99 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
99 lines
4.3 KiB
Plaintext
>From: John Desmond
|
|
>Subject: Area Code Article
|
|
|
|
Patrick, I just came across this in my new issue of [Telephony] and
|
|
thought it would be of interest to the Telcom Digest group. In my
|
|
opinion it is a very well written article. There is a lot of
|
|
interesting information in this short article.
|
|
|
|
John Desmond US West Communications
|
|
Network/Switching, Minneapolis, MN
|
|
CIS 70725,1175 w) 612-378-1587
|
|
Packet Radio K0TG @ WB0GDB
|
|
PC Pursuit Net Exchange
|
|
============================================================
|
|
|
|
DIALING AWAY U.S. AREA CODES
|
|
from Telephony Nov. 13 1989
|
|
Used without permission
|
|
Laura O'Brien
|
|
Assistant Editor
|
|
|
|
The current endangered species in the news may not be an animal at
|
|
all. The number of available area codes in the United States is
|
|
dwindling rapidly. Chicago consumed a new code Nov. 11 and New Jersey
|
|
will gobble up another one on Jan. 1.
|
|
|
|
There are only nine codes left, and they are expected to be used up
|
|
by 1995, said Robert McAlesse, North American Numbering Plan administrator
|
|
and member of Bellcore's technical staff.
|
|
|
|
"In 1947 (Bellcore) started with 86 codes, and they projected
|
|
exhaustion in 100 to 150 years. They were off by a few years,"
|
|
McAlesse said.
|
|
|
|
When the 152 available codes are exhausted, Bellcore will use a new
|
|
plan for creating area codes.
|
|
|
|
A total of 138 codes already are assigned. Five of the remaining
|
|
14 codes are reserved for service access codes, and 9 are for
|
|
geographic area codes.
|
|
|
|
Under the current plan, a 0 or a 1 is used as the second digit
|
|
while the first and last digits can range between 2 and 9. Under the
|
|
new plan the first digit will be between 2 and 9 and the following two
|
|
digits will be numbers between 0 and 9, McAlesse said.
|
|
|
|
The new plan will create 640 potential area codes, he
|
|
said. Bellcore isn't predicting when the newly created codes
|
|
will run out.
|
|
|
|
"The growth in new services and increase in the number of
|
|
telephones are exhausting the codes. The biggest [increases] are
|
|
cellular telephones, pagers, facsimile machines and new services that
|
|
can have more than one number," McAlesse said.
|
|
|
|
The current unassigned codes include 210, 310, 410, 706, 810, 905,
|
|
909, 910 and 917. The Chicago area took the 708 code, and New Jersey
|
|
will take 908.
|
|
|
|
In the Chicago metropolitan area, the suburbs were switched from
|
|
the 312 area code to the new 708 code. Residents and businesses
|
|
within the city limits retained the 312 code.
|
|
|
|
Illinois Bell started preparing for the change two years ago with
|
|
the announcements alerting business customers to change stationary and
|
|
business cards, said Gloria Pope, an Illinois Bell spokeswoman. Now
|
|
the telco is targeting the residential market with billboard reminders
|
|
and billing inserts.
|
|
|
|
The cost of technically preparing for the new code, including
|
|
labor, is expected to reach $15 million. But Pope said that does not
|
|
include mailings, public relations efforts and business packages
|
|
designed to smooth out the transition. The telco will absorb the cost
|
|
with budgeted funds, and no rate increase is expected, she said.
|
|
|
|
Modifying the network to recognize the new code started about six
|
|
months ago with translation work. Every central office in the Chicago
|
|
Metropolitan area was adapted with a new foreign-area translator to
|
|
accept the new code and route the calls correctly, said Audrey Brooks,
|
|
area manager-Chicago translations.
|
|
|
|
The long distance carriers were ready for the code's debut. AT&T,
|
|
US Sprint and MCI changed their computer systems to recognize the new
|
|
code before the Chicago deadline.
|
|
|
|
"We are anticipating a pretty smooth transfer," said Karen Rayl, US
|
|
Sprint spokeswoman.
|
|
|
|
Businesses will need to adjust their PBX software, according to
|
|
AT&T technical specialist Craig Hoopman. "This could affect virtually
|
|
every nationwide PBX," he said. Modern PBX's will take about 15
|
|
minutes to adjust while older switches could take four hours. In many
|
|
cases, customers can make the changes themselves, he said. [END]
|
|
|
|
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Downloaded From P-80 Systems 403-744-2253
|