Phone prefixes in Viking, AB
Viking, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 4 in-service prefixes there, held by 4 carriers and spread across 3 area codes (780, 587, 825). With 4 prefixes, Viking is a small rate centre within Alberta: 116th of 337, holding 0.1% of the province’s prefixes, and 1279th 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
- 4
- Telephone numbers covered
- 40,000
- Carriers
- 4
- Area codes
- 3
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- March 2, 2006
- Most recent assignment
- April 30, 2018
Viking’s share of its area codes
Within area code 780, Viking accounts for only 2 of 780 prefixes (0.3%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 587, Viking accounts for only 1 of 779 prefixes (0.1%): the code is dominated by Calgary and spread over 137 rate centres. Within area code 825, Viking 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 | 2 | 780 | 0.3 % | 780-254 – 780-336 | Edmonton |
| 587 | 1 | 779 | 0.1 % | 587-256 – 587-256 | Calgary |
| 825 | 1 | 769 | 0.1 % | 825-389 – 825-389 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
Distributel holds the largest share at 1 prefixes, 25.0% of the total, ahead of 3 other carriers. Code by code: in 780, Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) leads with 1 of 2 prefixes ahead of 1 others; TELUS Mobility is the only holder in 587; Distributel is the only holder in 825. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Viking’s 3 area codes, while 4 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 780 | 587 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distributel | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| TELUS | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| TELUS Mobility | — | 1 | — | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
2 of Viking’s 4 prefixes (50.0%) are held by carriers whose registered name marks a wireless business: Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) and TELUS Mobility. Wireline prefixes still outnumber them, carried by Distributel and TELUS. 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
Viking’s dated assignments run from 2006 to 2018. The busiest period was 2005–2009, when 1 prefixes went to 1 carrier. 1 prefixes (25%) 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 Viking is flat.
Viking’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 Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) in 2006. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2018), TELUS Mobility (2011) and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) (2006), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Viking.
Viking has just 4 prefixes (40,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
No single carrier dominates Viking: the leader, Distributel, holds only 25.0% of the prefixes against 3 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 Viking numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
| Period | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|
| 2005–2009 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010–2014 | 1 | 1 |
| 2015–2019 | 1 | 1 |
1 undated in the register.
Dialling a Viking number
Viking 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
Viking 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 Viking number tells you
A number attached to Viking tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Alberta, most often Distributel. 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 Viking: code 825-389 is recorded for Distributel, so every 825-389-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Viking, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Viking prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Viking, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 587-256 | TELUS Mobility | 2011 |
| 780-254 | Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) | 2006 |
| 780-336 | TELUS | undated |
| 825-389 | Distributel | 2018 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Viking?
Viking 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 Viking a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 50.0% of Viking’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Viking number?
In the register, Distributel holds the most prefixes in Viking (1 of 4), ahead of 3 other carriers. Code 825-389, for instance, belongs to Distributel.
Is this Viking 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 Viking?
The latest code brought into service is 825-389, assigned to Distributel on April 30, 2018. At the other end, the oldest dated prefix, 780-254, goes to Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Wireless) (March 2, 2006). A number in a recent prefix almost always belongs to a subscriber who signed up after that date.
Allocated prefixes
All 4 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Viking, AB
587-256 · 780-254 · 780-336 · 825-389
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.