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Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to Kelly T. Walsh (Canadian Numbering Administrator)

Gatineau, 22 July 2025

Our reference: 1011-NOC2023-0092

BY EMAIL

Kelly T. Walsh
CNA Program Manager
Canadian Numbering Administrator
880 Taylor Creek Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K4A 0Z9
Kelly.Walsh@cnac.ca

Subject: CO codes for TBP Testing

  1. This is in response to the request you filed with Commission staff on 15 July 2025.
  2. In Telecom Regulatory Policy 2024-26, the Commission directed local exchange carriers and wireless carriers to implement thousand block pooling (TBP) by 6 October 2025.

  3. In a letter dated 18 December 2024, Commission staff supported a request from the Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering that the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA) be authorized to temporarily issue numbering resources for up to 14 central office (CO) codes to enable end-to-end production testing by Canadian telecommunication service providers (TSPs) of various TBP-related functions. In doing so, staff established the expectation that:

    1. The allocation of the 14 identified CO codes to have no impact on the exhaust of Canada’s numbering resources;
    2. Canadian TSPs desiring temporary resources for the purpose of pre-TBP implementation testing to request the required resources as of 1 April 2025 and no later than 1 July 2025;
    3. Canadian TSPs holding temporary testing resources to return these resources to the CNA no later than 6 October 2025;
    4. The CNA to initiate reclamation procedures for any temporary resources that have not been returned by TSPs by 8 October 2025; and
    5. The CNA to confirm to the Commission no later than 13 October 2025 that all temporary resources assigned to TSPs for the purpose of pre-TBP implementation testing have been returned to the CNA.
  4. In your request, you indicated that two additional CO codes are needed for TBP testing in Thunder Bay, as none of the previously provided CO codes are available for use in the Thunder Bay exchange.
  5. Commission staff supports this new request. In addition, in anticipation for potential testing needs in Northern Canada and in Manitoba, staff considers it appropriate to support the CNA making additional CO codes available in area code 867 and in area code complex 204/431/584. In doing so, staff establishes the same expectations as those set out in its 18 December 2024 letter, with the exception that Canadian TSPs desiring temporary resources for the purpose of pre-TBP implementation testing in Thunder Bay, Northern Canada, and Manitoba must request the required resources no later than 1 September 2025.
  6. If you have any questions, please contact Étienne Robelin, Manager, Numbering Resource Administration, Telecommunications Sector, at etienne.robelin@crtc.gc.ca or 873-354-4325.

Sincerely,

Original signed by Christine Marques on behalf of

Suneil Kanjeekal
Director, Dispute Resolution & Regulatory Implementation
Telecommunications sector

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