Flow now offering new 658 area code to customers

Telecommunications company Flow today began offering Jamaica's new 658 area code to mobile customers.

This was made possible following approval from regulator the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

Flow says it is the first in the English-speaking Caribbean to offer a second area code.

The company says it looks forward to further growing its mobile customer base and expanding its offerings with the issuance of the new area code.

“We are excited about our growth in the mobile space which is indicative of the confidence consumers have in the products and value that we offer. We look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional benefits to even more customers with the roll out of this new area code,” said Dwight Williams, Commercial Director - Mobile.

“We have been investing significantly in our mobile LTE network coverage and capacity across the island to provide best-in-class mobile voice and data services, so we expect to continue growing our market share and the allocation of the 658 area code will pave the way for that growth,” Williams added.

The OUR has stated that the new 658 area code will work in conjunction with and does not replace the 876 code.

The additional area code became necessary as the growth in mobile subscribers contributed to the exhaustion of the 876 code that has become synonymous with Jamaica.

In 2018 when the OUR first announced the 658 area code, data from the regulator indicated that the new code will provide an additional seven million numbers, providing the platform for expansive growth in the local mobile industry.

Meanwhile, Williams said he was confident customers will easily adapt to the new area code and offered some advice to help with the adoption of the code.

“Customers can rest assured that when they visit a Flow store, the process of allocating the 658 area code will be the same as for the 876 code. However, we encourage all customers to be very specific and include their area code when sharing their phone number to avoid any confusion,” he advised.

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