covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert 20-Feb-1990 1455) (02/21/90)
Fr: Greg Monti Dt: 14 February 1990 Re: Pentagon Prefixes "Jeffrey M. Schweiger" <schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil> writes: > Looking at the > new, December 1989, edition of the DoD phone directory for the > Washington, DC area shows that a bunch of the numbers that were > previously 202-692-xxxx are now 202-602-xxxx. What will make life > even more interesting is that, in this phone book, only _some_, but > _not_ all, of the 692-xxxx numbers were converted over to 602-xxxx. Well, this is a fine mess that DoD, FTS and/or C&P have created.... According to the C&P Northern Virginia January 1990 directory, there is no 602 prefix in area code 202. It's in 703 in the Alexandria-Arlington Rate Area. With the current ten-digit-optional dialing on cross-NPA local calls dialing plan in Northern Virginia, 202-602-XXXX "cannot be completed as dialed." 602-XXXX goes through. So 602 is in 703...I think. True Pentagon prefixes like 692 are in 202. But *they also* cannot be reached by dialing 202-692-XXXX from Northern Virginia. That could be an error in programming at my central office or it could have been done on purpose to allow Virginians to dial another Northern Virginia local number - albeit in 202 - without dialing an area code or requiring an explanation of why the Pentagon is in Virginia but has a DC area code. Or 602 and 692 may both be true Pentagon prefixes (both in 202 to the outside world, both dialable only as 7 digits from nearby 703) and the C&P Virginia book could be in error. Or maybe the CO programming for the 10-digit local dialing plan is not complete yet. Or maybe it is complete and the Pentagon will always be a cross-NPA oddity. > As 692- is a DoD only exchange, > this appears to be the addition of a new DoD exchange, with an already > installed, and now somewhat confused, user base. The reason some phones may have been split off into 602 prefix is that they are *not* physically located in the Pentagon or on the pieces of DoD property which are immediatley contiguous to it (Arlington National Cemetery and the Defense Communication Agency). Greg Monti, Arlington, Virginia; work +1 202 822-2633