | TELUS Mobility | 2008 |
| 780-272 | Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 2006 |
| 780-550 | Bell Mobility | 2007 |
| 780-704 | TELUS | 2002 |
| 780-753 | TELUS | undated |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Provost?
Provost does not have one area code but 2: 780 and 587. The best-stocked is 780. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Provost a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 50.0% of Provost’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Provost number?
In the register, TELUS holds the most prefixes in Provost (2 of 6), ahead of 4 other carriers. Code 780-704, for instance, belongs to TELUS.
Is this Provost 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 Provost?
The latest code brought into service is 587-767, assigned to Distributel on November 20, 2013. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 780-704, goes to TELUS (March 7, 2002). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 6 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Provost, AB
587-767 · 587-878 · 780-272 · 780-550 · 780-704 · 780-753
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banff | AB | 31 | 13 |
| High River | AB | 28 | 14 |
| Canmore | AB | 26 | 13 |
| Airdrie | AB | 23 | 10 |
| Strathmore | AB | 22 | 12 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 21 | 9 |
| 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.