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281

Area code 281

Texas, United States

National (281) 555-0123, E.164 +12815550123

How the 800 central office codes (exchanges) of area code 281 were allocated, from the North American Numbering Plan's records: to which carrier, as which line type. A 281 number is mobile, fixed line or VoIP according to its exchange, the three digits after the area code; the allocation is the original one (below).

At a glance

Country code
+1
State
TX
Exchanges on record
800
Carriers on record
19
Exchanges of 281 by the line type they were allocated as
  • Mobile 182 (23%)
  • Fixed line 559 (70%)
  • VoIP 45 (6%)
  • No line type on record 14 (2%)
  • 800 exchanges on record

Most exchanges: AT&T 356, Verizon 102, Lumen 76.

Check a number

Valid fixed line or mobile number in the United States.

+1
country code
281
area code
5550123
subscriber number
CountryUnited States numbering plan
Line typeFixed line or mobile
Carrier the block was allocated toNo carrier on record for this prefix
E.164+12815550123
International+1 281-555-0123
National(281) 555-0123
RFC 3966tel:+1-281-555-0123

Source: North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA); Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNAC); National numbering plan: United States (ITU)

The example is 281-555-0123: 555-0100 to 555-0199 are set aside for fictional use in every area code.

The exchange map

Every exchange of 281, by the line type it was allocated as

One cell per exchange: blocks 281 2xx to 281 9xx; in each block the row is the tens digit, the column the units digit.

281 2xx281 3xx281 4xx281 5xx281 6xx281 7xx281 8xx281 9xx
  • Mobile 182
  • Fixed line 559
  • VoIP 45
  • No line type on record 14

Formats and patterns

E.164+12815550123
International+1 281-555-0123
National(281) 555-0123
RFC 3966 (tel: URI)tel:+1-281-555-0123

Any 281 number, in E.164

^\+1281[2-9]\d{6}$

+1, the area code, a central office code that does not start with 0 or 1, then four digits.

Mobile exchanges (182 on record)

^\+1281(?:2(?:1[67]|2[1249]|3[56]|5[034]|6[6-8]|99)|3(?:0[08]|30|49|52|8[0-24679])|4(?:09|1[3-58]|3[3-59]|5[015]|6[078]|7[25])|5(?:0[78]|1[0235]|2[07]|36|4[136]|51|67)|6(?:0[58]|1[035]|2[01357-9]|3[05689]|42|5[08]|6[02]|8[2-7]|9[06])|7(?:0[1-6]|1[348]|2[2368]|3[1-69]|4[03-58]|5[357]|68|7[02379]|8[025-8]|9[03-9])|8(?:0[2468]|1[348]|27|3[0-2]|4[0146]|5[01]|6[58]|8[19]|96)|9(?:0[04-68]|1[07]|2[348]|3[25]|48|52|6[01357]|7[49]|8[19]|95))\d{4}$

Fixed line exchanges (559 on record)

^\+1281(?:2(?:[07][1-9]|1[02-489]|2[035-8]|3[0-47-9]|[48]\d|5[125-9]|6[0-59]|9[0-8])|3(?:0[1-69]|1[02-689]|[2679]\d|3[1-9]|4[0-8]|5[013-9]|8[358])|4(?:0[1-8]|1[02679]|[2489]\d|3[0-26-8]|5[246-9]|6[1-69]|7[0146-9])|5(?:0[02-69]|1[46-9]|2[1-689]|3[0-57-9]|4[02457-9]|5[02-46-9]|6[0-689]|[78]\d|9[0-79])|6(?:0[12479]|1[4689]|22|3[1-47]|4[014-9]|5[1-79]|6[135-9]|7\d|8[189]|9[1-38])|7(?:0[7-9]|1[025-79]|2[0157]|3[078]|4[279]|5[0-24689]|6[0-579]|7[4-68]|8[134]|9[12])|8(?:0[379]|1[025-79]|2[013-689]|3[4-9]|4[2357-9]|5[2-9]|6[0-4679]|7\d|8[02-8]|9[0-57-9])|9(?:0[1-379]|1[2-69]|2[0-25-79]|3[0134679]|4[134679]|5[457]|6[24689]|7[0-3578]|8[0235-8]|9[0-46-9]))\d{4}$

VoIP exchanges (45 on record)

^\+1281(?:2(?:[07]0|15)|3[01]7|4(?:00|[57]3)|5(?:01|98)|6(?:0[036]|1[27]|2[46]|43|64|80|9[4579])|7(?:2[49]|4[16]|66|71|89)|8(?:0[015]|22|33)|9(?:[13]8|4[025]|5[136]|84))\d{4}$

The exchange patterns follow the original allocations; a number ported since keeps its digits but not necessarily its carrier or its line type.

Carriers and their exchanges

Every carrier holding exchanges in 281, with the exchanges allocated to it (the three digits after the area code).

