History UsefulNotes / NorthAmericanNumberingPlan

Works from this era will frequently reference this system. For example, the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan, a major venue for big band music, inspired the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000", famously performed and recorded by Music/GlennMiller and his band.[[note]]Yes, that's how the 1963 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''WesternAnimation/Transylvania65000'' and the 1985 [[Film/Transylvania65000 live-action film]] of the same title got their titles—the first as a direct parody of the song title, and the second as a homage to the short.[[/note]] In that era, the number would have been written either as the title or in the short form "PE 6-5000" (the first two letters, not the postal abbreviation). This was the real phone number for the hotel's front desk, and remained so until the hotel closed in 2020. Nowadays, the number is written as 212-736-5000.\\

Toll-free calling historically used area code 800. With demand increasing for toll-free numbers, codes in the [=8xx=] range have been rolled out; currently, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, and 833 are used as well. The former use of letters to designate exchanges does, however, have a lasting legacy: many businesses pay to receive toll-free phone numbers that map to their names or a word that describes their business. To name just two examples, the Discover credit card uses 1-800-DISCOVER, and a certain national florist chain uses 1-800-FLOWERS. There's even a plumber in Louisville, Kentucky whose name conveniently maps to one such number, and his business uses that number.\\

Works from this era will frequently reference this system. For example, the Pennsylvania Hotel in Manhattan, a major venue for big band music, inspired the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000", famously performed and recorded by Music/GlennMiller and his band.[[note]]Yes, that's how the 1963 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''WesternAnimation/Transylvania65000'' and the 1985 [[Film/Transylvania65000 live-action film]] of the same title got their titles—the first as a direct parody of the song title, and the second as a homage to the short.[[/note]] In that era, the number would have been written either as the title or in the short form "PE 6-5000" (the first two letters, not the postal abbreviation). It was, and still is, the real phone number for the hotel's front desk, now written as 212-736-5000.\\

Works from this era will frequently reference this system. For example, the Pennsylvania Hotel in Manhattan, a major venue for big band music, inspired the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000", famously performed and recorded by Music/GlennMiller and his band.[[note]]Yes, that's how the 1963 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''WesternAnimation/Transylvania65000'' and the 1985 [[Film/Transylvania65000 live-action film]] of the same title got their titles—the first as a direct parody of the song title, and the second as a homage to the short.[[/note]] In that era, the number would have been written either as the title or in the short form "PA 6-5000". It was, and still is, the real phone number for the hotel's front desk, now written as 212-726-5000.\\

Unlike many countries, mobile phones in the NANP are ''not'' assigned their own set of numbers.[[note]]Except for a few Canadian numbers, mostly satellite phones for use in extremely remote areas, that are assigned area code 600. An attempt was made in New York City to assign a dedicated area code for cell phones, but that was struck down in court.[[/note]] They receive numbers within the same geographic calling areas as landlines. This setup has both advantages and disadvantages:

In recent decades, NANP area codes have been adopted as nicknames for certain metropolitan areas. The TropeCodifier for this is UsefulNotes/{{Toronto}}, where "The 416" refers to the "old" city of Toronto (though it's more recently been replaced by "The Six"; see that city's page for the explanation) and "The 905" to its suburbs (still in wide use). Other examples include:

In recent decades, NANP area codes have been adopted as nicknames for certain metropolitan areas. The TropeCodifier for this is Toronto, where "The 416" refers to the "old" city of Toronto (though it's more recently been replaced by "The Six"; see that city's page for the explanation) and "The 905" to its suburbs (still in wide use). Other examples include:

* The 216: Cleveland and vicinity, though "The Land" is more common these days
* The 404: Atlanta inside "The Perimeter" (Interstate 285, which encircles the city), though "The ATL" is much more common now
* The 804: Richmond, Virginia and its surrounding area, though "RVA" is more common now

** As for ''988'', since it's been used as a central office code for decades, implementing it as a national number meant that the areas that used it as an exchange ''and'' still allowed 7-digit dialing had to either (1) retire the exchange and issue new numbers to subscribers that already had a [=988-xxxx=] number[[note]]of the affected areas, only North Dakota, which is served by only one area code, did this, since it had assigned fewer than 40 numbers in the 988 exchange[[/note]] or (2) require 10-digit dialing.

