Area codes · +1
Area code 838
Area code 838 is centred on Albany, New York. We hold 1,833 allocated blocks for it across 107 rate centres, split 36% mobile, 25% landline and 39% VoIP.
The other area codes laid over 838
Area code 838 does not have Albany to itself. 1 other code — 518 — serves the same rate centres, laid over the same ground rather than dividing it. That is an overlay: a new code added when the old one ran out of numbers, covering the same streets. Two neighbours can hold different area codes, so the code says roughly when a number was issued rather than where it sits.
5186,554 blocks, 135 rate centres, mostly landline
Each holds its own blocks and its own carrier mix, so a 838 number and a 518 number from the same street can report different line types. Filtering Albany by area code needs all 2 of them.
838 is not confined to Albany itself: its blocks sit across 107 rate centres, named in the table below.
New York is split across 21 area codes — 347, 929, 646, 845, 315, 838 and others. By allocated blocks 838 is the 16th largest of them, holding 2% of the New York total.
Where 838 numbers are concentrated
NANPA truncates rate-centre names to ten characters and drops the spaces, which is why Hoosickfls and Saratogspg are shortened. Names are reproduced as recorded rather than expanded — the abbreviation is the key the block data is filed under.
| Rate centre | Blocks | Share of 838 |
|---|---|---|
| Albany | 291 | 16% |
| Schenctady | 97 | 5% |
| Johnstown | 82 | 4% |
| Colonie | 80 | 4% |
| Troy | 73 | 4% |
| Hoosickfls | 42 | 2% |
| Hudson | 42 | 2% |
| Glensfalls | 36 | 2% |
| Catskill | 29 | 2% |
| Amsterdam | 28 | 2% |
| Malone | 27 | 1% |
| Claverack | 26 | 1% |
| Athens | 25 | 1% |
| Castleton | 23 | 1% |
| Saratogspg | 22 | 1% |
| Ballstnspa | 21 | 1% |
| Salem | 21 | 1% |
| Berne | 19 | 1% |
| Lyon Mt | 19 | 1% |
| Port Henry | 18 | 1% |
| Round Lake | 18 | 1% |
| Valley Fls | 18 | 1% |
| Hampton | 17 | 1% |
| Warrensbg | 17 | 1% |
83 further rate centres in 838 hold fewer blocks than these.
Carriers holding the most 838 blocks
Onvoy416 blocks
AT&T Wireless228 blocks
Onvoy Spectrum191 blocks
Ip Horizon Llc114 blocks
Verizon Wireless99 blocks
Commio, Llc76 blocks
The largest holder, Onvoy, has 23% of the code.
These are original allocations. A number keeps its digits and its block when its subscriber moves network, so a ported 838 number still reports the carrier it started with. Closing that gap needs a live query against the routing database. How line type is derived.
Check a single 838 number, or run a whole list through the free cleaner — neither uploads anything.
Common questions
Where is area code 838?
Area code 838 covers Albany, New York. It is not the only code there: 518 is an overlay on the same rate centres, so a Albany, New York number can start with any of them.
Is a 838 number a mobile or a landline?
It can be either, and the digits do not say which. North American mobile and landline numbers share the same ranges, so the answer comes from the carrier holding the block. In 838 the split runs 36% mobile, 25% landline and 39% VoIP, so VoIP is the most likely single answer.
Which carriers hold 838 numbers?
The largest holders are Onvoy, AT&T Wireless, Onvoy Spectrum. That is the carrier the block was allocated to, which is not necessarily the network a given number sits on today.
How many 838 numbers are there?
The code holds 1,833 allocated blocks in our copy of the numbering plan. A block is 1,000 or 10,000 consecutive numbers depending on how deeply it has been pooled, so 838 covers on the order of 1,833,000 possible numbers — most of which have never been issued to anyone.