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Area code 617

Area code 617 serves Massachusetts, including Boston, Cambridge and Newton (Eastern time). It has been in service since January 1, 1947 and shares its area with 857.

Numbers starting with 617 drew 1,073 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 671 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 617 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
MassachusettsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Eastern
In service since
January 1, 1947
Overlay
Same area as 857
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
768 of 792held by 24 carriers
Projected to run out
4Q 2072NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 617 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 617. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

1,073

FCC complaints since November 2023

671

Different 617 numbers reported

1,512

FCC complaints naming a 617 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202316
December 202323
January 202413
February 202410
March 202411
April 202419
May 202418
June 202416
July 202434
August 202445
September 202414
October 202422
November 202424
December 202411
January 202516
February 202515
March 202514
April 20259
May 202530
June 202518
July 202512
August 202516
September 202512
October 20250
November 202511
December 202512
January 202611
February 20266
March 202612
April 202626
May 202633
June 202627
July 202618
August 202617
September 202630
October 202637

What people said 617 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 606 of 1,073 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other422
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)197
Dropped call or no message174
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends119
Home improvement and cleaning35
Medical and prescriptions29

Most reported 617 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 617

NANPA lists 27 rate centers for 617. 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.
  • Boston274
  • Cambridge111
  • Newton48
  • Quincy44
  • Brookline38
  • Brighton22
  • Dorchester22
  • Somerville21
  • Jamaica Plain18
  • Milton17
  • Roxbury16
  • East Boston15
  • Everett15
  • Watertown15
  • Hyde Park14
  • Charlestown13
  • South Boston13
  • Chelsea12
  • Belmont10
  • Waltham9
  • Saugus7
  • Winthrop5
  • Dedham4
  • Malden2
Show all 27 rate centers

Kingston, Melrose, Weymouth.

Phone companies holding 617 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 52% 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 24 carriers

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

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Verizon New England Inc.326
Mcimetro Access Transmission Services LLC71
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - DC68
Paetec Itel, LLC44
Tc Systems, Inc.41
Level 3 Communications, LLC - MA39
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - MA38
Omnipoint Miami E License, LLC32

When today's 617 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200125
20026
20031
200412
20056
20061
20072
20082
20092
20101
20112
20171
20181
20191
20211
20232
20243
20251

Check a 617 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.

Other area codes in Massachusetts

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