Personal communications service (NANP)

{{Short description|Telecommunication service in North America}} {{About|the North American Numbering Plan 5XX area codes|the mobile phone technology|Personal Communications Service}} {{Redirect|500 number|the natural number|500 (number)}} In telecommunication, a '''personal communications service''' is defined by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) as "a set of capabilities that allows some combination of personal mobility, terminal mobility, and service profile management".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atis.org/INC/Docs/finaldocs/PCS-5YY-NXX-Final-Document-6-30-08.doc |title=Personal Communications Services (PCS) 5YY NXX Code Assignment Guidelines |date=2008-06-30 |publisher=Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions |access-date=2008-08-28 |archive-date=2011-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606013339/http://www.atis.org/INC/Docs/finaldocs/PCS-5YY-NXX-Final-Document-6-30-08.doc |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Personal communications services use a special non-geographic area code of the format ''5XX'' for assigning telephone numbers for service instances.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_406.pdf|title=Assignment of NPA 544 for Personal Communications Services (PCS)|date=2010-09-28|publisher=NANPA|access-date=2010-09-28}}</ref>

The designation of the 5XX area code format was authorized by the United States Federal Communications Commission, and introduced into the North American Numbering Plan in 1995.

==United States== In 1993, the North American Numbering Plan designated area code 500 for personal communication services. An initial service concept was that customers could move a given seven-digit telephone number when relocating between numbering plan areas. The 500-code would thus be a non-geographic area code.

In 1995, AT&T introduced a "follow-me" service under the brand name of ''AT&T True Connections'' using area code 500. It was designed to replace the ''AT&T EasyReach 700'' service.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dresser |first=Michael |date=7 July 1994 |title=AT&T Offers Global 'Number For Life' |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-07-08-1994189159-story.html |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=Baltimore Sun}}</ref> Other local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers introduced similar competitive services. With the rise of mobile devices such as mobile phones and pagers, making the service all but superfluous, AT&T True Connections and their competitors failed quickly.

Companies, hotels, and others with PBX equipment continued to block the dialing of 500 because it was a caller-paid number. It was also misused by premium rate services such as phone sex lines, with it being used to forward calls to various foreign countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lincmad.com/nongeographic.html |title=LincMad Non-geographic Area Codes |publisher=Lincmad.com |date= |access-date=2009-09-04}}</ref> The prefix was also used by some Internet service providers to allow non-subscribers to dial into their systems for dial-up Internet access.<ref>{{cite web |author=Roman Olynyk |url=http://www.wvnet.edu/services/helpdesk/dialup_info/nfo5001.html |title=Dialup Telephone Numbers for non-Verizon customers |publisher=Wvnet.edu |date=2006-12-14 |access-date=2009-09-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214180147/http://www.wvnet.edu/services/helpdesk/dialup_info/nfo5001.html |archivedate=2010-02-14 }}</ref>

In 1996, AT&T attempted to migrate users to its revised service called "Personal Reach" 800, built on a toll-free (receiver-paid) platform rather than the original (caller-paid) 500 program.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1996_Jan_30/ai_17878623?tag=untagged |title=Toll-Free AT&T service lets callers reach travelers, business people anytime, anywhere |publisher=Findarticles.com |date= 1996-01-30|access-date=2009-09-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.att.com/personalreach/ |title=AT&T Personal Reach Service |date= |access-date=2009-09-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20000815054500/http://www.att.com/personalreach/ |archivedate = 2000-08-15}}</ref> AT&T has a US patent (5,907,811) on "personal reach service".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5907811.html |title=Personal reach service with paging and optional point of entry via cellular network - Patent 5907811 |publisher=Freepatentsonline.com |date= |access-date=2009-09-04}}</ref>

AT&T then licensed and transferred all personal reach services to MCE, Inc. MCE was supposedly the company providing the back-end system for all personal reach services to AT&T. No public information was released on the transfer away from AT&T. Subscribers were notified by mail that bills would begin to arrive from MCE instead of AT&T. It is also believed that MCE is a subsidiary of EMNS, Inc., a web hosting company in Chicago. MCE continues to supply personal reach service using the AT&T transport network.{{citation needed|date=December 2013}}

AT&T discontinued AT&T True Connections in 2000, following the Federal Communications Commission approval of its tariff to cease providing the service.

The numbering resources are now designated 5XX-NXX in NANP and are used for machine to machine communication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NANPA : Numbering Resources - 5XX-NXX Assignments |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/number_resource_info/5XX_codes.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217002544/https://www.nationalnanpa.com/number_resource_info/5XX_codes.html |archive-date=2023-02-17 |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=www.nationalnanpa.com}}</ref>

Although AT&T no longer uses the 500 code, it was supplemented by additional codes from 2009 onward.

