New Dialing Procedure Becomes Mandatory On October 24, 2021 For All Customers In 82 Area Codes

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Oct 19, 2021, 09:05 ET

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Somos, Inc., a leading registry management and data solutions company serving as the North American Plan Administrator (NANPA) today announces, on behalf of the FCC, a new dialing procedure for customers in 36 states and 82 area codes.

Affected Stated and Area CodesNEW DIALING PROCEDURE BECOMES MANDATORY ON OCTOBER 24, 2021 FOR ALL CUSTOMERS IN 82 AREA CODES

On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted an Order (FCC 20-100) approving 988 as the three-digit abbreviated dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline starting July 16, 2022. The Order requires all telecommunications carriers, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers, and one-way VoIP providers (covered providers) to make any network changes necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.

To ensure everyone is able to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline using the three-digit 988 code in the 82 area codes in 36 states below, every customer with a number in those area codes with seven-digit local dialing must be transitioned to 10-digit (area code + telephone number) local dialing (or 1+10-digit local dialing in CA and parts of IL).

State	Area Code(s)	State	Area Code(s)
Alaska	907	Minnesota	218,952
Alabama	251	Mississippi	662
Arkansas	501	Missouri	314,417,660,816
Arizona	480,520,928	Montana	406
California	209,530,562,626,650,707,925* 949,951	Nevada	775
California	209,530,562,626,650,707,925* 949,951	New Hampshire	603
Colorado	719,970	New Jersey	856,908
Delaware	302	New Mexico	505,575
Florida	321(Brevard County only), 352,561, 941	New York	516,607,716,845,914
Georgia	478,912	North Carolina	910
Guam	671	Ohio	440,513
Hawaii	808	South Dakota	605
Illinois	309,618,708*	Tennessee	731,865
Indiana	219,574	Texas	254,361,409,806,830,915,940
Iowa	319,515	Vermont	802
Kansas	620,785	Virginia	276,804
Kentucky	859	Washington	509
Louisiana	337,504	Wisconsin	262,414,608,920
Michigan	616,810,906,989

* 1 + 10-digit dialing is required

Beginning October 24, 2021, all consumers with numbers in the area codes above must dial 10 digits (area code + telephone number) or 1+10-digits (1+ area code + telephone number in CA and parts of IL) for all local calls. On and after this date, local calls dialed with only seven digits may not be completed, and a recording may inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed. If you get this recording, you must hang up and dial again using the area code with the seven-digit telephone number.

What other changes need to be made?
Important safety and security equipment, such as medical alert devices, and alarm and security systems must be reprogrammed to use 10-digit (or 1+10-digit) dialing by October 24, 2021. Many systems operate on 10-digit (or 1+10-digit) dialing by default, but some older equipment may still use seven-digit dialing. Please contact your medical alert or security provider if you are not sure whether your equipment needs to be reprogrammed to accommodate the upcoming change to 10-digit (or 1+10-digit) local dialing in order to avoid interruption of services. Some other examples of services that may need to be re-programmed are:

life safety systems or medical monitoring devices
PBXs
fax machines
Internet dial-up numbers
fire or burglar alarm and security systems or gates
speed dialers
mobile or other wireless phone contact lists
call forwarding settings
voicemail services and other similar functions

Be sure to check your website, personal and business stationery, advertising materials, personal and business checks, contact information, your personal or pet ID tags, and other such items to ensure the area code is included.

What will remain the same?

Your telephone number, including current area code, will not change
The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the dialing change
What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed
You will continue to dial 1+ the area code + telephone number for all long-distance calls
You will continue to dial a prefix (such as "9") when dialing from a multi-line telephone system (e.g., in a hotel, office building, etc.) as required
You can still dial just three digits to reach 711 (relay services) and 911 (emergency services)
If 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, or 811 are currently available in your community, continue to dial these codes with just three digits
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can still be reached by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255) even after the 988 code is in effect

Beginning July 16, 2022, dialing "988" will route your call to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Customers must continue to dial 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) to reach the Lifeline until July 16, 2022.

For questions about the dialing procedure change, email the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) at [email protected]. For additional information, visit the NANPA website and the FCC website.

About Somos, Inc.
As the world becomes more interconnected, Somos enables brands, consumers, and communities to communicate in an environment of greater trust and convenience. Somos is a global source of number administration, routing data, identity verification, and identity management services for the telecommunications ecosystem. As the trusted administrator of the North American Numbering Plan (NANPA), Toll-Free Numbering (TFNA), and the Reassigned Number Database (RNDA), we support over 1,400 service providers in North America and manage over 3 billion numbers to enable seamless communications between enterprises and consumers.

Through our portfolio of products and services, and a collaborative approach in everything we do, Somos helps ensure trust in an increasingly digital world while delivering value, innovation, and results to consumers. To learn more about Somos, please visit www.somos.com.

SOURCE Somos, Inc.