What are the first 3 digits called of a 7 digit phone number?

Question

In the example of this telephone number [phone].

The 000 is the area code. In Canadian provinces such as saskatchewan there is 1 area code for that province (or state in american) which is (306), or in alberta the next province there are two area codes, 403 and 780.

But I want help analysing the rest of a telephone number. Seeing as how i am from alberta i will use the area code (403). The rest of a number is 7 digits. What are the first 3 digits called? Because i live in medicine hat, and some of the numbers in medicine hat are 488-???? or 580-???? or 928-???? under the 403 area code. But if i loo kat a different city near by or within a few hours away with the same area code (403), the first 3 digits in that city might be 253-???? or 673-???? as examples. So to me the 7 digit telephone number is not unique to each person. Only the last 4 are unique because of my example above thousands of people within the same city may share the first 3 digits of the telephone number.

Answer 1

The prefix. That's what we call it in the US.

Answer 2

the first 3 digits of a 7 digit phone number are called the prefix.

Answer 3

The first (3) digits of a telephone number is referred to as the prefix. The remaining (4) digits are called the suffix.

Answer 4

The first 3 digits are the prefix and the last 4 digits are the suffix.

Answer 5

The first three digits comprise the Area Code, the next three -- the Exchange, and the last four -- the Number.

Answer 6

the 3 digit prefix

Answer 7

As already stated, I will say it the Exchange/Prefix according what country a people lives in.
Normally in America it designates a certain geographic area. Such as two different towns or things like that, within a State or Province.

Answer 8

I've worked for MCI, Sprint and Nextel. The technical term is exchange, while some will call it a prefix.

Answer 9

The first three is called the prefix

Answer 10

I think it's called the exchange.