252
Area code
Statusin service
Introduced1998-03-22
JurisdictionNC, US
Local dialing7D
Time zoneEastern
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 90.5% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%717 of ~792 assignable NXX values (200–999 excl. N11)100%
Prefix-level assignment does not equal number-level exhaustion; thousands-block pooling extends capacity. First assignment on record 2001-01-19, most recent 2026-08-12.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “NC” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | BRIGHTSPEED OF EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA, LLC | 207 | 28.9% |
| 02 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - NC | 76 | 10.6% |
| 03 | ONVOY, LLC - NC | 49 | 6.8% |
| 04 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 48 | 6.7% |
| 05 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - NC | 46 | 6.4% |
| 06 | UNITED STATES CELLULAR - NC | 32 | 4.5% |
| 07 | SUNCOM DBA T-MOBILE USA | 31 | 4.3% |
| 08 | BANDWIDTH.COM CLEC, LLC - NC | 26 | 3.6% |
| 09 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC - NC | 21 | 2.9% |
| 10 | TWC IP ENABLED SERVICES, LLC | 20 | 2.8% |
Important: these are initial assignees from NANPA CO-code records — the carrier a prefix was originally assigned to. Because of number portability, the current serving carrier of any individual number may differ.
Change history
Recorded events for this NPA- 1998-03-22Area code 252 entered service (created from 919).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-02 | PL-114 ↗ | BellSouth Operation Support Systems Update and the Alabama and North Carolina NPA Splits |
| 1998-02-27 | PL-112 ↗ | NANP-Split of 919 (North Carolina) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) |