870
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.
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| 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
- 1997-04-14Area code 870 entered service (created from 501).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| 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) |