How many area codes are there in thre United States /
I'd like to get a collection of one of each. seems there can't be more than 999 ?
D/P
http://www.nanpa.com/area_code_maps/ac_map_static.html
Try counting them here ;D
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NANP_area_codes
Here's the 1947 list of area codes:
http://www.lincmad.com/map1947.html
It'll be much easier than trying to find one from each of the modern codes, almost all of which are no more than twenty or so years old
The great swami is now donning his swami-type hat: I predict that in the not-too-distant future, area codes, or exchanges, or numbers will increase by one digit. Thus spake I.
Seriously, I've always said that the are code increase was done in the most stupid manner possible. I've always thought that instead of dividing states into tiny area code regions, they should have kept the state-wide area code idea, but just add more. I know that sounded confusing but here's what I'm saying: There should be one area code for standard wired-to-the-wall telephone service, both residential and commercial. Then a second area code covering the whole state for cell phones. Another for fax machines, a fourth for modems, etc.
Doing that would eliminate the need to dial an increasingly ridiculous number of digits when you're calling next door. It would also let you know what type of phone you're calling, by looking at the area code, which would be keyed to the type of service, rather than the geographical area.
I should patent that idea and then make everybody switch.
Why is this world so obsessed with NOT starting a numbering system at the number 1. Even Television starts with 2.
I can understand The Television thing, we are Number 1 in television. But the rest give us a break.
D/P
I recently called the phone company to add call blocking because of an offshore number that keeps calling, when I get the thing added, I go to block the number, and you guessed it. " The number you have selected can not be blocked by this system, it may be a business or a private number.
Back to my story, the Operator asks me for my account number, and says it's listed at the top of my bill. O.K. there it is, it's an 18 yes 18 digit number I have to repeat for her. I asked her, excuse me, am I missing something here, why don't you just use my phone number for my account number, it's the only one like it on the planet. She laughed, and said; "Sir I just work here".
D/P
It's not like the concept of equipment-based area codes (number planning areas or NPA's in telcospeak) wasn't considered. I asked this same question when area code splitting started to get crazy in the 1990's and the decision was made to allow overlays, or using two different NPA's for the same geographic area. Overlays are why a lot of people have to dial 10 digits just to call next door. It makes way more sense to me to have cell and fax numbers get the new weird "area" codes that don't have a 0 or a 1 in the middle. Area code splits are inconvenient and could be reduced or have a much smaller impact on home and business land lines if the telecom industry had gone with an equipment-based approach.
I live in Rhode Island, where there is only one area code (4010 and you can dial anywhere in the state with 7 digits, even if it is a toll call. We'll see how long that lasts.
Ah, the good old days of 7 digits even across area codes. Here in the SF Bay Area, even though we had a whole two area codes as recently as 1990, we could still dial into a different area code with only 7 digits because prefixes were at the time area code specific. So you wouldn't find a 415 prefix in the 408 area. Once the splits started and prefixes were duplicated, we had to dial all 10 digits.
For a while we could dial into towns bordering RI in the Massachusetts 508 area code with 7 digits. Now you can't dial anywhere within MA without 11 digits. If you call the next county over within the same area code it is a toll call.
Ten digits? Eleven digits? This reminds me of one of my pet peeves about the way dialling is handled today.
I live in the 480 area code. Right next door is the 602 area code. If I dial a 602 number, and put a "1" in front of it, an automated voice comes on and tells me "You are not required to dial a 1 for this call." Then I have to hang up and start all over again.
Now c'mon. If you're smart enough to realize what I have done, and what is needed, then just go ahead and delete the "1" and dial the darn call!
It works the other way, too. If I am calling farther away, and I neglect to dial the "1", the automated voice comes on and says "You must first dial a 1 to place this call." And my reaction again is - if a "1" is needed, and you know it's needed, then go ahead and stick one in. Just dial my darn call!
Anyone else get annoyed by this? Anyone know the reason for it? And why don't we just get rid of the whole leading "1" thing entirely? After all, it made sense only in the old days, when you would dial "1" to indicate that you wanted a station-to-station call, and a "0" would indicate a person-to-person call.
To the best of my knowledge, person-to-person calling no longer exists. All calls are station-to-station, so there is no need to dial a leading "1" to specify it.
