OUR begins issuing 658 area code for new telephone numbers

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) says it has started to issue the additional “658” area code for Jamaica for new telephone numbers.

The regulator says the new code was recently made available to telecommunications service providers, which will begin distribution when necessary.

Once providers have maxed out 876 telephone numbers, persons will begin to be assigned with the 658 area code.

The recent assignment became necessary as the OUR has run out of telephone numbers issued under the 876 area code.

OUR notes that persons may share the same last seven digits of a telephone number.

In Jamaica, persons are required to dial 10 digits to place a phone call.

This means that one person's phone number may be 876-555-5555 with another being 658-555-5555.

The OUR is reminding everyone, including business operators and advertisers, to ensure that the 10-digit format is used in the publishing and displaying of all local mobile and landline numbers using the correct area code for each number i.e. 876 or 658.

Persons are also urged to adjust the way they record or store phone numbers to make it clear which area code is applicable to their telephone numbers. 

Persons are also reminded that 10-digit dialling extends to local toll-free numbers.

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