* In most countries, especially where cell phones are assigned numbers in separate blocks from landlines, calls to mobile phones are charged at higher rates than those to landlines (a "caller pays" model). Because mobile numbers in the NANP are assigned within geographic area codes, this was impossible, at least in the US and Canada. Instead, mobile phones in the US and Canada are charged for airtime ''in both directions'' (a "subscriber pays" model). This system was arguably fairer to the public as a whole, as the subscriber is paying for the perceived convenience of accessibility on the road. Before the mid-2000s (decade), people tended not to give out their cell numbers indiscriminately for this very reason. However, virtually all mobile service providers now offer unlimited calling plans at competitive rates, with no extra charge for domestic long distance. This also contributes to a phenomenon in which people will keep their cell phone numbers for years after they move from the area where they originally got them, as noted in this ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' [[https://xkcd.com/1129/ comic]].

The UsefulNotes/NineHundredNumber (area code 900) is a pay calling line ("premium rate" in the UK), usually used for sex chat lines or competitions. The 976 exchange is the local version of the 900 number, as seen in the 1988 horror film ''Film/NineSevenSixEvil''.\\

* A huge advantage is that as long as you stay within the same area code, you can freely swap your phone number between a landline and a cell phone, in either direction.

* In most countries, especially where cell phones are assigned numbers in separate blocks from landlines, calls to mobile phones are charged at higher rates than those to landlines (a "caller pays" model). Because mobile numbers in the NANP are assigned within geographic area codes, this was impossible. Instead, mobile phones are charged for airtime ''in both directions'' (a "subscriber pays" model). This system was arguably fairer to the public as a whole, as the subscriber is paying for the perceived convenience of accessibility on the road. Before the mid-2000s (decade), people tended not to give out their cell numbers indiscriminately for this very reason. However, virtually all mobile service providers now offer unlimited calling plans at competitive rates, with no extra charge for domestic long distance. This also contributes to a phenomenon in which people will keep their cell phone numbers for years after they move from the area where they originally got them, as noted in this ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' [[https://xkcd.com/1129/ comic]].

The UsefulNotes/NineHundredNumber (area code 900) is a pay calling line ("premium rate" in the UK), usually used for sex chat lines or competitions.\\

In 1947, the Bell System, in cooperation with independent local phone companies, published a new numbering plan. Most of North America was divided into 86 zones known as ''numbering plan areas'' ([=NPAs=]). Each was assigned a three-digit code, formally known as an ''NPA code'' but more commonly as an ''area code''. These codes were first used in operator toll dialing, in which a caller contacted an operator to place a long-distance call—as depicted in the Music/ChuckBerry song "Memphis, Tennessee" (Long-distance information / Give me Memphis, Tennessee). ''Direct distance dialing'' (i.e., customer-dialed long-distance) would start in 1951. However, only 12 cities, all in the US, had the switching equipment needed to allow DDD. Over the next decade or so, as all of the US and Canada standardized on seven-digit numbers and other areas upgraded their systems to allow DDD, it would be rolled out—though some remote areas didn't get DDD until the 1970s.\\

In 1947, the Bell System, in cooperation with independent local phone companies, published a new numbering plan. Most of North America was divided into 86 zones known as ''numbering plan areas'' ([=NPAs=]). Each was assigned a three-digit code, formally known as an ''NPA code'' but more commonly as an ''area code''. These codes were first used in operator toll dialing, in which a caller contacted an operator to place a long-distance call, but ''direct distance dialing'' (i.e., customer-dialed long-distance) would start in 1951. However, only 12 cities, all in the US, had the switching equipment needed to allow DDD. Over the next decade or so, as all of the US and Canada standardized on seven-digit numbers and other areas upgraded their systems to allow DDD, it would be rolled out—though some remote areas didn't get DDD until the 1970s.\\

Also in 1958, Bermuda and the British West Indies were added to the plan at the request of the UK government, largely because their telecom systems had historically been administered through Canada. The Dominican Republic and the US territories in the Caribbean also joined, but Cuba, Haiti, Central America, and the French and Dutch Caribbean chose not to. Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off the Canadian coast, also chose not to join. Attempts were made to integrate Mexico into the NANP, and three area codes had been assigned to the country, but it chose to adopt an international format, and those codes were reclaimed in 1991 and eventually assigned to other North American areas.\\

The US territories in the Pacific, apart from the state of Hawaii, were not part of the NANP for decades. They used an international format, with their own country codes. In the years surrounding the turn of the millennium, those territories joined the NANP, with their former country codes becoming NANP area codes. The most recent addition to the NANP is Sint Maarten, a Dutch possession in the Caribbean that joined in 2011.

