Third area code launched in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is now officially a three area code province following the launch of the 474 area code at the beginning of October.

Isabella Maestri of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said new area codes are introduced when old area codes are exhausted, which happened with the 306 area code back in the early 2000s.

“This area code will cover all of Saskatchewan and is an overlay plan which means it does not cover one specific area,” Maestri said in an email to paNOW.

The introduction of a new area code means demand for telecommunication services in the province, particularly in Saskatoon and Regina, is increasing.

The new code was officially added to the province’s previous area code collection of 306 and 639 on Oct. 2, but residents won’t notice the change until June of 2022, Maestri said.

The new numbers will be distributed across all providers in the province, said Lindsay Mazenc, external communications manager with SaskTel. The company isn’t expecting people to notice the change until the summer of 2022.

One important thing for residents to note is that the new area code will not impact the 10-digital dialing system that was put in place across the province in 2013.

Becky Zimmer, paNOW