An iPhone as seen in February. Starting July 29, Western Washington residents will no longer be able to make phone calls without punching in the three-digit area code. A new area code, 564, will be introduced Aug. 28. (AP files)
It’s time to exercise those digits.
Starting July 29, Western Washington residents will no longer be able to make phone calls without punching in the three-digit area code.
Then, a new area code overlay will start to attach to phone numbers on new telephone lines and services. The new code, 564, will not impact existing phone numbers. It will be introduced Aug. 28.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission announced the changes in May.
The changes are being made as area codes start to deplete the available phone numbers. The 360 area code, which covers cities from Vancouver to Port Angeles and Bellingham — but does not impact the Puget Sound area — is projected to exhaust its numbers by early 2018.
Those other area codes — 206, 253, and 425 — will start seeing the 564 numbers as they, too, run out of numbers in the coming years. The North American Numbering Plan administrator projects 509 to run out in 2025, 206 in 2027 and 425 in 2040.
The commission also implemented the mandatory 10-digit dialing. Callers within the sphere of 206, 253, 360 and 425 area codes had been able to dial seven digits and still make calls.
Telecommunications companies are encouraging people to start dialing 10 digits soon to be ready for the switch. Local calls will reportedly remain priced as local calls, even with the 10-digit dialing.
On top of the added finger exercise for some, people should be cognizant of any automatic dialing procedures that may be assigned to a seven-digit number. These would include numbers saved in contact lists on cellphones, call-forwarding settings and voicemail services, among others.
The change to 10 digits also could impact the effectiveness of such things as business cards, identifications on pet collars and other general contact information.
In a letter sent to customers, CenturyLink said that people who rely on medical alert devices and security devices to dial pre-programmed numbers during emergencies should get in touch with their providers.
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