Skip to content
Before You Call Back

Area code 980

Area code 980 serves North Carolina, including Charlotte, Concord and Gastonia (Eastern time). It has been in service since April 1, 2001 and shares its area with 704.

Numbers starting with 980 drew 1,729 reports to the FTC from Aug 14, 2026 to Nov 11, 2026 and 738 complaints to the FCC since November 2023. The number on your screen can be faked, so a 980 number proves nothing about where a call came from.

Location
North CarolinaCharlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Time zone
Eastern
In service since
April 1, 2001Created from 704
Overlay
Same area as 704
Local calls
Dial 10 digitsArea code needed, even next door
Exchanges in use
464 of 792held by 52 carriers
Projected to run out
1Q 2040NANPA forecast 2026.2

Complaints about 980 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 980. These are counts of what people reported; the agencies do not verify them.

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

1,729

FCC complaints since November 2023

738

Different 980 numbers reported

2,240

FCC complaints naming a 980 number, by month

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

Show as a table
MonthComplaints
November 202320
December 20238
January 202410
February 202414
March 202413
April 202411
May 202423
June 202411
July 202418
August 202417
September 202413
October 202417
November 202416
December 202413
January 202516
February 202524
March 202525
April 202524
May 202526
June 202526
July 202519
August 202530
September 202527
October 20252
November 202531
December 202518
January 202633
February 202620
March 202632
April 202619
May 202625
June 202618
July 202620
August 202618
September 202617
October 202638

What people said 980 calls were about

Subjects picked in FTC reports, August 14, 2026 to November 11, 2026. 1,160 of 1,729 reports were robocalls.

Show as a table
SubjectReports
Other779
Reducing your debt (credit cards, mortgage, student loans)318
Calls pretending to be government, businesses, or family and friends178
Dropped call or no message92
Medical and prescriptions50
Vacation and timeshares47

Most reported 980 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 980

NANPA lists 57 rate centers for 980. 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.
  • Charlotte194
  • Concord25
  • Gastonia24
  • Monroe18
  • Lincolnton12
  • Salisbury12
  • Statesville11
  • Matthews8
  • Mooresville8
  • Davidson7
  • Kings Mountain7
  • Shelby7
  • Albemarle6
  • Bessemer City6
  • Huntersville6
  • Kannapolis6
  • Belmont5
  • Denver5
  • Harrisburg5
  • Locust5
  • Mount Holly5
  • Cherryville4
  • Cleveland4
  • Lattimore4
Show all 57 rate centers

Lawndale, Lowell, Stanley, Troutman, Wadesboro, Alton, China Grove Landis, Goose Creek, Grover, Hemby Bridge, Indian Trail, Stony Point, Ansonville, Badin, Granite Quarry Rockwell, Harmony, Mount Pleasant, Peachland Polkton, South Crowders Creek, Waxhaw, Lilesville, Marshville, Morven, New Hope, New London, New Salem, Newton, Norwood, Oakboro, Pineville, Union Grove, Wingate, Xxxxxxxxxx.

Phone companies holding 980 exchanges

Each exchange (the three digits after the area code) is assigned to one carrier. 98% 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 52 carriers

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

Show as a table
Carrier (legal name)Exchanges
Onvoy, LLC - NC86
Cellco Partnership dba Verizon Wireless - NC62
Suncom dba T-Mobile USA48
Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC - NC38
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC - GA26
Bellsouth Telecomm Inc dba Southern Bell Tel & Tel21
Metropcs, Inc.17
Level 3 Communications, LLC - NC16

When today's 980 exchanges were assigned

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

Show as a table
YearExchanges
200113
20023
20041
20065
20077
200815
20098
20109
201131
20128
201317
201420
201531
201622
201722
201811
201916
202024
202134
202242
202334
202429
202519
202614

Check a 980 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 North Carolina

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