Area code 709

While the first telephone system was installed in Newfoundland in 1885, domestic long-distance calls within the Dominion of Newfoundland could only be placed on a limited basis in 1921. The first long-distance call from Newfoundland to Canada was made on January 10, 1939, using a shortwave radio link operated by the Canadian Marconi Company in Montréal; shortwave radio also carried calls from St. John's to London, England.

After confederation with Canada, the first cross-province long-distance call, St. John's to Port aux Basques, was placed in 1949.[1]

At the time of the completion of planning for the original NANP area codes in 1947, no provisions were made to include Newfoundland in the continental numbering plan which later became the North American Numbering Plan. The Newfoundland telephone system was entirely manual and dial telephones came to St. John's in 1948;[1] confederation with the Dominion of Canada was enacted in 1949.

Canada's Atlantic provinces, The Maritimes, received the area code 902, which remains in use throughout Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. New Brunswick and Newfoundland were split from 902 to area code 506 in 1955. In 1962, Labrador was split off and combined with Newfoundland to form a new numbering plan area with its own area code 709.[2] Canadian direct distance dial locations came on-line gradually during the next several years, beginning with the largest cities Toronto and Montreal, in 1958. The area codes served mostly for operator routing purposes until customer dialing of long-distance calls became commonplace in the 1960s.

The incumbent local exchange carrier for area code 709 is Bell Aliant, owned by Bell Canada, which was formed in 1999 as a result of a merger that included NewTel Communications (previously Newfoundland Telephone). There had been as many as nine companies in Newfoundland and Labrador up to 1951; NewTel acquired the last independent company in 1988.

Area code 709 is expected to be exhausted by 2024, at which point Newfoundland and Labrador will receive an overlay area code and ten-digit dialing will become necessary in the province. Area code 879 has been reserved as the second code for the purpose of this overlay, although the relief has been deferred indefinitely.[3] For now, this and the three other Canadian area codes, 506, 807. and 867 still have not been overlaid, and use seven-digit dialling.

• Telephone numbers in Canada
• Canadian Numbering Administration Consortium

• CNA exchange list for area +1-709
• Telecom archives
• Area Code Map of Canada