CarrierExchangesMobileFixed lineVoIPExchanges held
AT&T356503042201–206, 209, 212–213, 216–219, 221–222, 224, 226–228, 230–233, 238–239, 244, 248–249, 251–252, 255–260, 272, 280, 282–284, 286, 288, 290–293, 296–298, 304, 310, 315, 320, 323, 331, 341–346, 350–353, 355–357, 362–364, 367–368, 370, 372–374, 376, 378–379, 388, 390, 393, 397–399, 401, 405–406, 408, 412, 416, 419, 423, 432–433, 435–438, 440, 442–445, 447–450, 452, 454–461, 463–471, 474, 476–489, 492–493, 495–498, 506, 508–509, 513–518, 528–531, 533, 536–537, 539, 542, 544–546, 549–550, 552, 556, 558, 560–562, 564, 568, 571, 575, 578–581, 583–594, 596–597, 599, 604, 610, 616, 618, 622–623, 630–631, 633, 646–649, 651–652, 654–656, 658–660, 669, 675, 679, 681–682, 684–687, 689–692, 706, 713, 719, 721, 725, 727, 730, 739, 742, 746, 749, 752, 754, 756, 758–760, 765, 771, 774–776, 782, 784–787, 792–799, 806–807, 810, 813–814, 820–821, 824–826, 829, 835–836, 842, 844, 847–848, 851, 853, 855–856, 858–864, 866–867, 870–880, 882, 884–885, 890–891, 893–895, 897–899, 907–909, 919–920, 922, 925–931, 933, 936–937, 939, 955, 966, 970, 978, 983, 985–988, 990–993, 996–999
Verizon10266360229, 253–254, 299, 333, 335–336, 366, 377, 380–382, 384, 386–387, 389, 409, 413–415, 475, 502, 504–505, 507, 520, 543, 553, 605, 607, 615, 619–620, 625, 627, 635–636, 638–639, 657, 667–668, 670–671, 673–674, 676–677, 702–703, 705, 709–710, 714, 716–717, 720, 722–723, 726, 728, 731–734, 740, 743–745, 753, 755, 757, 768, 770, 777, 809, 815, 817, 819, 832, 840–841, 868, 881, 886, 889, 892, 900–901, 904, 906, 910, 917, 923, 949, 961–962, 967, 969, 974, 979, 982
Lumen760760207, 210, 214, 241, 245, 247, 271, 305–306, 312, 319, 348, 354, 358–361, 365, 407, 417, 429, 441, 446, 500, 519, 540, 547–548, 569–570, 572, 577, 582, 602, 609, 640–641, 645, 653, 661, 698, 737–738, 747, 763, 769, 781, 783, 812, 816, 823, 845, 849, 852, 854, 857, 869, 883, 887–888, 902, 913–916, 921, 941, 943–944, 957, 964, 968, 971, 973, 975, 994
Frontier540540208, 261, 303, 309, 316, 324, 326, 328, 332, 334, 337–339, 369, 383, 385, 403, 420–422, 424–428, 431, 462, 499, 521–526, 532, 534–535, 538, 554, 557, 559, 573, 576, 595, 614, 663, 672, 707–708, 834, 837–839, 843
T-Mobile454500235–236, 250, 300, 330, 451, 512, 541, 608, 628, 642, 650, 662, 683, 696, 701, 704, 736, 748, 772–773, 779–780, 788, 790, 802, 804, 808, 818, 827, 830–831, 846, 850, 865, 896, 905, 924, 932, 935, 948, 960, 965, 989, 995
Windstream380380240, 242–243, 262–265, 269, 273–279, 285, 287, 289, 294–295, 313–314, 321–322, 325, 327, 329, 340, 490–491, 494, 563, 565–566, 632, 634, 637, 980
Onvoy320032200, 215, 270, 307, 317, 400, 453, 473, 598, 600, 603, 606, 617, 626, 643, 664, 680, 694–695, 697, 699, 766, 805, 822, 833, 938, 940, 945, 951, 953, 956, 984
Astound Broadband240240220, 301–302, 318, 404, 410, 503, 601, 666, 678, 688, 712, 715, 750–751, 761–762, 764, 767, 803, 828, 903, 912, 972
USA Mobility181800266–268, 349, 418, 439, 472, 510, 527, 551, 613, 621, 629, 718, 735, 952, 963, 981
Consolidated Communications150150234, 237, 347, 371, 375, 391–392, 394–396, 574, 644, 665, 693, 934
Comcast9009501, 612, 624, 724, 729, 741, 789, 918, 942
Paetec Itel5050223, 402, 946–947, 954
ETS Telephone Company4040225, 246, 430, 778
American Messaging2200434, 567
Peerless Network2002800–801
Teletouch1100308
Tex-Link1010791
Tpx Communications1010977
USFON INC1010281

Questions developers ask

Where is area code 281?
Area code 281 is in Texas, in the United States: all 800 of its exchanges on record are there. From abroad it is dialled +1 281, then the seven-digit number.
Is a 281 number mobile or landline?
Either: in the North American Numbering Plan the line type belongs to the exchange (the three digits after the area code), not to the area code. Of the 800 exchanges on record in 281, 182 (23%) were allocated as mobile, 559 (70%) as fixed line, 45 (6%) as VoIP and 14 (2%) have no line type on record. A number can have been ported since, to another carrier and even to another line type.
Which carriers have numbers in area code 281?
19 carriers hold exchanges in 281 on record; the most: AT&T (356), Verizon (102) and Lumen (76). These are the original allocations: with number portability, a number may be served by another carrier today, which only a live carrier lookup (an HLR or MNP query) can tell.
How do I validate a 281 phone number?
In E.164 a 281 number matches ^\+1281[2-9]\d{6}$: +1, the area code, a central office code that does not start with 0 or 1, then four digits. Written nationally it reads (281) 555-0123. The exchange patterns on this page narrow it to the exchanges allocated as mobile, fixed line or VoIP.