523 Area Code
Personal communications services
The 523 area code is reserved for special services (Non-Geographic Services). Numbers in it are used for personal communications services in the 5YY non-geographic pool.
How 523 is used
Numbers in 523 are used for personal communications services such as one-number follow-me forwarding. The called party (the subscriber) pays for the call while the calling party is billed at standard long-distance rates. All 5YY codes share the same purpose and pool of central-office assignments.
- Purpose
- Personal communications services
- Assignee
- NANPA on behalf of the FCC
- Dialed as
- 1-523-NXX-XXXX
History
Creation: Area code 523 was placed into service on November 12, 2018 as the ninth 5YY non-geographic NPA, relieving 521. It was one of the codes set aside in NANPA's May 2012 Planning Letter 703 to augment the 5YY pool. 5YY relief codes are now activated roughly every year or two as central-office demand grows.
Relieved: Area code 523 was activated to relieve 521.
Mnemonics: The digits 523 map to letter combinations on the standard telephone keypad, yielding 27 possible three-letter mnemonics. Prior to 1995, the middle digit of area codes was restricted to 0 or 1 — codes created before then cannot form mnemonics.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_communications_service_(NANP).
Other special-use area codes
Same-category codes first, then the rest of the NANP special-use portfolio.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is area code 523 used for?
523 is a special-use area code in the North American Numbering Plan. The 523 area code is reserved for special services (Non-Geographic Services). Numbers in it are used for personal communications services in the 5YY non-geographic pool.
How is 523 dialed?
Numbers in 523 are dialed as a full ten-digit number (1-523-NXX-XXXX). It is a non-geographic area code, so 1-523 numbers are not tied to any city or state.
Who assigns 523 numbers?
NANPA on behalf of the FCC
What did 523 relieve or replace?
Area code 523 was activated to relieve 521 as that pool of numbers neared exhaustion.
When did area code 523 go into service?
Area code 523 was placed into service on November 12, 2018. It was the 9th 5YY non-geographic area code.