Phone prefixes in Shediac, NB

In numbers

In-service prefixes

14

Telephone numbers covered

140,000

Carriers

9

Area codes

2

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

September 6, 2001

Most recent assignment

May 1, 2025

Shediac’s share of its area codes

Within area code 506, Shediac accounts for only 12 of 677 prefixes (1.8%): the code is dominated by Moncton and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 428, Shediac accounts for only 2 of 21 prefixes (9.5%): the code is dominated by Bathurst and spread over 15 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Iristel Inc. holds the largest share at 4 prefixes, 28.6% of the total, ahead of 8 other carriers. Code by code: in 506, Aliant Telecom(NB) leads with 3 of 12 prefixes ahead of 8 others; Iristel Inc. is the only holder in 428. 1 carrier holds prefixes in every one of Shediac’s 2 area codes, while 8 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

3 of Shediac’s 14 prefixes (21.4%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility Aliant, Fido Solutions Inc and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless). Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Iristel Inc, Aliant Telecom(NB), Bragg Communications Inc 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

Shediac’s dated assignments run from 2001 to 2025. The busiest period was 2020–2024, when 3 prefixes went to 2 carriers. 3 prefixes (21%) 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.

Shediac’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Aliant Telecom(NB): 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 Distributel (2022), Bragg Communications Inc. (2017) and Iristel Inc. (2016), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Shediac.

Shediac 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 Shediac: the leader, Iristel Inc., holds only 28.6% of the prefixes against 8 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: 36.4% 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.

3 undated in the register.

Dialling a Shediac number

Shediac is served by 2 overlaid area codes (506 and 428). A 428 number is no more “out of town” than a 506 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

Shediac shares area codes 506 and 428 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Miramichi, Bathurst, Edmundston, Campbellton and Woodstock. The largest of them, Moncton, holds 81 prefixes in 428 and 506; the smallest on the list, Sackville, has just 10.

What a Shediac number tells you

A number attached to Shediac tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in New Brunswick, 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 9 carriers present here or to a VoIP service usable anywhere. Nor does it tell you who is calling: caller ID can be spoofed, and a New Brunswick area code is easy to borrow to look local.

Reading a register entry for Shediac: code 506-712 is recorded for Iristel Inc., so every 506-712-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Shediac, New Brunswick” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every Shediac prefix

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

Had a call from a Shediac 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 New Brunswick