wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (01/14/89)
My parents (in San Mateo, CA -- a suburb of San Francisco -- "415" area code) told me that, starting in February, they will have to start dial- ing "1" before area codes. (Up till now, they've just dialed the area code and the seven-digit number.) At about the same time, my MCI bill contained a short announcement of this same thing (why they told me, in Los Angeles, I have no idea), and it said this was part of a plan by Pacific Bell to introduce a new area code in the San Francisco Bay area. I'd be interested in any comments from the net about this development. -- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department // +1 (213) 825-5683 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024-1596 // USA wales@CS.UCLA.EDU ...!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!cs.ucla.edu!wales "Now, if you do see me again today, I want you to report it to me immediately."
dts@cloud9.Stratus.COM (Daniel Senie) (01/20/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0018m01@vector.UUCP>, wales@CS.UCLA.EDU writes: > My parents (in San Mateo, CA -- a suburb of San Francisco -- "415" area > code) told me that, starting in February, they will have to start dial- > ing "1" before area codes. (Up till now, they've just dialed the area > code and the seven-digit number.) > When New York City was running out of numbers, they started requiring 1 + for long distance. They then proceeded to use area code style numbers for prefixes. That makes it impossible to sense area codes by the second digit dialed. The phone companies seem to want to get rid of the automatic area code sensing just in case they need to expand exchanges into the area code style numbers. -- Daniel Senie UUCP: harvard!ulowell!cloud9!dts Stratus Computer, Inc. ARPA: anvil!cloud9!dts@harvard.harvard.edu 55 Fairbanks Blvd. CSRV: 74176,1347 Marlboro, MA 01752 TEL.: 508 - 460 - 2686
john@apple.com (John Higdon) (01/22/89)
As in many other areas of the country, SF Bay Area will now be faced with
those dreaded "informal" prefixes. You know, the ones that look like area
codes. This is the reason for the "1" before dialing a ten-digit number.
But the southern part of the Bay Area, in 408, still does not require a "1"
before dialing an area code. A spokesperson for Pac*Bell says that due to
lack of growth, there are no plans to implement "informal" prefixes and
hence no "1" requirement in the forseeable future. How many other areas of
the country are left where a "1" is not required for long distance? Is this
one of the last?
Interestingly enough, San Jose and Sunnyvale are in 408 and Mountain
View/Los Altos are in 415. This is all one local calling area. To place the
local call, it is necessary to dial the area code. When calling San Jose
from Mountain View a "1" will be required; when calling Mt. View from San
Jose it will not. Can you say confusing?
--
John Higdon
john@bovine ..sun!{apple|cohesive|pacbell}!zygot!bovine!johnDavid_W_Tamkin@harvard.harvard.edu (01/22/89)
Rich Wales's <telecom-v09i0018m01@vector.UUCP>: | My parents (in San Mateo, CA -- a suburb of San Francisco -- "415" area | code) told me that, starting in February, they will have to start dial- | ing "1" before area codes. (Up till now, they've just dialed the area | code and the seven-digit number.) | | At about the same time, my MCI bill contained a short announcement of | this same thing (why they told me, in Los Angeles, I have no idea), and | it said this was part of a plan by Pacific Bell to introduce a new area | code in the San Francisco Bay area. The requirement to dial 1 before area codes doesn't necessarily mean that an area code split is imminent. It means that the NNX-style prefixes are running out and that NXX will be the rule for future prefixes (N is a digit from 2 through 9; X is any digit from 0 through 9). Since most of the new prefixes will consist of the same three digits as existing area code numbers, the 1 in front is needed to inform the telco that the next three digits are indeed an area code and there will be seven more digits following; without the 1, the first three digits are taken to indicate a prefix in the caller's area code and only four more digits are expected. As long as all local prefixes were NNX, the initial 1 wasn't needed for that purpose (it might be for others): if the second digit was 0 or 1, then the first three digits were an area code and seven more would follow; if the second digit was 2 through 9, then the first three were a prefix within that area code and only four more would be coming. But NNX allows only 640 prefixes; NXX allows 792 (assuming that those of the form N11 will not be used). This is not perforce a harbinger of splitting the area code. Here in 312 the requirement for 1+ before area codes was introduced October 1, 1982; we are indeed being split, but the partition into two area codes will take place more than seven years after the institution of 1+. Along with 1+ for area codes, we had to start dialing 0312+NXX-XXXX instead of 0+NNX-XXXX for operator-assisted calls within area code 312 as of the same date for the same reason. Curiously, 1312+NXX-XXXX is forbidden by both of the local providers here and results in a recording that the call cannot be placed as dialed. Since, with the upcoming split, it is quite likely (especially from a COCOT with no phone number of its own written on it) for callers near the dividing line to know the area code of the number they want to reach but to misjudge the area code they are calling FROM, and therefore to dial 1 + their own code. My personal opinion is that a call dialed within one's own area code in eleven-digit form should just be put through. David_W_Tamkin@cup.portal.com ... sun!portal!cup.portal.com!David_W_Tamkin
