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- From: cmoore@brl.mil
- Subject: history.of.area.splits
-
- Last updated: 18 March 1994 by Carl Moore
-
- Generalizing prefixes from NNX to NXX (i.e., allowing N0X/N1X)
- is an alternative to splitting an area which has had only NNX
- up to this point. When an area has NXX (not NNX) prefixes,
- its long distance dialing instructions usually are:
-
- 7D or 1 + NPA + 7D within area (can no longer use 1 + 7D);
- 1 + NPA + 7D to other areas (can no longer use NPA + 7D);
- for 0+ calls, try 0 + NPA + 7D (some 0 + 7D would require timeout).
-
- In other words, the leading 1 (or 0) means that what follows is
- an area code. These instructions can, without further revision,
- accommodate area codes of form NXX, not just of form N0X/N1X, and
- thus could be universal by the time area codes must generalize to
- NXX. The deadline for switches to be able to handle NXX area codes
- is 1 January 1995 (had been 1 July 1995).
-
- It was thought that the first batch of NNX area codes would be of NN0
- form, so that some areas could keep 1 + 7D for intra-NPA long distance
- by disallowing prefixes of NN0 form; I did not know if this would have
- been affected by use of 52x codes (x not 0) for Mexico. But on 22
- July 1993, it was announced that area 205, covering all of Alabama,
- would split in 1995 to form 334.
-
- It is unclear how generalizing area codes to NXX would affect the
- policy of not using N0X/N1X prefixes until NNX starts running short.
-
- I found an exception to the above dialing instructions in February
- 1992 for 215-267 (Denver) and 215-484 (Adamstown) in Pennsylvania.
- These exchanges, served by Denver & Ephrata Telephone & Telegraph
- (also serving a part of the 717 area), were still using the old
- instructions (1 + 7D and 0 + 7D within area code), even though
- this necessitated timeout resolution for some calls. I learned
- (on 2 September 1993) that they would move to 717 (Denver going
- to 717-336 because of 717-267 being in use at Chambersburg). On
- 25 September 1993, I noticed that (during permissive dialing) all
- long distance from there was to be dialed as 1+NPA+7D (with 0+NPA+7D
- for all 0+), with "1 717" apparently being dropped after the full
- cutover to 717.
-
- The suggestion (at least from Bellcore) has been seen that ideally,
- all calls should be makeable as 1+NPA+7D (this does not necessarily
- forbid shorter forms).
-
- These areas prepared for N0X/N1X prefixes before it became necessary
- to prepare for NNX area codes:
- 213, California, July 1973
- (7D on all calls within it)
- (later 213/818, now 213/310/818)
- (but for some time, this area continued to publish 0+7D instruction
- for within-NPA 0+ calls)
- 212, New York, some days after 24 Nov 1980
- (7D on all calls within it)
- (later 212/718, now 212/917/718)
- 312, Illinois, Oct 1982--but got 1st N0X/N1X spring 1983?
- (7D on all calls within it)
- (now 312/708)
- 201, New Jersey
- (7D on all calls within it; also applies to 609)
- (now 201/908)
- 214, Texas, 1986 or 1987 (by July 1987)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls; also applies to 817,
- at least in Fort Worth area)
- (now 214/903)
- 301/202/703, Maryland/DC/Virginia, 1987, due to DC area growth
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (301 now 301/410)
- 415, California, Feb 1989?
- (7D on all calls within it)
- (now 415/510)
- 404, Georgia, Oct 1989?
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls; also applies to 912)
- (now 404/706)
- 919, North Carolina, 2 Mar 1990
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls; also applies to 704)
- (now 919/910)
- 416, Ontario, 3 Mar 1990
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (now 416/905)
- 602, Arizona, 1 July 1990
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (to become 602/520)
- 313, Michigan, 1990?
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (now 313/810)
- 512, Texas, 9 Sept 1990
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (now 512/210)
- 205, Alabama, Dec 1990
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (to become 205/334)
- 215, Pennsylvania, 20 May 1991
- (7D on all calls within it; exception noted above for 2 prefixes
- later moving to 717, but the new instructions also applied to:
- 717-354,355 New Holland
- 717-656,661 Leola
- 717-768 Intercourse)
- (now 215/610)
- 206, Washington, 12 Jan 1992
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (to become 206/360)
- 713, Texas, 8 Mar 1992 (permissive dialing 8 Dec 1991)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- (to become 713/281)
- 714, California, 1992?
