Phone prefixes in Rainbow Lake, AB
Rainbow Lake, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 5 in-service prefixes there, held by 4 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (780, 825). With 5 prefixes, Rainbow Lake is a small rate centre within Alberta: 98th of 337, holding 0.2% of the province’s prefixes, and 1081st 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
- 5
- Telephone numbers covered
- 50,000
- Carriers
- 4
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- May 22, 2003
- Most recent assignment
- May 7, 2018
Rainbow Lake’s share of its area codes
Within area code 780, Rainbow Lake accounts for only 4 of 780 prefixes (0.5%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 825, Rainbow Lake accounts for only 1 of 769 prefixes (0.1%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 301 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 780 | 4 | 780 | 0.5 % | 780-313 – 780-956 | Edmonton |
| 825 | 1 | 769 | 0.1 % | 825-262 – 825-262 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
TELUS holds the largest share at 2 prefixes, 40.0% of the total, ahead of 3 other carriers. Code by code: in 780, TELUS leads with 2 of 4 prefixes ahead of 2 others; Distributel is the only holder in 825. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Rainbow Lake’s 2 area codes, while 4 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 780 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| TELUS | 2 | — | 2 |
| Bell Mobility | 1 | — | 1 |
| Distributel | — | 1 | 1 |
| TELUS Mobility | 1 | — | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
2 of Rainbow Lake’s 5 prefixes (40.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility 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
Rainbow Lake’s dated assignments run from 2003 to 2018. The busiest period was 2005–2009, when 2 prefixes went to 2 carriers. 1 prefixes (20%) 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 Rainbow Lake is flat.
Rainbow Lake’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 2003. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2018), TELUS Mobility (2007) and Bell Mobility (2007), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Rainbow Lake.
Rainbow Lake has just 5 prefixes (50,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
TELUS leads with 40.0% of the prefixes, but 3 competitors have set up in Rainbow Lake: a market where the incumbent keeps the edge without exclusivity.
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 Rainbow Lake numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2004 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005–2009 | 2 | 2 |
| 2015–2019 | 1 | 1 |
1 undated in the register.
Dialling a Rainbow Lake number
Rainbow Lake is served by 2 overlaid area codes (780 and 825). A 825 number is no more “out of town” than a 780 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.
The numbering neighbourhood
Rainbow Lake shares area codes 780 and 825 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Fox Creek, Peace River, St. Albert and Sherwood Park. The largest of them, Edmonton, holds 365 prefixes in 780 and 825; the smallest on the list, High River, has just 9.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | AB | 780, 825 | 365 | 17 |
| Calgary | AB | 825 | 146 | 15 |
| Fort McMurray | AB | 780, 825 | 35 | 8 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 780, 825 | 33 | 10 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 780, 825 | 20 | 9 |
| Peace River | AB | 780, 825 | 18 | 6 |
| St. Albert | AB | 780, 825 | 17 | 6 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 780, 825 | 15 | 5 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 780, 825 | 14 | 7 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 780, 825 | 14 | 6 |
| Camrose | AB | 780, 825 | 13 | 7 |
| Edson | AB | 780, 825 | 13 | 7 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 780, 825 | 12 | 6 |
| Wetaskiwin | AB | 780, 825 | 12 | 7 |
| High Level | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 5 |
| Leduc | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 5 |
| Red Deer | AB | 825 | 11 | 6 |
| St. Paul | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 7 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 825 | 10 | 6 |
| High River | AB | 825 | 9 | 5 |
What a Rainbow Lake number tells you
A number attached to Rainbow Lake 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 4 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 Rainbow Lake: code 780-560 is recorded for TELUS, so every 780-560-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Rainbow Lake, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Rainbow Lake prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Rainbow Lake, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 780-313 | Bell Mobility | 2007 |
| 780-510 | TELUS Mobility | 2007 |
| 780-560 | TELUS | 2003 |
| 780-956 | TELUS | undated |
| 825-262 | Distributel | 2018 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Rainbow Lake?
Rainbow Lake does not have one area code but 2: 780 and 825. The best-stocked is 780. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Rainbow Lake a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 40.0% of Rainbow Lake’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Rainbow Lake number?
In the register, TELUS holds the most prefixes in Rainbow Lake (2 of 5), ahead of 3 other carriers. Code 780-560, for instance, belongs to TELUS.
Is this Rainbow Lake 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 Rainbow Lake?
The latest code brought into service is 825-262, assigned to Distributel on May 7, 2018. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 780-560, goes to TELUS (May 22, 2003). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 5 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Rainbow Lake, AB
780-313 · 780-510 · 780-560 · 780-956 · 825-262
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Hat | AB | 44 | 13 |
| Banff | AB | 31 | 13 |
| Canmore | AB | 26 | 13 |
| Airdrie | AB | 23 | 10 |
| Strathmore | AB | 22 | 12 |
| 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.