Alabama area code
Area code 256
256 is a Alabama area code covering Huntsville, Decatur and Anniston. Check a 256 number below to see if it is mobile, landline or VoIP, and which carrier it is with today.
Verdicts describe reachability. They are not compliance checks.
- State
- Alabama
- Exchanges in use
- 785
- Thousands-blocks assigned
- 5,580
- Carriers holding numbers
- 58
An exchange is the three digits after the area code, 10,000 numbers. A thousands-block is 1,000 of them, assigned to a carrier on its own.
Rate centres in 256
A rate centre is the local area a number belongs to. Names are as NANPA files them, often abbreviated. The 12 with the most exchanges, of 91.
| Rate centre (as filed) | Exchanges |
|---|---|
| HUNTSVILLE | 158 |
| DECATUR | 50 |
| ANNISTON | 43 |
| GADSDEN | 37 |
| CULLMAN | 36 |
| FLORENCE | 29 |
| ATHENS | 26 |
| ALEXANDRCY | 18 |
| GUNTERSVL | 18 |
| SCOTTSBORO | 18 |
| TALLADEGA | 17 |
| ALBERTVL | 15 |
Carriers 256 numbers were assigned to
The carrier NANPA lists for each exchange and thousands-block. A number can be ported to another carrier after it is assigned, so check the number itself to see its carrier today.
How a port changes the carrier on your list
| Carrier (as filed) | Exchanges | Thousands-blocks |
|---|---|---|
| BELLSOUTH TELECOMM INC DBA SOUTH CENTRAL BELL TEL | 179 | 635 |
| NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - GA | 114 | 1,026 |
| CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - AL | 84 | 639 |
| PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 58 | 229 |
| POWERTEL BIRMINGHAM LICENSES, INC. | 50 | 230 |
| LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - AL | 42 | 190 |
| ONVOY, LLC - AL | 34 | 839 |
| METROPCS, INC. | 24 | 172 |
| BANDWIDTH.COM CLEC, LLC - AL | 16 | 384 |
| BRIGHTSPEED OF ALABAMA, LLC - NORTHERN | 16 | 53 |
Area codes that share these places
These area codes have numbers in at least half of 256's rate centres. Usually that is an overlay, added when the first area code ran short of numbers.
938
Questions about this area code
Where is area code 256?
256 is a Alabama area code covering Huntsville, Decatur and Anniston. NANPA's report lists 785 exchanges in use across 91 rate centres.
Is 256 a mobile or a landline area code?
Both. An area code doesn't decide the line type: mobile, landline and VoIP numbers all use 256, and numbers move between carriers. Check the number itself to see what it is today.
Which area codes overlay 256?
938 has numbers in at least half of the same places as 256, so a new number there can get any of these area codes.
Can you tell me who owns a 256 number?
No. NumberLookup shows whether a number is valid, its line type, its carrier and its region, never the person or business behind it.
Source: NANPA's public central office code and thousands-block reports, refreshed weekly. Carriers are the ones the numbers were assigned to, not necessarily today's, and never the person who uses a number.
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