Phone prefixes in Widewater, AB
Widewater, AB is a rate centre in the Canadian numbering plan. CNAC records 2 in-service prefixes there, held by 2 carriers and spread across 2 area codes (780, 825). With 2 prefixes, Widewater is a small rate centre within Alberta: 166th of 337, holding 0.1% of the province’s prefixes, and 1879th 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
- 2
- Telephone numbers covered
- 20,000
- Carriers
- 2
- Area codes
- 2
- Provinces and territories
- 1
- First assignment
- May 7, 2018
- Most recent assignment
- May 7, 2018
Widewater’s share of its area codes
Within area code 780, Widewater accounts for only 1 of 780 prefixes (0.1%): the code is dominated by Edmonton and spread over 195 rate centres. Within area code 825, Widewater 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 | 1 | 780 | 0.1 % | 780-369 – 780-369 | Edmonton |
| 825 | 1 | 769 | 0.1 % | 825-267 – 825-267 | Calgary |
Who holds these numbers
Distributel holds the largest share at 1 prefixes, 50.0% of the total, ahead of 1 other carrier. Code by code: TELUS is the only holder in 780; Distributel is the only holder in 825. No carrier holds prefixes in every one of Widewater’s 2 area codes, while 2 appear in just one.
| Carrier | 780 | 825 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distributel | — | 1 | 1 |
| TELUS | 1 | — | 1 |
Wireless and wireline
None of Widewater’s holders carries a mobility brand in its registered name: all 2 prefixes belong to wireline or wholesale carriers, among them Distributel and TELUS. A call showing a Widewater number therefore nominally comes from a landline, cable or VoIP platform rather than a locally assigned cellphone.
How the allocation was built up
Widewater’s dated assignments run from 2018 to 2018. The busiest period was 2015–2019, when 1 prefixes went to 1 carrier. 1 prefixes (50%) 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 Widewater is flat.
Widewater’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 Distributel in 2018. The most recent arrivals are Distributel (2018), a sign that new carriers are still asking for numbers in Widewater.
Widewater has just 2 prefixes (20,000 numbers): a very small rate centre, typical of a village or rural area served by a single switching office.
Distributel leads with 50.0% of the prefixes, but 1 competitors have set up in Widewater: a market where the incumbent keeps the edge without exclusivity.
Allocation is mature: only 0.0% of the dated prefixes are less than ten years old, most having been handed out in 2015–2019, and 1 prefixes go back to the undated monopoly era. New Widewater numbers mostly come out of blocks that were assigned long ago.
Dialling a Widewater number
Widewater is served by 2 overlaid area codes (780 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
Widewater shares area codes 780 and 825 with at least 20 other rate centres, including Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Fox Creek, Peace River, St. Albert and Sherwood Park. The largest of them, Edmonton, holds 365 prefixes in 780 and 825; the smallest on the list, High River, has just 9.
| Rate centre | Province | Shared codes | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton | AB | 780, 825 | 365 | 17 |
| Calgary | AB | 825 | 146 | 15 |
| Fort McMurray | AB | 780, 825 | 35 | 8 |
| Grande Prairie | AB | 780, 825 | 33 | 10 |
| Fox Creek | AB | 780, 825 | 20 | 9 |
| Peace River | AB | 780, 825 | 18 | 6 |
| St. Albert | AB | 780, 825 | 17 | 6 |
| Sherwood Park | AB | 780, 825 | 15 | 5 |
| Drayton Valley | AB | 780, 825 | 14 | 7 |
| Lloydminster | AB | 780, 825 | 14 | 6 |
| Camrose | AB | 780, 825 | 13 | 7 |
| Edson | AB | 780, 825 | 13 | 7 |
| Bonnyville | AB | 780, 825 | 12 | 6 |
| Wetaskiwin | AB | 780, 825 | 12 | 7 |
| High Level | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 5 |
| Leduc | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 5 |
| Red Deer | AB | 825 | 11 | 6 |
| St. Paul | AB | 780, 825 | 11 | 7 |
| Lethbridge | AB | 825 | 10 | 6 |
| High River | AB | 825 | 9 | 5 |
What a Widewater number tells you
A number attached to Widewater 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 2 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 Widewater: code 825-267 is recorded for Distributel, so every 825-267-XXXX number (10,000 possible) descends from that assignment. “Widewater, Alberta” there names a rate centre, not a municipality, and several area codes overlay it.
Every Widewater prefix
Each row is an in-service central-office code recorded for Widewater, with its original holder and year of assignment.
| Prefix | Carrier | Assigned |
|---|---|---|
| 780-369 | TELUS | undated |
| 825-267 | Distributel | 2018 |
Frequently asked
What is the area code for Widewater?
Widewater does not have one area code but 2: 780 and 825. The best-stocked is 780. All are dialled with ten digits and none is “more local” than another.
Is a call from Widewater a cellphone or a landline?
More likely a landline or a VoIP service: mobility brands hold only 0.0% of Widewater’s prefixes.
Which carrier is behind a Widewater number?
In the register, Distributel holds the most prefixes in Widewater (1 of 2), ahead of 1 other carriers. Code 825-267, for instance, belongs to Distributel.
Is this Widewater 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 Widewater?
The only dated prefix, 825-267, was assigned to Distributel on May 7, 2018.
Allocated prefixes
All 2 in-service prefixes, grouped by rate centre.
Widewater, AB
780-369 · 825-267
Elsewhere in Alberta
| Rate centre | Province | Prefixes | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine Hat | AB | 44 | 13 |
| Banff | AB | 31 | 13 |
| 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.