ron@ron.rutgers.edu (Ron Natalie) (01/24/89)
Mostly this comes from the use in the local area of exchanges that have N0X/N1X prefixes. Washington DC just went through this change as well. Since they never used to allocate prefixes from this range, it never used to be a problem, but now it needs 1+ to indicate that what follows is an area code and no 1+ to indicate that the prefix is following. From what I've read, the Numbering plan has always intended to have NXX prefixes, but it was a convenient hack to differentiate area codes by this basis in the past. It certainly saved dialing time, but touch tone and autodialers made this less of a problem. -Ron
wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales) (02/09/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0025m05@vector.UUCP> David W. Tamkin writes: Rich Wales's <telecom-v09i0018m01@vector.UUCP>: | My parents (in San Mateo, CA -- a suburb of San Francisco | -- "415" area code) told me that, starting in February, | they will have to start dialing "1" before area codes. (Up | till now, they've just dialed the area code and the seven- | digit number.) | At about the same time, my MCI bill contained a short | announcement of this same thing (why they told me, in Los | Angeles, I have no idea), and it said this was part of a | plan by Pacific Bell to introduce a new area code in the | San Francisco Bay area. The requirement to dial 1 before area codes doesn't necessarily mean that an area code split is imminent. It means that the NNX-style prefixes are running out and that NXX will be the rule for future prefixes . . . . [long explanation about NXX prefixes and 1+ dialing deleted] I should probably have anticipated this response and said in my original posting that I was aware of the fact that the use of NXX prefixes would require 1+ dialing. We've had 1+ dialing in the Los Angeles area, BTW, since at least the mid-70's (when I moved down here) -- and NXX prefixes for the last few years as well. Nevertheless, my MCI bill really did say that there would eventually be a new area code in the San Francisco area. Following is an exact quote of the announcement (in my December 28 MCI bill): STARTING FEBRUARY 4, 1989 -- WHEN YOU ARE IN THE 415 AREA CODE -- YOU WILL NEED TO DIAL "1" FIRST FOR ALL CALLS GOING OUTSIDE THE 415 AREA CODE. THIS CHANGE IS THE FIRST STEP BY PACIFIC BELL TO IMPLEMENT A NEW AREA CODE TO THE BAY AREA. Let me say again that I realize that 1+ dialing is a necessary precursor to the use of NXX prefixes -- and not required at all in order to create a new area code. Maybe the MCI person who composed this bill message didn't know what he/she was talking about -- or thought it'd be hope- lessly confusing to try explaining NXX prefixes to the unwashed masses. But let me ask again: Is anyone on this list aware of any near-term plans to create a new area code out of portions of 415 and/or 408? -- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department // +1 (213) 825-5683 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024-1596 // USA wales@CS.UCLA.EDU ...!(uunet,ucbvax,rutgers)!cs.ucla.edu!wales "The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank."
ben@Sun.COM (ben ullrich) (02/11/89)
> Nevertheless, my MCI bill really did say that there would eventually be > a new area code in the San Francisco area. Following is an exact quote > of the announcement (in my December 28 MCI bill): > STARTING FEBRUARY 4, 1989 -- WHEN YOU ARE IN THE 415 AREA > CODE -- YOU WILL NEED TO DIAL "1" FIRST FOR ALL CALLS GOING > OUTSIDE THE 415 AREA CODE. THIS CHANGE IS THE FIRST STEP > BY PACIFIC BELL TO IMPLEMENT A NEW AREA CODE TO THE BAY AREA. > Let me say again that I realize that 1+ dialing is a necessary precursor > to the use of NXX prefixes -- and not required at all in order to create > a new area code. Maybe the MCI person who composed this bill message > didn't know what he/she was talking about -- or thought it'd be hope- > lessly confusing to try explaining NXX prefixes to the unwashed masses. > But let me ask again: Is anyone on this list aware of any near-term > plans to create a new area code out of portions of 415 and/or 408? the mci note was correct in this instant. the note said that this is the first step **by pacific bell** to implement a new ac... meaning this is uniquely pac bell's plan, and not necessarily the rule on how one implements a new area code. we need more prefixes before they go through the trauma of an area code split in 1993 i think it is. the latest i heard is sf & the peninsula will keep 415, and the east bay will get a new one. ...ben ---- ben ullrich consider my words disclaimed,if you consider them at all sybase, inc. "forgiveness is the fragrance of the violet which still emeryville, ca clings fast to the heel that crushed it." -- george roemisch (415) 596 - 3654 ben%sybase.com@sun.com {pyramid,pacbell,sun,lll-tis,capmkt}!sybase!ben