865
Area code
Statusin service
Introduced1999-11-01
JurisdictionTN, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneEastern
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 65.7% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%520 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 2001-01-05, most recent 2026-08-24.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “TN” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | BELLSOUTH TELECOMM INC DBA SOUTH CENTRAL BELL TEL | 122 | 23.5% |
| 02 | CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - TN | 50 | 9.6% |
| 03 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - GA | 48 | 9.2% |
| 04 | PAETEC ITEL, LLC | 44 | 8.5% |
| 05 | ONVOY, LLC - TN | 35 | 6.7% |
| 06 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - TN | 29 | 5.6% |
| 07 | POWERTEL NASHVILLE LICENSES, INC. | 29 | 5.6% |
| 08 | UNITED STATES CELLULAR - TN | 19 | 3.7% |
| 09 | TON80 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC | 16 | 3.1% |
| 10 | LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - TN | 16 | 3.1% |
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- 1999-11-01Area code 865 entered service (created from 423).
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 |
| 1999-07-22 | PL-183 ↗ | Geographic Split of 423 (Tennessee) Numbering Plan Area (NPA); addition of 865 NPA |