262
Area code
Statusin service
Introduced1999-09-25
JurisdictionWI, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneCentral
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 81.8% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%648 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 2001-01-17, most recent 2026-09-03.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “WI” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | WISCONSIN BELL INC | 142 | 21.9% |
| 02 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC WI | 53 | 8.2% |
| 03 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - IL | 47 | 7.3% |
| 04 | T-MOBILE USA, INC. | 42 | 6.5% |
| 05 | ONVOY, LLC - WI | 39 | 6% |
| 06 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - WI | 37 | 5.7% |
| 07 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - WI | 36 | 5.6% |
| 08 | UNITED STATES CELLULAR - WI | 28 | 4.3% |
| 09 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 24 | 3.7% |
| 10 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC | 16 | 2.5% |
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- 1999-09-25Area code 262 entered service (created from 414).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-08 | PL-556 ↗ | Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) – supersedes PL-544 |
| 2020-08-17 | PL-544 ↗ | Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline |
| 1999-05-06 | PL-174 ↗ | Geographic Split of 414 (Wisconsin) Numbering Plan Area (NPA); addition of 262 NPA |