Where is Area Code 866?

Have you been receiving phone calls from an unknown area code, and asking yourself, "Where is area code 866?" Don't worry - I have the answer you are looking for:

Where is Area Code 866?

Area code 866 isn't a "where," it's a "what." That's right, 866 is not assigned to a geographic region. It's a toll-free number, just like the classic 1-800 prefix.

According to the University of Houston, there are now four toll-free prefixes: 800, 866, 877, and 888. Source: 866 Area Code Added, University of Houston: Information Technology, available at http://www.uh.edu/infotech/news/story.php?story_id=382 (downloaded April 9, 2009).

Who Decides Where Area Code 866 and All the Others are Assigned?

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decides what area codes are assigned as toll-free codes. As explained in the FCC's FAQ regarding toll-free numbers, individual numbers are assigned by "Responsible Organizations," who obtain the numbers from the FCC. It is illegal for Responsible Organizations to hoard telephone numbers (i.e., obtain numbers from the FCC other than on the request of an individual subscriber). Source: What is a toll-free number and how does it work?, Federal Communications Commission, available at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tollfree.html (downloaded April 9, 2009).

Where is Area Code 866's Successor?

866 became a toll-free prefix because all the 800 numbers had been used. Doesn't it stand to reason, then, that eventually 866 will be used up? Yes, it does.

So what's next? 855? Yes, probably. And then 844, 833, 822, and so on.

But eventually we will run out of prefixes, won't we? Maybe not. If new technologies emerge, such as internet phone numbers that are not based on FCC-issued phone numbers, maybe the demand for toll-free numbers will diminish.

If demand does not diminish, though, the FCC could always add another digit to our phone numbers. Going from 3-digit area codes to 4-digit area codes would create ten times the number of potential area codes. Telephone services will get pretty confusing a hundred years from now when they have 15-digit are codes, though.

Conclusions

Well, now you know where area code 866 is. Or isn't. And yes, those strange numbers showing up on your caller ID are probably telemarketers. Thanks to the magic of phone transferring technology, your caller could be trying to reach you from Des Moines, Saskatchewan, or Chandigarh, India. You might want to sign up for that do-not-call list.

Sources:

866 Area Code Added, University of Houston: Information Technology, available at http://www.uh.edu/infotech/news/story.php?story_id=382 (downloaded April 9, 2009).

What is a toll-free number and how does it work?, Federal Communications Commission, available at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/tollfree.html (downloaded April 9, 2009).