Area code

AR

United States geographic area code, in service since 1997-04-14. Part of the 327/870 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.

Split from 501. Created 327. Overlaid with 327 .

Statusin service

Introduced1997-04-14

JurisdictionAR, US

Local dialing10D

Time zoneCentral

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 2001-01-23, most recent 2025-12-15.

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

Largest initial assignees in area code 870
Rank	Assignee	Prefixes	Share
01	SOUTHWESTERN BELL	154	19.3%
02	NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - IL	105	13.1%
03	CELLCO PARTNERSHIP DBA VERIZON WIRELESS - AR	85	10.6%
04	WINDSTREAM ARKANSAS, INC.	72	9%
05	LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC - AR	47	5.9%
06	BRIGHTSPEED OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, LLC	44	5.5%
07	E. RITTER COMMUNICATIONS, LLC	22	2.8%
08	CSC VOICE, LLC	21	2.6%
09	T-MOBILE USA, INC.	18	2.3%
10	ONVOY, LLC - AR	14	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

2022-10-31 NPA 327 to Overlay NPA 870 (Arkansas) – supersedes PL-587 overlay
1997-04-14Area code 870 entered service (created from 501).

Planning letters & orders

Primary documents

NANPA planning letters for area code 870
Date	Document	Subject
2022-10-31	PL-604 ↗	NPA 327 to Overlay NPA 870 (Arkansas) – supersedes PL-587
2022-03-30	PL-587 ↗	NPA 327 to Overlay NPA 870 (Arkansas)
2012-06-25	PL-437 ↗	Suspension of 870/327 NPA Relief (Arkansas)
2010-01-25	PL-400 ↗	NPA 327 to Overlay NPA 870 (Arkansas)
1997-01-22	PL-033 ↗	NANP-Split of 501 (Arkansas) Numbering Plan Area (NPA)

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