Saskatchewan will be getting an additional area code as of 2013.
The authority that regulates telecommunications in Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commissions (CTRC), announced that the new area code "639" will be introduced in 2013.
The CRTC states that the transition will begin Feb. 25, 2013 and will be introduced gradually before the May 11, 2013 deadline when it will become mandatory.
The addition is in order to prevent a shortage of telephone numbers in the province. Without the addition, the province would be expected to run out of telephone numbers by August 2013.
The prominence of two area codes means that 10-digit dialling will become mandatory as of May 11, 2013. This means that regardless of where you are calling, local or long-distance, you will be required to dial ten numbers. The only exception to this will be local calls made within Kinoosao and Uranium City in northern Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan has had the area code 306 since 1947. The need for a new area code has been attributed by some due to the province's population growth, an increase in the number of competitive carriers and an explosion of cell phone numbers.