- (7D on all calls within it)
- (now 714/909)
- 503, Oregon, 10 July 1993
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
-
- No note about N0X/N1X prefixes, but instructions are being changed
- to prepare for NNX area codes:
- 305,407,813,904, Florida, 7 Mar 1992 (at least for 813)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 207, Maine; 603, New Hampshire (17 July 1993); 1993-1994
- (This was to include all New England areas except Connecticut,
- but this list now has separate entries for Massachusetts,
- Vermont, and Rhode Island.)
- (Earlier, for 413 going to 7D on all calls within area code: Feb-
- June 1993; full cutover 21 Sept 1993; 1+NPA+7D for local calls to
- another area code permissive 1 Mar to 8 Apr 1993.)
- (7D on all calls within area code; optional for New Hampshire,
- with per-line option to block 7D and require 1+NPA+7D for toll
- within area code)
- 413,508,617, Massachusetts (order by public utility commission in
- Oct 1993; mandatory, in 413, 1 June 1994; eastern Massachusetts
- to follow later in 1994)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 802, Vermont, permissive 18 Feb 1994, mandatory 18 May 1994
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 401, Rhode Island, announced Jan 1994 (but when to be implemented?)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 303,719, Colorado (27 Feb 1994); 612,507,218, Minnesota (late 1994);
- 319,515,712, Iowa; 701, North Dakota; 605, South Dakota; 308,402,
- Nebraska; 505, New Mexico; 801, Utah; 307, Wyoming; 406, Montana;
- 208, Idaho; 509, Washington (15 May 1994, full cutover 17 Sept 1994);
- 1993-1994
- (U.S. West areas except Arizona, Oregon, 206 in Washington)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 219,317,812 Indiana, c. Aug 1993 (full cutover 1 Dec 1993)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 615, Tennessee, 1 July 1993(?) (full cutover 1 Sept 1993)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 901, Tennessee, Sept 1993?
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 803, South Carolina, Sept 1993?
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 209,408,619,707,805,916, California; Pacific Bell, by 11 Oct 1993
- (These are the California area codes not cited above, as of Feb
- 1993, as preparing for N0X/N1X prefixes; but some of these, in
- whole or in part, already have the new instructions.)
- (GTE areas: 0+NPA+7D for 0+ within own area code permissive 11 Oct
- 1993, fully cut over 10 Oct 1994; direct-dial not affected.)
- (7D on all calls within area code)
- 412,717,814, Pennsylvania, for 717 1 Nov 1993 (full cutover 31 July 1994);
- announced Sept 1993
- (7D on all calls within area code)
- 716, New York, 5 Dec 1993 (at least for Rochester Telephone); is this
- permissive or mandatory date?
- (7D on all calls within it)
- 601, Mississippi, Dec 1993
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
- 302, Delaware, 1 Apr 1994 (full cutover 7 Jan 1995)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls, ordered by state PUC)
- 519,613,705,807, Ontario; 418,514,819, Quebec; 204, Manitoba; 306,
- Saskatchewan; 403, Alberta (and Yukon and NW Territories); 506,
- New Brunswick; 604, British Columbia; 709, Newfoundland (and
- Labrador); 902, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island; 4 Sept 1994
- (all of Canada except 416 and 905 in Ontario)
- (1+NPA+7D on all toll calls)
-
- Areacode splits:
- If no date appears, the split may not have been announced publicly due
- to lack of direct-dial facility at the time, or may never have occurred.
- Early splits can only be guessed at with the following guidelines:
- If an areacode is of form N1X, it is in a state or province with more
- than 1 areacode. (The reverse, if it was ever true, is now obsolete.)
- If an areacode is in a state or province with only 1 areacode, it is
- of form N0X. (The reverse, if it was ever true, is now obsolete.)
-
- what?/209 California
- what?/707 California
- what?/805 California
- 305/813 Florida
- what?/309 Illinois
- 502/606 Kentucky
- 504/318 Louisiana
- 612/507 Minnesota
- 402/308 Nebraska
- what?/607 New York
- 704/919 North Carolina
- 405/918 Oklahoma
- 901/615 Tennessee
- what?/806 Texas
- 206/509 Washington
- what?/608 Wisconsin
- 416/519 Ontario, 1953
- 404/912 Georgia, 1953 or 1954
- December 1991 Greater Atlanta call guide, in discussing 404/706
- split, said "It's been 38 years since Georgia added an Area Code."
