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Phone number prefix change ordered by Telus

SeekingHelpPlease
Neighbour

I have a very common and old phone number prefix (758) in Nanaimo which Telus gave me when I moved here from a different part of the city 3 years ago.   It is a prefix for the "Wellington" rate centre (exchange), which is in central Nanaimo (i.e. there is no separate town called Wellington).

 

Today, while processing a minor change, an agent said that 758 is actually a "Lantzville" prefix and I must change my number immediately becuase the regulator requires that this prefix can ony be used in Lantzville.   

 

That does not make sense. The list of rate centres and their prefixes is available from Telus and on-line.   The Lantzvile prefixes are 390 and 933 (as anyone around here knows).

 758 is assigned to Wellington (Nanaimo).  

 

It is a very common number here.   It's widely used all around me.

 

It also makes no sense that Telus would give no notice of this radical and far-reaching change.

 

He said this is new and the regulator recently ordered it.   I asked him to explain it in detail and I recorded his answers because it was hard to believe what he was saying.    He said that it is imperative that my number be changed immediately.   Has anyone else heard of this or know of where peope can find up-to-date info on-line about this?

 

 

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

rc
Rockstar

does not make sense, as you can port the number to another carrier who will not be concerned about what city the phone number was associated with.

 

If they call back ask them for the crtc regulation that is applicable as you want to view it online.

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6 REPLIES 6

rc
Rockstar

does not make sense, as you can port the number to another carrier who will not be concerned about what city the phone number was associated with.

 

If they call back ask them for the crtc regulation that is applicable as you want to view it online.

Thanks for your reply.

I should add that I have since spoken with a more experienced agent who looked into it and determined that the first agent was incorrect. However, the number still has to change.

It turns out that I do indeed have a Nanaimo prefix, but I live in an area of Nanaimo that is in the Lantzville exchange so I have to have a Lantzville prefix. Their own documentation is confusing, so that’s why the first agent was mixed up.

I think that they have a special team dealing with this — it seems to be a new development.

The first agent had the reason wrong, but the fact right, the fact that your number must change.

 

The CRTC states a telecommunication company can force a number change if you move from one "local calling area" to another, or if they've changed their areas.

Thank you for taking time to provide this helpful information

For that to happen though, they need to have a good reason, like the amount of numbers they have to issue for that area are almost all used up.  As someone who once lived out in Nanaimo, I highly doubt that there is a number shortage for that area code.  File a complaint with the CRTC and then see what Telus has to say.  

Try migrating it to a wireless home phone, hook up one of those base units, and keep the number.