Phone prefixes in St. Paul, AB
St. Paul, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 14 in-service prefixes there, held by 7 carriers and spread across 3 area codes (780, 587, 825). With 14 prefixes, St. Paul is a small rate centre within Alberta: 35th of 337, holding 0.4% of the province’s prefixes, and 318th 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
- 14
- Telephone numbers covered
- 140,000
- Carriers
- 7
- Area codes
- 3
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- June 1, 2000
- Most recent assignment
- April 15, 2024
St. Paul’s share of its area codes
Within area code 780, St. Paul accounts for only 8 of 780 prefixes (1.0%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 587, St. Paul accounts for only 3 of 779 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 137 rate centres. Within area code 825, St. Paul accounts for only 3 of 769 prefixes (0.4%): 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 | 8 | 780 | 1.0 % | 780-210 – 780-646 | Edmonton |
| 587 | 3 | 779 | 0.4 % | 587-252 – 587-465 | Calgary |
| 825 | 3 | 769 | 0.4 % | 825-386 – 825-575 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
TELUS holds the largest share at 4 prefixes, 28.6% of the total, ahead of 6 other carriers. Code by code: in 780, TELUS leads with 3 of 8 prefixes ahead of 4 others; in 587, TELUS leads with 1 of 3 prefixes ahead of 2 others; in 825, Iristel Inc. leads with 2 of 3 prefixes ahead of 1 others. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of St. Paul’s 3 area codes, while 4 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 780 | 587 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TELUS | 3 | 1 | — | 4 |
| Iristel Inc. | — | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| TELUS Mobility | 2 | 1 | — | 3 |
| Bell Mobility | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Bragg Communications Inc. | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Distributel | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 1 | — | — | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
5 of St. Paul’s 14 prefixes (35.7%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: TELUS Mobility, Bell Mobility and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless). Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by TELUS, Iristel Inc, 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
St. Paul’s dated assignments run from 2000 to 2024. The busiest period was 2000–2004, when 3 prefixes went to 3 carriers. 2 prefixes (14%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 1 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.
St. Paul’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 Mobility in 2000. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2018), Iristel Inc. (2016) and Bragg Communications Inc. (2009), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in St. Paul.
St. Paul 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 St. Paul: the leader, TELUS, holds only 28.6% of the prefixes against 6 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 8.3% of the dated prefixes are less than ten years old, most having been handed out in 2000–2004, and 2 prefixes go back to the undated monopoly era. New St. Paul numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2004 | 3 | 3 |
| 2005–2009 | 3 | 3 |
| 2010–2014 | 2 | 2 |
| 2015–2019 | 3 | 2 |
| 2020–2024 | 1 | 1 |
2 undated in the register.
Dialling a St. Paul number
St. Paul is served by 3 overlaid area codes (780, 587 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
St. Paul shares area codes 780, 587 and 825 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Sherwood Park and Peace River. The largest of them, Edmonton, holds 489 prefixes in 587, 780 and 825; the smallest on the list, High Level, has just 16.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 489 | 18 |
| Calgary | AB | 587, 825 | 341 | 18 |
| Fort McMurray | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 60 | 13 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 49 | 13 |
| Red Deer | AB | 587, 825 | 31 | 13 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 587, 825 | 25 | 12 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 25 | 8 |
| Peace River | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 24 | 10 |
| St. Albert | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 23 | 8 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 9 |
| Leduc | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 10 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 21 | 9 |
| Medicine Hat | AB | 587, 825 | 21 | 10 |
| Camrose | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 20 | 11 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 18 | 7 |
| Edson | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 18 | 9 |
| Banff | AB | 587, 825 | 17 | 10 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 17 | 7 |
| High River | AB | 587, 825 | 17 | 10 |
| High Level | AB | 587, 780, 825 | 16 | 6 |
What a St. Paul number tells you
A number attached to St. Paul 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 7 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 St. Paul: code 780-614 is recorded for TELUS, so every 780-614-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “St. Paul, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every St. Paul prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for St. Paul, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 587-252 | TELUS Mobility | 2010 |
| 587-406 | Iristel Inc. | 2016 |
| 587-465 | TELUS | 2014 |
| 780-210 | TELUS Mobility | 2000 |
| 780-227 | TELUS Mobility | 2007 |
| 780-290 | Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 2004 |
| 780-547 | Bell Mobility | 2007 |
| 780-614 | TELUS | undated |
| 780-615 | Bragg Communications Inc. | 2009 |
| 780-645 | TELUS | undated |
| 780-646 | TELUS | 2003 |
| 825-386 | Distributel | 2018 |
| 825-505 | Iristel Inc. | 2019 |
| 825-575 | Iristel Inc. | 2024 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for St. Paul?
St. Paul does not have one area code but 3: 780, 587 and 825. The best-stocked is 780. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from St. Paul a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 35.7% of St. Paul’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a St. Paul number?
In the register, TELUS holds the most prefixes in St. Paul (4 of 14), ahead of 6 other carriers. Code 780-614, for instance, belongs to TELUS.
Is this St. Paul 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 St. Paul?
The latest code brought into service is 825-575, assigned to Iristel Inc. on April 15, 2024. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 780-210, goes to TELUS Mobility (June 1, 2000). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 14 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
St. Paul, AB
587-252 · 587-406 · 587-465 · 780-210 · 780-227 · 780-290 · 780-547 · 780-614 · 780-615 · 780-645 · 780-646 · 825-386 · 825-505 · 825-575
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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.