938
Area code
AL
United States geographic area code, in service since 2010-07-10. Part of the 256/938 overlay complex — ten-digit dialing required.
Statusin service
Introduced2010-07-10
JurisdictionAL, US
Local dialing10D
Time zoneCentral
Last verified2026-09-17
Utilization 25.8% of assignable prefixes assigned
As of 09/17/2026
0%204 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 2011-02-02, most recent 2026-09-15.
Area codes serve rate-center geographies, not municipal boundaries. “AL” identifies the jurisdiction, not an exact city footprint.
Top assignees
Ranked by assigned prefixes · initial assignee ≠ current carrier| Rank | Assignee | Prefixes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | NEW CINGULAR WIRELESS PCS, LLC - GA | 68 | 33.3% |
| 02 | ONVOY, LLC - AL | 35 | 17.2% |
| 03 | TON80 COMMUNICATIONS, LLC | 19 | 9.3% |
| 04 | FRACTEL, LLC | 18 | 8.8% |
| 05 | ONVOY SPECTRUM, LLC | 10 | 4.9% |
| 06 | MULTIPLE OCN LISTING | 9 | 4.4% |
| 07 | TELEPORT COMMUNICATIONS AMERICA, LLC - AL | 5 | 2.5% |
| 08 | POWERTEL BIRMINGHAM LICENSES, INC. | 5 | 2.5% |
| 09 | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | CORETEL ALABAMA, INC. - AL | 3 | 1.5% |
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- 2009-04-28 NPA 938 to Overlay NPA 256 (Alabama)
- 2010-07-10Area code 938 entered service (created from 256).
Planning letters & orders
Primary documents| Date | Document | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 2009-04-28 | PL-389 ↗ | NPA 938 to Overlay NPA 256 (Alabama) |