Do keep in mind that calls between countries in the NANP are billed at higher rates than domestic calls. This includes calls between the US and its territories. Calls between the US and Canada are billed as international calls, although at a lower rate than calls between the US and most other countries (or, indeed, those between the US and its territories). Historically, long-distance calls within the US or Canada were billed on a distance-based model, with calls from the contiguous US to Alaska or Hawaii often having their own special (higher) charges. Also, because of taxation issues within the US, landline calls within a state can cost more than a call across the continent but still within the US. This is mostly a DeadHorseTrope for purely domestic calls; most US landline plans and almost all US cell phone plans now include unlimited domestic long distance within the 50 states (and Washington, DC), and a relatively small monthly charge will add unlimited calling to Canada and the non-NANP country of Mexico. Analogous plans are commonplace in Canada (unlimited calling within Canada, with unlimited calling to the US proper for an added monthly charge).\\

* In most countries, especially where cell phones are assigned numbers in separate blocks from landlines, calls to mobile phones are charged at higher rates than those to landlines (a "caller pays" model). Because mobile numbers in the NANP are assigned within geographic area codes, this was impossible. Instead, mobile phones are charged for airtime ''in both directions'' (a "subscriber pays" model). This system was arguably fairer to the public as a whole, as the subscriber is paying for the perceived convenience of accessibility on the road. Before the mid-2000s (decade), people tended not to give out their cell numbers indiscriminately for this very reason. However, virtually all mobile service providers now offer unlimited calling plans at competitive rates, with no extra charge for domestic long distance. This also contributes to a phenomenon in which people will keep their cell phone numbers even after they move from the area where they originally got them, as noted in this ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' [[https://xkcd.com/1129/ comic]].

Do keep in mind that calls between countries in the NANP are billed at higher rates than domestic calls. This includes calls between the US and its territories. Calls between the US and Canada are billed as international calls, although at a lower rate than calls between the US and most other countries (or, indeed, those between the US and its territories). Historically (still true for landlines), long-distance calls within the US or Canada were billed on a distance-based model, with calls from the contiguous US to Alaska or Hawaii often having their own special (higher) charges. Also, because of taxation issues within the US, landline calls within a state can cost more than a call across the continent but still within the US. For cell phones, this is mostly a DeadHorseTrope for purely domestic calls; almost all US cell phone plans now include unlimited domestic long distance within the 50 states (and Washington, DC), and a relatively small monthly charge will add unlimited calling to Canada and the non-NANP country of Mexico. Analogous plans are commonplace in Canada (unlimited calling within Canada, with unlimited calling to the US proper for an added monthly charge).\\

The 900 number (area code 900) is a pay calling line ("premium rate" in the UK), usually used for sex chat lines or competitions.\\

* In most countries, especially where cell phones are assigned numbers in separate blocks from landlines, calls to mobile phones are charged at higher rates than those to landlines (a "caller pays" model). Because mobile numbers in the NANP are assigned within geographic area codes, this was impossible. Instead, mobile phones are charged for airtime ''in both directions'' (a "subscriber pays" model). This system was arguably fairer to the public as a whole, as the subscriber was paying for the perceived convenience of accessibility on the road. Before the mid-2000s (decade), people tended not to give out their cell numbers indiscriminately. However, virtually all mobile service providers now offer unlimited calling plans that include domestic long distance at competitive rates.

Works from this era will frequently reference this system. For example, the Pennsylvania Hotel in Manhattan, a major venue for big band music, inspired the song "Pennsylvania 6-5000", famously performed and recorded by Music/GlennMiller and his band.[[note]]Yes, that's how the 1963 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes [[WesternAnimation/Transylvania65000 short]] and 1985 [[Film/Transylvania65000 live-action film]] got their titles—the first as a direct parody of the song title, and the second as a homage to the short[[/note]] In that era, the number would have been written either as the title or in the short form "PA 6-5000". It was, and still is, the real phone number for the hotel's front desk, now written as 212-726-5000.\\

From the invention of the telephone in 1876 through the first part of the 20th century, the Bell System (which operated in both the US and Canada) grew by incorporating local or regional telephone systems. Each system established its own numbering plan, with calls within specific local areas handled by a central office (an "exchange") and subscribers receiving a number within their exchange. While all exchanges had numbers, they were identified by ''letters'', which in turn designated certain memorable names. (This explains why North American phones, even today, have letters mapped to their numbers.) This system was far from uniform. Most central offices used two letters and five numbers, but a fair number used three letters and four numbers, and some small exchanges had numbers as short as five digits (two letters, three numbers). On top of that, Montreal and Toronto, among other areas, had a mixture of six- and seven-digit numbers. Needless to say, this mishmash of incompatible local systems proved to be a major obstacle to creating a continent-wide system for long-distance communication. With that in mind, the Bell System sought to unify all of the varied numbering plans throughout the US and Canada into a single plan.\\