Bill
Interesting dialing issue between 480 and 602. Maybe this is the dreaded "overlay" situation where two "area" codes are being used within the same boundary? I've not heard of the situation where dialing "1" before the remaining 10 digits isn't required. That's very confusing and sloppy behavior on the part of the telco. Just another reason I'm against overlays if this is the result.
Locally, we were the last major metropolitan area that didn't have to dial "1" first. A few years ago that changed. I don't think there is any way to get around dialing "1" anymore with the current North American Dialing Plan that dates back to 1947. Now that we have area codes that don't have a "0" or "1" as the middle digit, dialing "1" up front is necessary for the switching equipment to know the subscriber is calling outside of their own area code. But that still doesn't explain the 480/602 situation. That is just strange.
Our area code used to be 909, they split it into two areas now my area code is 951, I can call into the 909 area without first dialing 1.
I had the same situation in Orange County before I moved here. My area code was 714, then they split it into 949, I could call 714, w/o 1.
D/P
Quote from: rp2813 on January 06, 2009, 01:27:59 PM
Interesting dialing issue between 480 and 602. Maybe this is the dreaded "overlay" situation where two "area" codes are being used within the same boundary? I've not heard of the situation where dialing "1" before the remaining 10 digits isn't required. That's very confusing and sloppy behavior on the part of the telco. Just another reason I'm against overlays if this is the result...
It is quite possible that 480 is an overlay broken out of the old 602 area code. And I really don't have a problem with that - I understand the need to introduce new area codes as areas like Phoenix (602) grow so big.
QuoteNow that we have area codes that don't have a "0" or "1" as the middle digit, dialing "1" up front is necessary for the switching equipment to know the subscriber is calling outside of their own area code.
But that is exactly my point. There really isn't a need to tell the switching equipment anything. The switching equipment already knows what I am doing, as evidenced by the "Not necessary to dial a 1" message that it plays to me.
You're right - it seems to be a very sloppy way to handle it.
Bill
My AT&T iPhone never needs a 1 or 0. Vonge VOIP is the same way. Verizon land line and Comcast digital require the 1. I call pure laziness.
Cell phones don't require a 1 or 0 for long distance calls. VoiP calls don't require a 1 or 0 either. However, traditional land lines require a 1 or 0 for long distance calls.
Believe it or not, my VoIP provider, Charter Communications (Cable co.) does require the 1 for out of area dialing. I was on Vonage which did not require it, but Charter does. When I asked the technician about it when he installed the modem, his reply was that they want their customers to think of them as a telco. A rather lame reply, but Oh well, I am stuck with it and the price is right.
Two things...
1) My current VOIP providers require a 1 (VOIP.MS and CallCentric). Ooma also requires a 1. My office VOIP provider (who was recently acquired by Vonage) does not.
2) A question regarding running out of numbers: there is a way to add another 25% of numbers to the pool: where 10 digit dialling is required, allow prefixes to start with 1 or 0: for example: (202) 158-7861 or (214) 094-8843. This adds another approximately 2,000,000 numbers per area code, which can reduce number exhaustion (also meaning fewer overlays or splits). Of course, according to the NANP exhaustion survey, we won't run out of area codes until after 2045...
Jim
Okay, I was wrong about VoiPs not requiring a 1 or 0 to dial long distance. Some apparently do. Does anyone have a cell phone where they have to dial a 1 or 0 to make a long distance call?
Comparing cell phone service with voice over IP providers just isn't fair. These are completely different systems and the way the providers are connected to the national and international PSTN networks are rather different.
VoIP providers create an Internet-based interface, e.g., SIP, for customers to the PSTN and often simply pass the dialing method of their wholesale provider along to the customer. Early VoIP providers had copper T1 and T3 lines going out at the back-end of their systems to a telco, while nowadays they subscribe to one or more wholesale VoIP service(s) that may be aggregators themselves, or someone with a large PSTN switch, such the CS2000 that Verizon Business Wholesale uses.
Hopefully, by the time the NANP numbering pool actually faces final stage exhaustion, we won't need telephone numbers anymore at all. But people seem to like to keep obsolete technology around... so I won't bet on it.