St. John's 
Beginning on February 17, 2024, Newfoundland and Labrador will welcome the addition of the 879 area code to its telecommunications infrastructure, complementing the existing 709 area code.
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This move, approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), aims to ensure a steady supply of numbers for future demands without altering current geographical boundaries for calling areas or the method of dialling local and long-distance calls.
Per the news release, the 879 code will be allocated to new phone service subscribers once the 709 area code nears its capacity, maintaining the uninterrupted availability of telephone numbers.
This change necessitates that all local calls include the 10-digit format (area code plus local number), although emergency and special services numbers like 911, 211, and others will retain their three-digit dialing feature.
Telecommunications Alliance says there will be no change to the area code of existing subscribers, and local calling areas will remain unaffected. Businesses with systems limiting long-distance calls must update their configurations to recognize 879 as a local code.
