Phone users in eastern Ontario and regions surrounding Montreal will get new area codes starting in mid-2010, an organization representing telecommunications companies said Tuesday.

The Telecommunications Alliance, made up of most of the major Canadian phone players, said the changes are necessary because of the spiralling use of mobile phones and other communication devices.

"Phone numbers were starting to run out in some areas, and new area codes have to be created to meet demand. Adding a new area code enables more than seven million new numbers to be created," the group said in a press release.

Ottawa area

Under the plan, Ottawa and some surrounding communities, such as Kingston, that already have the 613 prefix will now get 343 dialing code for new numbers, starting on May 17.

Users in the region already need to dial 10 digits to complete local phone calls.

The plan means that as new numbers in the existing 613 area code get assigned to devices and those numbers run out, new users will receive the 343 area code.

Communities affected in this region of Ontario include:

Trenton.

Belleville.

Brockville.

Cornwall.

Ottawa.

In Quebec

Similarly, customers currently in the 450 code area will get 579 for new numbers, beginning Aug. 21.

Communities affected include, among others:

Lachute.

Joliette.

Granby.

Mont-Tremblant.

Montreal has a 514 area code and will not be affected by the change.

"The growing popularity of new communications services and technologies has led to a dramatic increase in the demand for phone numbers in several regions across Canada," the alliance said.

Dealing with more users

Many parts of Canada and the United States already have 10-digit dialing for local calls.

The Canadian Numbering Administration, which looks after number plans across Canada, surveys phone companies annually to determine if a particular community needs a new area code to handle its communications needs.

The administration then gives the data to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which decides whether to impose new numbers in an area.

"So, in a word, it is the CRTC that makes the decision," said Glenn Pilley, the administration's director.