Phone prefixes in West Lincoln, ON

In numbers

In-service prefixes

10

Telephone numbers covered

100,000

Carriers

9

Area codes

3

Provinces and territories

1

First assignment

December 20, 2007

Most recent assignment

August 9, 2023

West Lincoln’s share of its area codes

Within area code 365, West Lincoln accounts for only 6 of 706 prefixes (0.8%): the code is dominated by Markham and spread over 88 rate centres. Within area code 289, West Lincoln accounts for only 3 of 772 prefixes (0.4%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 87 rate centres. Within area code 905, West Lincoln accounts for only 1 of 773 prefixes (0.1%): the code is dominated by Hamilton and spread over 94 rate centres.

Who holds these numbers

Fibernetics Corporation holds the largest share at 2 prefixes, 20.0% of the total, ahead of 8 other carriers. Code by code: in 365, Fibernetics Corporation leads with 2 of 6 prefixes ahead of 4 others; in 289, Comwave Networks leads with 1 of 3 prefixes ahead of 2 others; Bell Canada is the only holder in 905. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of West Lincoln’s 3 area codes, while 9 appear in just one.

Wireless and wireline

None of West Lincoln’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 10 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them Fibernetics Corporation, Beanfield Technologies Inc, Bell Canada and Comwave Networks. A call showing a West Lincoln number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.

How the allocation was built up

West Lincoln’s dated assignments run from 2007 to 2023. The busiest period was 2020–2024, when 4 prefixes went to 3 carriers. 1 prefixes (10%) 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.

West Lincoln’s oldest prefixes, the ones the register leaves undated, belong to Bell Canada: this carrier made up the landscape before competition arrived. The first dated assignment went to TELUS Integrated Communications in 2007. The most recent arrivals are Fibernetics Corporation (2021), Beanfield Technologies Inc. (2021) and TekSavvy Solutions Inc (2020), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in West Lincoln.

West Lincoln has only 10 prefixes, or 100,000 numbers: a small rate centre, where the arrival of a single new carrier visibly changes the landscape.

No single carrier dominates West Lincoln: the leader, Fibernetics Corporation, holds only 20.0% 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: 44.4% 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.

1 undated in the register.

Dialling a West Lincoln number

West Lincoln is served by 3 overlaid area codes (365, 289 and 905). A 905 number is no more “out of town” than a 365 one; from abroad, dial +1 and the full ten digits.

The numbering neighbourhood

West Lincoln shares area codes 365, 289 and 905 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Hamilton, Oshawa, Brampton, St. Catharines-Thorold, Oakville, Markham, Cooksville and Ajax-Pickering. The largest of them, Hamilton, holds 214 prefixes in 289, 365 and 905; the smallest on the list, Woodbridge, has just 28.

What a West Lincoln number tells you

A number attached to West Lincoln tells you that its prefix was issued to a carrier for this rate centre in Ontario, most often Fibernetics Corporation. 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 an Ontario area code is easy to borrow to look local.

Reading a register entry for West Lincoln: code 365-373 is recorded for Fibernetics Corporation, so every 365-373-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “West Lincoln, Ontario” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.

Every West Lincoln prefix

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

Had a call from a West Lincoln 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 10 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.

Elsewhere in Ontario