New Anatel Local Areas: Impact and Timeline for Providers

Anatel has finalized the schedule for restructuring the Local Areas of the Fixed Switched Telephone Service (STFC). Established by Resolution No. 768/2024, this measure changes how local and long distance calls are classified throughout the country. For providers and carriers, this directly impacts traffic routing, rating, and the end user experience.

The main change is the expansion of Local Areas. They will no longer be based on small geographical divisions but will instead coincide with the boundaries of National Codes (CN), known as DDDs. In practice, this means that a call between two different municipalities, but with the same DDD, will be considered local.

Previously, Brazil had 4,118 Local Areas. With this unification, this number will drop to just 67 areas. The goal is to simplify sector rules and align fixed line telephony logic with mobile telephony. For the market, this brings a significant reduction in traffic management complexity and the need to maintain fragmented numbering plans.

What changes in practice for operations

The most immediate impact for providers lies in call classification. Calls that were previously rated as National Long Distance (LDN) within the same state will now become local calls. This requires a complete review of tariff tables and routing rules in the SoftSwitch and Billing systems.

Beyond the rating aspect, dialing also undergoes changes. For calls within the new Local Area, that is, between landlines with the same DDD, the end user will no longer need to dial the carrier code or the DDD. Dialing will be done using only the subscriber number (8 or 9 digits). This reduces the number of incomplete calls due to dialing errors and improves the customer experience.

However, the carrier infrastructure must be prepared to process both complete dialing (with DDD) and local dialing, depending on the origin and destination of the call. Rating systems that are not updated may continue to charge local rates improperly or fail to route calls requiring the new configuration.

Implementation timeline by region

Anatel defined nine successive stages for implementation, following a chronological order that begins in January 2026 and extends until June of the same year. It is essential that engineering teams and producers mark these dates on their calendars to perform the necessary tests in each region.

The first stage went into effect in January 2026, affecting Bahia and Sergipe. Next, in early February, it was the turn of the North states. The major change for the Northeast occurs starting on February 22, 2026.

Check the dates and affected DDDs:

• January 11, 2026: DDDs 71, 73, 74, 75, 77 and 79 (Bahia and Sergipe)
• February 1, 2026: DDDs 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 and 99 (Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, Pará and Roraima)
• February 22, 2026: DDDs 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 and 89 (Alagoas, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí and Rio Grande do Norte)
• March 15, 2026: DDDs 51, 53, 54 and 55 (Rio Grande do Sul)
• March 29, 2026: DDDs 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 and 49 (Paraná and Santa Catarina)
• April 19, 2026: DDDs 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37 and 38 (Minas Gerais)
• May 10, 2026: DDDs 21, 22, 24, 27 and 28 (Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo)
• May 31, 2026: DDDs 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 and 69 (Acre, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Tocantins)
• June 21, 2026: DDDs 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (São Paulo)

Necessary actions for Providers and Carriers

To avoid losses and regulatory issues, providers must act now. The first action is to audit the rating system. Check if your BSS is configured to recognize the new Local Areas on the scheduled dates. It is fundamental to ensure that calls between different cities in the same DDD are charged as local starting from the cutoff date.

Another critical point is communication with the subscriber base. Anatel informs that, in principle, there will be no change to the phone number. However, the change in dialing method may cause confusion. Inform your customers that, for calls within the same DDD, simplified dialing will be possible. This reduces calls to the helpdesk and improves satisfaction.

It is also necessary to review routing and portability rules. With the expansion of areas, traffic between cities that previously passed through long distance routes may now seek more direct paths. Ensure that your SoftSwitch or SBC is updated to optimize this traffic, reducing termination costs.

Conclusion

The unification of Local Areas is a necessary modernization of the telecommunications market. It reduces bureaucracy, simplifies the life of the end user, and can stimulate an increase in call volume due to cost reduction. For providers, it is an opportunity to align infrastructure with best market practices and offer a more transparent service.

Pay attention to deadlines, especially for implementations from March to June 2026 in the Southeast and South regions. Early preparation avoids fines and ensures a smooth transition to the new reality of the STFC.