508
Area code
MA
United States geographic area code, in service since 1988-07-16. Part of the 508/774 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Split from 617. Created 978. Created 774. Overlaid with 774 .
Statusin service
Introduced1988-07-16
JurisdictionMA, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneEastern
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 101% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%800 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 2001-02-14, most recent 2026-09-04.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “MA” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | VERIZON NEW ENGLAND INC. | 314 | 39.3% |
| 02 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 67 | 8.4% |
| 03 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - DC | 63 | 7.9% |
| 04 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - MA | 60 | 7.5% |
| 05 | MCIMETRO ACCESS TRANSMISSION SERVICES LLC | 47 | 5.9% |
| 06 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - MA | 44 | 5.5% |
| 07 | TC SYSTEMS, INC. | 39 | 4.9% |
| 08 | 33 | 4.1% | |
| 09 | OMNIPOINT MIAMI E LICENSE, LLC | 23 | 2.9% |
| 10 | COMCAST IP PHONE, LLC | 21 | 2.6% |
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- 2000-07-11 NPA 774 To Overlay NPA 508; NPA 857 To Overlay NPA 617; NPA 339 To Overlay NPA 781; and NPA 351 To Overlay NPA 978 (Massachusetts)
- 1996-08-26 Declaration of Jeopardy Situation in NPA 508 (Massachusetts) jeopardy
- 1988-07-16Area code 508 entered service (created from 617).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-07-11 | PL-234 ↗ | NPA 774 To Overlay NPA 508; NPA 857 To Overlay NPA 617; NPA 339 To Overlay NPA 781; and NPA 351 To Overlay NPA 978 (Massachusetts) |
| 1998-06-09 | PL-122 ↗ | Extraordinary Jeopardy Procedures for 508, 617, 781 and 978 Numbering Plan Area (NPA) in Massachusetts |
| 1987-07-02 | IL-87-07-003 ↗ | NANP - SPLIT OF THE 617 NUMBERING PLAN AREA |