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Area code 401

Area code 401 serves Rhode Island, including Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket (Eastern time). It has been in service since January 1, 1947.

Numbers starting with 401 drew 1,330 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 612 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 401 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
Rhode IslandProvidence-Warwick, RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Eastern
In service since
January 1, 1947
Overlay
None: the only code for its area
Local calls
Dial 7 digits
Exchanges in use
580 of 792held by 39 carriers
Projected to run out
2Q 2051NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 401 numbers

Reports where the number on the consumer's caller ID (or, for the FCC, the number the caller asked them to call back) starts with 401. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

FTC reports, Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026

1,330

FCC complaints since November 2023

612

Different 401 numbers reported

1,813

FCC complaints naming a 401 number, by month

November 2023 to October 2026. Source: FCC Consumer Complaints Data.

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202314
December 202313
January 202418
February 20249
March 202413
April 202412
May 202414
June 202416
July 202427
August 202415
September 202417
October 202426
November 202420
December 20246
January 202519
February 202517
March 20257
April 202522
May 202521
June 202531
July 202520
August 202523
September 202516
October 20251
November 20254
December 202510
January 202613
February 202613
March 202610
April 202623
May 202615
June 202611
July 202635
August 202615
September 202619
October 202637

What people said 401 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 812 of 1,330 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other528
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)285
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends121
Dropped call or no message115
Medical and prescriptions47
Home improvement and cleaning47

Most reported 401 numbers

Numbers with at least five reports from three or more places in the last twelve months. Many of them are likely spoofed.

Places served by 401

NANPA lists 25 rate centers for 401. A rate center is the town or district a block of numbers is tied to for billing; sorted here by how many exchanges each holds.
  • Providence235
  • Pawtucket38
  • Woonsocket34
  • Newport26
  • Warwick21
  • Centredale20
  • Narragansett19
  • West Warwick19
  • Cumberland Hill18
  • Greenwich16
  • Westerly14
  • Portsmouth13
  • Warren13
  • Bristol12
  • Coventry12
  • North Kingstown11
  • Hope Valley10
  • Pascoag10
  • Tiverton8
  • Carolina6
  • Scituate6
  • Jamestown5
  • Little Compton5
  • West Glocester5
Show all 25 rate centers

Block Island.

Phone companies holding 401 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 73% of these exchanges are pooled: their numbers are handed out in blocks of 1,000 to other carriers, so the holder below is not always the company serving a given number.

Exchanges held, top 8 of 39 carriers

NANPA central office code assignments, file of November 11, 2026.

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Verizon New England Inc.164
Paetec Itel, LLC65
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - RI42
Omnipoint Miami E License, LLC40
Comcast IP Phone, LLC35
Onvoy, LLC - RI33
Level 3 Communications, LLC - RI32
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - DC32

When today's 401 exchanges were assigned

Exchanges still assigned, by year of assignment. Exchanges returned since are not counted.

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200123
200217
20031
20042
20051
20068
20071
20088
20094
20102
201114
20128
20132
20142
20152
20165
20175
20184
20192
20205
202112
20223
20235
20247
20257
20264

Check a 401 number

A check shows the carrier and rate center of the number's exchange and every FTC and FCC report about that exact number. Why the number on screen can be fake.

NANPA area code database and central office code file of November 11, 2026; FCC complaints November 1, 2023 to November 11, 2026; FTC reports August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. How the data is used.

Official sources (7)Show