Table of Contents

North American Numbering Plan

Area code Exhaustion

Overlays

How does this relate to Ytel?

List of Exhausted Area codes (2021)

North American Numbering Plan

The North American Numbering Plan (NANP) is a numbering plan used in the United states, which divides the territories into numbering plan areas which make up the three-digit telephone number prefix that is commonly referred to as area code.

There are currently 24 non-geographic area codes in service (i.e. 800, 833, 900) and 398 Geographic area codes in service (includes Canada).

Area code Exhaustion

Area code exhaustion happens when almost all of the numbers are in use and the industry no longer has any new numbers available. The only way to obtain numbers in these area codes is when an existing number is no longer in use. Often times these numbers cannot be made immediately available, as they typically sit for a certain amount of time before they can become available for use again.

Overlays are created to help accommodate this exhaustion.

Overlays

An area code overlay occurs when more than one area code serves the same geographic area. In an area code overlay, relief is provided by opening up a new area code within the same geographic area as the area code requiring relief.

How does this relate to Ytel?

Often times, it can be frustrating when, as a business owner, you are looking for a phone number for your business in a specific area code, but none are available.

Although we do our best to obtain inventory in the exhausted area codes, overlay area code may be the only inventory available.  We highly recommend obtaining  overlay area codes, which will serve the same geographical region as the primary area code.

Since number availability in these exhausted area codes is highly dependent on when an "old number" is recycled - it is hard to predicate when,if any, numbers in the exhausted list of area codes will be come available.

For more information, take a look at the NAPA website. They provide free information on any potential new upcoming area codes as well as predictions on when certain area codes will become exhausted, such as 202 becoming exhausted in 2021.

As always feel free to reach out to Ytel for any additional questions.

List of Exhausted Area Codes (2021)