CRTC implements thousand-block pooling to address telephone number exhaustion

The CRTC is implementing thousand-block pooling (TBP) as a proactive measure to manage the growing demand for telephone numbers. On Monday the commission directed local exchange carriers and wireless carriers to adopt TBP by Oct. 6, 2025. This decision follows a consultation process initiated in March, which highlighted the urgency of addressing the impending exhaustion of telephone numbers. The CRTC also issued a directive requiring the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) to restrict the assignment of geographic central office (CO) codes. “Long-standing policies and processes that benefit local and long-distance competition have led to number assignment rules that do not always favour number preservation,” the CRTC wrote in its decision. “For example, currently, when a carrier extends services to a new area, it is assigned an entire CO code composed of 10,000 geographic numbers without regard to population or whether the carrier needs that many numbers. This leads to many numbers remaining unused.” Under the current system, telecommunication service providers (TSPs) are allocated blocks of 10,000 numbers when extending service to new areas, irrespective of the actual demand. This often results in significant numbers of unused or underutilized telephone numbers. The commission oversees telephone numbers as outlined in the Telecommunications Act, collaborating with stakeholders in Canada and internationally through the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Within the NANP framework, Canada is allotted a defined number of Numbering Plan Areas (NPAs), commonly referred to as area codes. Each NPA comprises 791 CO codes, which are the three digits following the area code in a ten-digit telephone number, and these CO codes are allocated to Canadian carriers by the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA). Each CO code encompasses 10,000 telephone numbers, which carriers utilize to serve their clientele. Thousand-block pooling will involve assigning numbers to TSPs in blocks of 1,000, allowing for more efficient allocation and utilization of telephone numbers across Canada. In addition to implementing TBP, the CRTC is introducing several measures aimed at optimizing numbering administration in Canada. These measures include policies to restrict the use of geographic numbers to where truly necessary, increased scrutiny of number allocation requests, and mechanisms for the return of unused numbers from previous assignments. The CRTC is advocating for TBP implementation mirroring the approach adopted in the United States, particularly in exchanges where number portability is in place. This will initially focus on new geographic number assignments and will adhere to six-digit routing and LRN architecture standards. An LRN is a 10-digit number used to uniquely identify a switch that has ported numbers. Calls to a ported number are routed based on the number’s associated LRN. The commission also endorses the concept of "facilitated LRN," which enables carriers to acquire blocks of 1,000 numbers in areas where they lack prior ownership. The CRTC found that the CNA was the most suitable candidate to serve as a neutral third-party administrator for TBP, due to its expertise, personnel, and established systems. The commission suggested exploring alternative funding models to support number preservation efforts and mandated the Canadian Numbering Administration Consortium (CNAC) review the funding with its committee and submit a Part 1 application by April 2024. The CRTC tasked the Canadian Interconnection Steering Committee on Numbering (CISC) to deliver recommendations by May 2024 regarding the scrutiny of number requests, with an emphasis on preserving geographic NANP resources. Key considerations for CISC include: establishing criteria for justifying new requests; determining the responsibilities of carriers in reporting the use of numbers obtained for other TSPs or wholesale customers; identifying triggers for escalating number requests to the CRTC; and examining practices in other NANP jurisdictions. CISC then has until August 2024 to submit a report on the processes, criteria, and timeline that should be put in place to return unused numbers from previously assigned CO codes. “The commission considers that including previously assigned CO codes that contain large quantities of unused numbers in the number pooling inventory is critical to helping curb number exhaustion,” the CRTC wrote. “Lightly contaminated blocks from previous number assignments need to be protected and added to the number pooling inventory at the earliest possible time.” – Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca and editing by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

CRTC implements thousand-block pooling to address telephone number exhaustion

News | February 5, 2024

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CRTC implements thousand-block pooling to address telephone number exhaustion

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