526 Area Code
Personal communications services
The 526 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 526 is used
Numbers in 526 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
- 1-526-NXX-XXXX
History
Creation: Area code 526 was placed into service on January 28, 2021 as the twelfth 5YY non-geographic NPA, relieving 525. It was one of more than 20 codes reserved in NANPA's May 2012 Planning Letter 703 to augment 5YY resources as central-office assignments were drawn down. Codes 527, 528 and 529 followed in 2021 and 2022.
Relieved: Area code 526 was activated to relieve 525.
Mnemonics: The digits 526 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), www.nanpa.com/numbering/5xx-nxx-codes.
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 526 used for?
526 is a special-use area code in the North American Numbering Plan. The 526 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 526 dialed?
Numbers in 526 are dialed as a full ten-digit number (1-526-NXX-XXXX). It is a non-geographic area code, so 1-526 numbers are not tied to any city or state.
Who assigns 526 numbers?
NANPA on behalf of the FCC
What did 526 relieve or replace?
Area code 526 was activated to relieve 525 as that pool of numbers neared exhaustion.
When did area code 526 go into service?
Area code 526 was placed into service on January 28, 2021. It was the 12th 5YY non-geographic area code.