Area code 228

Where area code 228 is

228 is one of 5 geographic area codes serving Mississippi; NANPA records its in-service date as September 15, 1997. It is not part of an overlay, so every number in its territory starts with 228. It is in the Central time zone. The places with the most assigned exchanges include Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula, Bay St. Louis, and Ocean Springs. By population, its largest named places are Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, and Moss Point.

Cities and towns in area code 228

228 holds 13% of the 2,067 central office codes assigned in Mississippi, the 3rd most of the state's 5 codes. 7 Census places could be matched to rate centers with 228 exchanges; the most populous are Gulfport (74,621), Biloxi (48,144), Pascagoula (21,476), and Ocean Springs (18,954). For a storefront or service area inside 228, the place pages show which prefixes are rated local there.

Dialing 228 numbers

According to NANPA's dialing-plan data, local calls within 228 are dialed as seven digits and toll calls as 1 plus ten digits. Seven-digit local dialing is still permitted here, but customers calling from other area codes, and every mobile contact list, use all ten digits.

Who holds 228 exchanges

41 carriers hold the 274 central office codes assigned in 228. Bellsouth Telecomm INC d/b/a South Central Bell Tel has the most, with 66 (24%). 197 of the codes (72%) are pooled, meaning the code holder shares blocks of 1,000 numbers with other carriers instead of using all 10,000 itself. Numbers can move between carriers through porting, so a code's holder tells you where the block started, not where every number lives now.

Where 228 numbers are rated

NANPA assigns each central office code to a rate center, the local calling area that decides whether a call is local or toll. 228 has codes in 12 rate centers. The table lists the rate centers with the most codes, with the matching Census place where the abbreviation could be matched.

228 code assignments over time

An area code has 800 possible central office codes that start with 2 through 9, a few of which are reserved (such as N11 service codes and 555). 274 are assigned in 228, 34% of 800. 42 were assigned in 2020 or later.

Using area code 228 for business calls

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

If you already have a number in area code 228, porting it to Callata is free. Texting from a local number requires a one-time carrier registration (10DLC, $49), and the numbers available in any area code depend on carrier inventory when you choose them.

Optional AI agents (receptionist, sales, support or scheduler) can answer calls after hours or when nobody picks up, take messages, text, email and transfer to your team. They are billed from prepaid AI minutes at $0.25 per minute, identify themselves as AI, and may only place outbound calls to people who consented, between 8am and 9pm.