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Telephone Service

OTZ is dedicated to bringing you, our members, the best local telephone service to Northwest Alaska. We’re here to make it easy for you to call your friends, family and business associates. The information in these pages can help you benefit from the phone services OTZ offers...and help you choose the plan that works best for you and your specific needs.

See general information below or check out rates and plans through these links:

Residential Plans
Business Plans

General Info

Local Prefix Guide
Village Prefixes: Each village has its own prefix. A prefix is the first three numbers in a 7-digit phone number. For example, you can tell that 445-1111 is a phone number in Ambler. This can be important if you want to avoid making long-distance calls.

Prefix guide:
Ambler = 445
Buckland = 494
Deering = 363
Kiana = 475
Kivalina = 645
Kobuk = 948
Kotzebue = 442
Noatak = 485
Noorvik = 636
Red Dog = 426
Selawik = 484
Shungnak = 437

Understanding 800 and 900 numbers
Subscribers that choose direct-dial service are responsible for all direct-dial calls, no matter who makes the call. OTZ encourages all members to choose the toll-restrict or calling-card-restricted options to avoid paying for unauthorized charges. To avoid making expensive calls by mistake, know the guidelines about 800/888 and 900 numbers. If you aren't sure whether a call is free or not, you might want to avoid making the call.

800/888 Number prefix
800 and 888 number calls are free to the person making the call.

900 number prefix
900 number calls are billed to the person making the call; these calls are free to the company or person receiving the call.

Evercom (Correctional Billing Services)
OTZ Telephone Cooperative members are unable to accept collect calls from inmates. In order to receive calls from inmates at correctional institutions, there are two steps you need to follow:

1) Call OTZ Telephone to make sure your telephone is set up to accept collect calls.
2) Call Evercom at 1-800-844-6591 to set up your account.

Alaska Relay
Alaska Relay is a free service that enables people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-disabled to communicate over the phone. This is done with specialized text telephone (TTY) equipment and relayed through highly trained, professional Communication Assistants (CAs) who speak messages to the hearing and type messages to the hearing-impaired.

Alaska Relay is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the length or number of calls placed. All calls are strictly confidential and no records of any conversations are maintained.

Alaska residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled are eligible to receive specialized telephone equipment through the equipment Distribution Program at CSD at minimal or no cost.

For more information on getting and using Alaska Relay, visit www.akrelay.com or call 1-800-770-6770 or 1-800-770-2234.