10-digit phone number dialing will be rolled out in New Brunswick in just under ten days.

Beginning January 20, phone users must dial 10 digits (ie, the area code followed by the seven-digit phone number) to place a local call.

This new type of appeal follows an August 2018 decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The federal agency had also announced the addition of the new 428 area code as 506 nears full capacity.

The 428 area code will be introduced in New Brunswick and will coexist with the current 506 area code starting April 29, 2023.

Consumers with a 506 number keep it because the 428 area code is only used for new numbers.

The CRTC subsequently determined that New Brunswick is one of the few places in Canada that still has a seven-digit local code.

For its part, the Telecommunications Alliance launched an information campaign last fall aimed at consumers and businesses.

The group of major communications companies in Canada then insisted that the 10-digit election affects all consumers and businesses in New Brunswick and that it is imperative to reprogram communications systems and devices before January 20, 2023.

The Alliance emphasizes that this new dialing method has been successfully implemented in many regions of Canada.

It should be noted that telecom providers are already willing to make 10-digit local calls.

A voice instruction from telephone service providers should soon advise the person placing a 7-digit local call to use 10-digit dialing instead.