- 613/705 Ontario, 1957 (did 705 also take part of the then 416?)
- 201/609 New Jersey, late 1950s
- 415/408 California, 1960
- 616/906 Michigan, sometime after Nov 1960
- what?/807 Ontario, 1962 (either an area which had no area code, or 705 split)
- 305/904 Florida, July 1965
- 703/804 Virginia, 24 June 1973 at 2:01 AM
- 714/619 California, Nov 1982
- 713/409 Texas, Mar 1983 (full cutover 90 days later)
- 213/818 California, Jan 1984
- 212/718 New York, 2 Sept 1984 (full cutover 31 Dec 1984)
- Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island became 718;
- Manhattan & Bronx stayed in 212;
- Bronx switched from 212 to 718, 1 July 1992 (full cutover
- 15 May 1993; but until then, calls from Bronx to Brooklyn/
- Queens/Staten Island must still be dialed 1+718+7D, and
- effective 25 Sept 1993 must be dialed 7D)
- 303/719 Colorado, 5 Mar 1988
- 305/407 Florida, 16 Apr 1988
- 617/508 Massachusetts, 16 July 1988
- 312/708 Illinois, Nov 1989 (full cutover 9 Feb 1990)
- 202 District of Columbia & vicinity, 1 Oct 1990
- This behaved somewhat like a split despite no new area code.
- 202 area code, previously useable for all but the outermost
- Maryland and Virginia suburbs, was restricted to DC proper.
- (Use 301 or 703, as the case may be, to reach the suburbs.)
- As a result, government offices (now including the Pentagon)
- using zipcodes starting with 200,202,203,204,205 and located
- in Md. or Va. can no longer be listed in area 202. Prefixes
- in the Pentagon, which is in Virginia, were previously in area
- 202 (not 703), and in 1990 were moved to area 703. (Local
- calls across area code border changed from 7D to NPA+7D.)
- 214/903 Texas, 4 Nov 1990 (full cutover 4 May 1991)
- 201/908 New Jersey, 1 Jan 1991 (full cutover 8 June 1991)
- 415/510 California, 2 Sept 1991 (full cutover 27 Jan 1992)
- 301/410 Maryland, 1 Nov 1991 (full cutover 1 Nov 1992)
- 213/310 California, 2 Nov 1991 (full cutover 16 May 1992; was
- to be 2 May 1992, but was postponed indefinitely because
- of riots just before then)
- (all GTE plus some PacBell went into 310)
- 212/718/917 New York, 1 Jan 1992 (917, to be overlaid on
- 212 & 718, is to be used for cellular & pagers)
- 404/706 Georgia, 3 May 1992 (full cutover 3 Aug 1992)
- 512/210 Texas, 1 Nov 1992 (full cutover 1 May 1993)
- 714/909 California, 14 Nov 1992 (full cutover 14 Aug 1993)
- (Riverside and San Bernardino counties go into 909;
- Orange County remains in 714)
- 416/905 Ontario, 4 Oct 1993 (full cutover 25 Mar 1994,
- postponed from 10 Jan 1994)
- 919/910 North Carolina, 14 Nov 1993 (full cutover 13 Feb 1994)
- 313/810 Michigan, 1 Dec 1993 (full cutover 10 Aug 1994)
- 215/610 Pennsylvania, 8 Jan 1994 (full cutover 7 Jan 1995)
- 205/334 Alabama, 15 Jan 1995 (the first NNX area code to be
- announced, on 22 July 1993)
- 206/360 Washington, 15 Jan 1995 (full cutover 9 July 1995)
- 602/520 Arizona, Mar 1995 (announced 29 Nov 1993)
- 713/281 Texas, 1995 (nature of the split not yet decided)
-
- Area codes 706,903,905 had been used, at least in the U.S., for
- calling parts of Mexico. (These codes were later announced for
- Georgia, Texas, and Ontario respectively.) 706 and 905 were
- discontinued 1 Feb 1991 for calls to Mexico (which was and still
- is reachable in country code 52); I have no such date available
- for 903.
-