

NPA codes were developed by AT&T and the Bell System to divide the coverage area into "number plan areas" (abbreviated NPA). The basic format of a phone number in any of these countries is NPA-NXX-XXXX or (NPA) NXX-XXXX.Īrea codes came into use during the early 1940s. NANPA organizes the allocation of area codes and telephone prefixes to various phone companies.

North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA). In the US and its territories, Canada, and the Caribbean, the organization and allocation of telephone numbers is governed by the
