Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are getting a new area code — 782 — which will be assigned to all new numbers starting in 2014.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, which announced the new code on Monday, said the addition of the new area code should remedy an expected phone number shortage in the two provinces.

Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island currently share the 902 area code, and the CRTC had projected there would be no new numbers available by January 2016.

Starting on Nov. 30, 2014, people requesting a new telephone number could be given a number starting with the 782 area code. Existing telephone numbers with the 902 area code will not change.

The new area code means 10-digit dialing will also be necessary so local calls are routed to the correct area code — that will begin in August 2014.

"Customers who dial seven digits will hear a message reminding them to include the area code for future calls, after which their call will be completed as dialed," the CRTC said in a statement.

After Nov. 16, 2014, anyone dialing seven digits will be required to hang up and redial.

Ten-digit dialing was first introduced in Toronto and Vancouver in 2001. Montreal picked it up in 2006. It spread across British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta in 2008. Manitoba is getting its new area code this year, while Saskatchewan will get its code next year.

Mobile devices are the big culprit when it comes to gobbling up phone numbers. A single device can have as many as five phone numbers associated with it for performing different operations.

Officials have said it takes a person roughly 1.8 seconds to dial the extra three digits.