Phone prefixes in St. Stephen, NB
St. Stephen, NB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 13 in-service prefixes there, held by 10 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (506, 428). With 13 prefixes, St. Stephen is a mid-sized rate centre by New Brunswick standards: 20th of 86, holding 1.5% of the province’s prefixes, and 339th 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
- 13
- Telephone numbers covered
- 130,000
- Carriers
- 10
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- February 12, 2003
- Most recent assignment
- March 16, 2026
St. Stephen’s share of its area codes
Within area code 506, St. Stephen accounts for only 11 of 677 prefixes (1.6%): the code is dominated by Moncton and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 428, St. Stephen accounts for only 2 of 21 prefixes (9.5%): the code is dominated by Bathurst and spread over 15 rate centres.
| Area codes | Prefixes here | Prefixes in code | Share | Range | Largest rate centre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 506 | 11 | 677 | 1.6 % | 506-249 – 506-927 | Moncton |
| 428 | 2 | 21 | 9.5 % | 428-208 – 428-714 | Bathurst |
Who holds these numbers
Aliant Telecom(NB) holds the largest share at 3 prefixes, 23.1% of the total, ahead of 9 other carriers. Code by code: in 506, Aliant Telecom(NB) leads with 3 of 11 prefixes ahead of 8 others; in 428, Iristel Inc. leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others. 1 carrier holds prefixes in every one of St. Stephen’s 2 area codes, while 9 appear in just one.
Wireless and wireline
4 of St. Stephen’s 13 prefixes (30.8%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Bell Mobility Aliant, Fido Solutions Inc, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) and TELUS Mobility. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Aliant Telecom(NB), 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. Stephen’s dated assignments run from 2003 to 2026. The busiest period was 2010–2014, when 3 prefixes went to 3 carriers. 3 prefixes (23%) carry no date in the register: these are the historic pre-1999 assignments, the wireline bedrock of the rate centre. Since 2020 another 3 prefixes have been added, so the rate centre is still growing.
St. Stephen’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 Bell Mobility Aliant in 2003. The most recent arrivals are Bragg Communications Inc. (2026), Distributel (2022) and Iristel Inc. (2016), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in St. Stephen.
St. Stephen has only 13 prefixes, or 130,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.
No single carrier dominates St. Stephen: the leader, Aliant Telecom(NB), holds only 23.1% of the prefixes against 9 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: 30.0% of the dated prefixes go back to the last ten years, the most active period being 2010–2014. The rate centre is growing at a regular rather than explosive pace.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2004 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005–2009 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010–2014 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015–2019 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020–2024 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025–2029 | 1 | 1 |
3 undated in the register.
Dialling a St. Stephen number
St. Stephen 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
St. Stephen 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.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moncton | NB | 428, 506 | 81 | 11 |
| Saint John | NB | 428, 506 | 78 | 12 |
| Fredericton | NB | 506 | 55 | 12 |
| Miramichi | NB | 428, 506 | 30 | 12 |
| Bathurst | NB | 428, 506 | 29 | 11 |
| Edmundston | NB | 506 | 23 | 11 |
| Campbellton | NB | 506 | 16 | 9 |
| Woodstock | NB | 428, 506 | 16 | 9 |
| Tracadie | NB | 506 | 15 | 7 |
| Florenceville | NB | 506 | 14 | 8 |
| Grand Falls | NB | 506 | 14 | 9 |
| Shediac | NB | 428, 506 | 14 | 9 |
| Sussex | NB | 506 | 14 | 11 |
| Richibucto | NB | 428, 506 | 13 | 10 |
| Shippagan | NB | 428, 506 | 12 | 8 |
| Caraquet | NB | 506 | 11 | 8 |
| Doaktown | NB | 506 | 11 | 7 |
| Bouctouche | NB | 428, 506 | 10 | 7 |
| Petitcodiac | NB | 428, 506 | 10 | 6 |
| Sackville | NB | 428, 506 | 10 | 6 |
What a St. Stephen number tells you
A number attached to St. Stephen tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in New Brunswick, most often Aliant Telecom(NB). It does not tell you where the handset is today: a subscriber may have ported the number to any of the 10 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 St. Stephen: code 506-465 is recorded for Aliant Telecom(NB), so every 506-465-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “St. Stephen, New Brunswick” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every St. Stephen prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for St. Stephen, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 428-208 | Bragg Communications Inc. | 2026 |
| 428-714 | Iristel Inc. | 2023 |
| 506-249 | TELUS Integrated Communications | 2014 |
| 506-321 | TELUS Mobility | 2007 |
| 506-373 | Distributel | 2022 |
| 506-465 | Aliant Telecom(NB) | undated |
| 506-466 | Aliant Telecom(NB) | undated |
| 506-467 | Aliant Telecom(NB) | undated |
| 506-469 | Bell Mobility Aliant | 2003 |
| 506-714 | Iristel Inc. | 2016 |
| 506-813 | Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Cable) | 2010 |
| 506-921 | Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 2004 |
| 506-927 | Fido Solutions Inc. | 2013 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for St. Stephen?
St. Stephen does not have one area code but 2: 506 and 428. The best-stocked is 506. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from St. Stephen a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 30.8% of St. Stephen’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a St. Stephen number?
In the register, Aliant Telecom(NB) holds the most prefixes in St. Stephen (3 of 13), ahead of 9 other carriers. Code 506-465, for instance, belongs to Aliant Telecom(NB).
Is this St. Stephen 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. Stephen?
The latest code brought into service is 428-208, assigned to Bragg Communications Inc. on March 16, 2026. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 506-469, goes to Bell Mobility Aliant (February 12, 2003). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 13 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
St. Stephen, NB
428-208 · 428-714 · 506-249 · 506-321 · 506-373 · 506-465 · 506-466 · 506-467 · 506-469 · 506-714 · 506-813 · 506-921 · 506-927
Elsewhere in New Brunswick
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. George | NB | 10 | 7 |
| Dalhousie | NB | 8 | 5 |
| Harvey Station | NB | 7 | 5 |
| Oromocto | NB | 7 | 4 |
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.