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ '''Activation of 5XX codes for PCS''' |- ! align="left" | Code ! align="center" | Activation ! align="center" | Days since last activation |- | align="left" | 533 | align=-"left"| 2009-09-26 |- | align="left" | 544 | align=-"left"| 2010-12-15 | align="left" | 445 |- | align="left" | 566 | align=-"left"| 2012-04-17<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_436.pdf |title=Planning Letter 436: Assignment of NPA 566 for Personal Communications Services (PCS) |publisher=NANPA |date=2012-04-17 |access-date=2012-07-12 }}</ref> | align="left" | 489 |- | align="left" | 577 | align=-"left"| 2014-03-28<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/pdf/PL_466.pdf |title=Planning Letter 466: Assignment of NPA 577 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2014-03-28 |access-date=2014-04-22}}</ref> | align="left" | 710 |- | align="left" | 588 | align=-"left"| 2015-09-09 | align="left" | 530 |- | align="left" | 522 | align=-"left"| 2016-08-01 | align="left" | 327 |- | align="left" | 521 | align=-"left"| 2017-09-12 | align="left" | 407 |- | align="left" | 523 | align=-"left"| 2018-11-12 | align="left" | 426 |- | align="left" | 524 | align=-"left"| 2019-07-12<ref>{{cite web |title=NPAs Introduced over the Last 10 Years |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/enas/npasOverLast10YearsReport.do |website=nationalnanpa.com |access-date=13 March 2020 }}</ref> | align="left" | 242 |- | align="left" | 525 | align=-"left"| 2020-07-13<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_542.pdf |title=Planning Letter PL-542 }}</ref> | align="left" | 367 |- | align="left" | 526 | align=-"left"| 2021-01-28<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_558.pdf |title=Planning Letter PL-558 }}</ref> | align="left" | 199 |- | align="left" | 527 | align=-"left"| 2021-09-29 | align="left" | 244 |- | align="left" | 528 | align=-"left"| 2022-03-02 | align="left" | 154 |- | align="left" | 529 | align=-"left"| 2022-09-16 | align="left" | 198 |- | align="left" | 532 | align=-"left"| 2024-11-04 | align="left" | 780 |}

Other codes in reserve for this use: 535, 538, 542, 543, 545, 546, 547, 549, 550, 552, 553, 554, 556, 558, 569, 578, and 589.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_372.pdf |title=Planning Letter 372: Assignment of NPA 533 for Personal Communications Services (PCS) |publisher=NANPA |date=2008-01-03 |access-date=2008-08-28 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_379.pdf |title=Planning Letter 379: Assignment of NPA 533 for Personal Communications Services (PCS) |publisher=NANPA |date=2008-05-23 |access-date=2008-08-28 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalnanpa.com/number_resource_info/500_codes.html |title=Personal Communications Service (NANP): Numbering Resources-5XX |publisher=NANPA |access-date=2012-04-06 }}</ref>

On February 11, 2022, 103 of the 5XX-NXX codes were reported as available for assignment and the code 528 was designated as the next NPA code to be assigned.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_580.pdf |title=Assignment of NPA 528 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2022-02-11 |access-date=2022-12-02 }}</ref> On March 2, 2022, the NANPA announced the initiation of NPA 528.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_585.pdf |title=Assignment from NPA 528 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2022-03-02 |access-date=2022-12-02 }}</ref>

On August 29, 2022, 193 of the 5XX-NXX codes were reported as available for assignment and the code 529 was designated as the next NPA code to be assigned.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_601.pdf |title=Assignment of NPA 529 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2022-08-29 |access-date=2022-12-02 }}</ref> On September 16, 2022, the NANPA announced the initiation of NPA 529.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_602.pdf |title=Assignment from NPA 529 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2022-09-16 |access-date=2022-12-02 }}</ref>

2024: '''NPA 532''' activated

2025: The NANPA informs the industry of pending activation of area code 538 as the next available area code for non-geographic services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nanpa.com/sites/default/files/planning_letters/PL-631.pdf |title=Planning Letter 631: Assignment of NPA 538 for Non-Geographic Services |publisher=NANPA |date=2025-07-02 |access-date=2025-07-02 }}</ref>

==Canada== In 2015, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the Canadian Non-Geographic Code Assignment Guideline and the assignment of the 622, 633, 644, 655, 677, and 688 non-geographic numbering plan area (NPA) codes to meet the demand for telephone numbers related to technologies such as machine-to-machine applications. The first 6YY NPA to be used is 622 NPA, with additional numbers requested when 622 approaches exhaustion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nationalnanpa.com/pdf/PL_478.pdf |publisher=NANPA |title=Planning Letter PL-478, Assignment of NPA 622 for Non-Geographic Services |date=2015-02-26 |author=Canadian Numbering Administrator }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.nanpa.com/pdf/old_pl/IL-94-05-005.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041030040456/http://www.nanpa.com/pdf/old_pl/IL-94-05-005.pdf |date=2004-10-30 }} * [ftp://www.fcc.gov/pub/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/Orders/2000/da000771.txt FCC Order Permitting AT&T to discontinue 500 number service]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} * [http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/500_codes.html NANPA Numbering Resources - PCS 5YY-NXX Assignments] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309165513/http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/500_codes.html |date=2012-03-09 }}

Category:Mobile telecommunications 500 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 1993 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2009 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2010 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2012 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2014 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2015 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2016 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2017 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2018 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2019 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2020 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2021 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2022 Category:Telecommunications-related introductions in 2024