Welcome to the world of the North American Numbering Plan!
Have you ever wondered why some phone numbers have 10 digits and others have 11?
Or why some numbers have area codes and others don’t?
Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here you’ll learn all about the mysterious and sometimes funny numbers that make up the North American Numbering Plan.
Today, however, we are just tackling the mysterious number 128, often searched on Google as “Area Code 128.”
What is Area Code 128?
128 is actually not an area code in the US. In fact, 128 is a so-called LATA Code. LATA stands for “Local Access and Transport Area.” With that said, there is no area code 128 as part of the North American Numbering Plan.
LATA and the LATA Code 128 (not Area Code 128!)
Local Access and Transport Area (LATA) is a geographical area defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the purpose of regulating telephone service.
It defines the area in which a local telephone company is allowed to provide local service and is typically composed of multiple counties or parts of counties.
With that said, LATA 128
What Does It Mean If I get a Call from a Number starting with 128 then?
As we have clearly stated in this article, there is no official area code 128, at least not in the United States.
With that said, if you do get a call from such a number, it might very well be a spam call.
Also, make sure to not confuse a number such as +1 28… as area code 128.
The +1 in this case stands for North America and then the following two digits are indeed part of an area code but not 128. In fact, we are missing 1 digit in our example.
For instance, if it would be +1 281 […] […], then we would be dealing with area code 281.
Area code 281 is the area code for Texas (Houston area).
Frequently asked questions on the topic “Area Code 128”
Is there an area code 128 in the United States?
There is no such thing as Area Code 128 in the United States. However, there is a “Local Access and Transport Area” code 128, though. LATA codes are defining geographical areas for the purpose of regulating telephone service.
Do the British Virgin Islands use the area code 128?
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) use the code +1 284 which should not be mistaken for area code 128. In this case, the area code is actually 284 and not 128. The +1 is the actual country code. The British Virgin Islands and other areas in the Caribbean share the same country code as the US (+1). The reason for this is simply that both of these territories joined the same telephone plan, the so-called North American Numbering plan.