In 1947, the Bell System, in cooperation with independent local phone companies, published a new numbering plan. Most of North America was divided into 86 zones known as ''numbering plan areas'' ([=NPAs=]). Each was assigned a three-digit code, formally known as an ''NPA code'' but more commonly as an ''area code''. These codes were first used in operator toll dialing, in which a caller contacted an operator to place a long-distance call, but ''direct distance dialing'' (i.e., customer-dialed long-distance) would start in 1951. However, only 12 cities, all in the US, had the switching equipment needed to allow DDD. Over the next decade or so, as all of the US and Canada standardized on seven-digit numbers and other areas upgraded their systems to allow DDD, it would be rolled out—though some remote areas didn't get DDD until the 1970s.\\

In 1958, the Bell System introduced ''all-number calling'', eliminating the former use of letters to identify exchanges. This was done in large part because in many heavily populated states/provinces, it became necessary to use digit combinations that could not be expressed by memorable names.\\

Also in 1958, Bermuda and the British West Indies were added to the plan at the request of the UK government, largely because their telecom systems had historically been administered through Canada. The Dominican Republic and the US territories in the Caribbean also joined, but Cuba, Haiti, Central America, and the French and Dutch Caribbean chose not to. Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off the Canadian coast, also chose not to join. Attempts were made to integrate Mexico into the NANP, and three area codes had been assigned to the country, but it chose to adopt an international format, and those codes were reclaimed in 1991 and eventually assigned to other North American areas.\\

** As for ''988'', since it's been used as a central office code for decades, implementing it as a national number meant that the areas that uses it as an exchange had to either (1) retire the number and, if necessary, issue new numbers to subscribers that already had a [=988-xxxx=] number[[note]]of the affected areas, only North Dakota, which is served by only one area code, did this, since it had assigned fewer than 40 numbers in the 988 exchange[[/note]] or (2) require 10-digit dialing.

* In most countries, especially where cell phones are assigned numbers in separate blocks from landlines, calls to mobile phones are charged at higher rates than those to landlines (a "caller pays" model). Because of the NANP assigns mobile numbers within geographic area codes, this was impossible. Instead, mobile phones are charged for airtime ''in both directions'' (a "subscriber pays" model). This system was arguably fairer to the public as a whole, as the subscriber was paying for the perceived convenience of accessibility on the road. Before the mid-2000s (decade), people tended not to give out their cell numbers indiscriminately. However, virtually all mobile service providers now offer unlimited calling plans that include domestic long distance at competitive rates.

All phone numbers in the NANP consist of 10 digits. The first three are the area code, followed by a seven-digit subscriber number. The numbers have certain limitations:

Speaking of 10-digit dialing: Between 1947 and 1992, people needed only to use the local telephone number to make calls within their exchange, or within their area code. That said, some switching systems required dialing "1" before the number to indicate a toll call. Calls to numbers in different area codes, even if they were within a caller's local calling area, required 10 digits (again, some switching systems also required "1" first). During that period, whenever the demand for numbers within an area code neared capacity, that area was split into a number of suitable parts (usually two), with one area keeping the old code and the other(s) receiving new codes. However, beginning in 1992, ''overlay plans'', in which a given geographic area can have more than one area code, were adopted as another means to deal with number exhaustion. Canada went all-in on overlay plans early because of its inefficient number allocation system (see [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlay_plan#Popularity The Other Wiki]] for more details). The US was slower to adopt this, but following New Mexico's area code split in 2007, every new area code in the US has been part of an overlay plan.\\

Also in 1958, Bermuda and the British West Indies were added to the plan at the request of the UK government, largely because their telecom systems had historically been administered through Canada. The Dominican Republic and the US territories in the Caribbean also joined, but Cuba, Haiti, and the French and Dutch Caribbean chose not to. Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off the Canadian coast, also chose not to join. Attempts were made to integrate Mexico into the NANP, and three area codes had been assigned to the country, but it chose to adopt an international format, and those codes were reclaimed in 1991 and eventually assigned to other North American areas.\\