no wonder we are running out of telephone numbers

The need to add new area codes to allow more telephone numbers is accelerating. How many decades was it we got by with 416 only? Then there was 416 and 905 followed by 416, 647, 905, 289 and 365 [that 365 is going to be a popular alternative to 905) with more to come.

No wonder, when the CRTC. the body that regulates these things, allows silliness such as this one from Skype, the low-cost internet-based long distance service. Skype lets me call just about anywhere in the world for two-cents a minute, which is pretty cheap compared to what other telcos charge, albeit for poorer voice quality. For a long time, I've been able to call one Skype number and get access to a list of my pre-programmed contacts; e.g. press 1 for the cottage, press 2 for my niece. Now Skype has assigned a 647 area code number to every one of my contacts. I'm sure I'm a relatively minor user and I have 8 numbers for people who already have their own phone numbers, most of them 2 or more numbers for home and mobile. This exponential growth in demand and duplication should not, in my opinion, become a burden for the public phone system, it should be Skype's responsibility.

All so I can make a few long distance calls a year from my cell phone.