501
Area code
Statusin service
Introduced1947-01-01
JurisdictionAR, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneCentral
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 82.3% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%652 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 2001-01-18, most recent 2026-08-12.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “AR” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | SOUTHWESTERN BELL | 165 | 25.3% |
| 02 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - IL | 86 | 13.2% |
| 03 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - AR | 54 | 8.3% |
| 04 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - AR | 48 | 7.4% |
| 05 | T-MOBILE USA, INC. | 42 | 6.4% |
| 06 | ONVOY, LLC - AR | 39 | 6% |
| 07 | WINDSTREAM COMMUNICATIONS, INC. - AR | 34 | 5.2% |
| 08 | WINDSTREAM ARKANSAS, INC. | 20 | 3.1% |
| 09 | BRIGHTSPEED OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, LLC | 18 | 2.8% |
| 10 | MULTIPLE OCN LISTING | 12 | 1.8% |
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- 1997-01-15 Declaration of Jeopardy Situation in NPA 501 (Arkansas) jeopardy
- 1947-01-01Area code 501 entered service.
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 |
| 2001-11-15 | PL-310 ↗ | Revised Dialing Plan for the 501 and 479 NPAs (Arkansas) |
| 2001-09-26 | PL-302 ↗ | Amended 501 NPA Split Creating 479 NPA (Arkansas) |
| 2001-08-16 | PL-295 ↗ | 501 NPA Split; Creating 479 NPA (Arkansas) |
| 1997-01-22 | PL-033 ↗ | NANP-Split of 501 (Arkansas) Numbering Plan Area (NPA) |