Telecom Decision CRTC 2023-319

Ottawa, 15 September 2023

Public record: 8621-C12-01/08

Revised implementation date for area code 879 in relief of area code 709 in Newfoundland and Labrador

In Telecom Decision 2017-35, the Commission determined that area code relief for area code 709 was to be provided by implementing a distributed overlay^{Footnote 1} of new area code 879, effective 24 November 2018.
In September 2020, the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) published a relief planning numbering resource utilization forecast, collated in July 2020, which indicated that the projected exhaust date of area code 709 had been delayed to November 2028, a date outside the relief planning window. Consequently, in Telecom Decision 2021-13, the Commission deferred the implementation of area code 879 indefinitely, until such time as the projected exhaust date would fall within the relief planning window.
On 29 March 2023, the CNA released the results of the general numbering resource utilization forecast from January 2023, which indicated that the projected exhaust date had advanced to December 2024.

On 19 May 2023, in response to the advancement of the projected exhaust date, the relief planning committee for area code 709 (the relief planning committee) filed a report with the Commission, 709RE05A (the report). The relief planning committee recommended that the implementation date for the new overlay area code be revised to 17 February 2024. The report was accompanied by a relief implementation plan,^{Footnote 2} prepared in accordance with the recommended effective date, which establishes a public framework and timeframe for implementation of the new area code and addresses the activities, deliverables, and issues impacting telecommunications service providers.

In Telecom Decision 2023-141, the Commission approved a version of the Canadian NPA Relief Planning Guideline revised to reflect a 36-month relief implementation window.
In Telecom Decision 2021-13, relief planning for area code 709 was deferred until such time as the projected exhaust date would re-enter the relief planning window. That is now the case, since the projected exhaust date is currently within 36 months. The Commission therefore considers that it would be appropriate to establish a new implementation date for area code 879.
The relief planning committee recommended that the implementation date for area code 879 be revised to 17 February 2024, which is approximately nine months in advance of the projected exhaust date, December 2024. The Commission considers that the recommended relief date provides carriers and customers with advanced notification and appropriate lead time to implement the new area code.

In light of the above, the Commission
- approves the report, including the accompanying relief implementation plan; and
- establishes 17 February 2024 as the new implementation date for area code 879, in accordance with the relief planning committee’s recommendations.

Secretary General