Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1991 17:01:05 -0400 From: Jamie Mason Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: 416 to Split to 416 and 905, October 4th, 1993 Message-ID: Organization: University of Toronto Computer Science Undergraduate Student Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 317, Message 6 of 13 Lines: 70 Well folks, it's official news now, 416 *will* split in two years. From a Bell Canada pamphlet delivered with the phone bill: ================= 4 1 6 Area Code 416 is stretched too far! 9 0 5 October 4th, 1993, 905 will relieve the tension. In order to meet the increasing demand for telephone ex- changes and numbers, it will soon become necessary to split the 416 region into two area codes. This will enable us to continue to provide you with the high level of service and reliability you've come to expect from Bell Canada. Beginning October 4th, 1993, Metropolitan Toronto will retain the 416 area code number, and all other areas currently served by 416 will switch to the new area code number 905. This will mean a change in your dialing patterns when calling into or out of 416 or 905. These examples provide simple illustrations of how the change will affect you. 1. If you are placing a local call from 416 into the 905 area code, you will dial: 905 + the seven digit number 2. If you are placing a local call from 905 into the 416 area code, you will dial: 416 + the seven digit number Of course there will be no long distance charges for these calls, or changes in your local calling area. 3. However, if you are placing a local call and not dialing into or out of the 416 or 905 area code, you will simply dial the regular seven digit number of the party you are trying to reach. ============= All the typos are mine. Note that 416 has already switched to dialing 1-416-xxx- xxxx for long distance calls *within* 416, so that exchanges which look like area codes (x0x and x1x) can be used. This should have added 179 exchanges, or 1,790,000 new numbers. I guess that is just a kludge, and not enough for the long run. It seems strange to me that they will split the 416 at the Metro Toronto municipal boundary, rather than at the edge of the Toronto local calling area. Looking at a map of 416 territory, I can see that the Toronto local calling area covers approximately 1/3 of the 416 area, but Metro Toronto alone covers only a small fraction of that. The new 416 is going to be tiny, at least in terms of geographic area, compared to the old 416 and the new 905. This is a pity. I enjoyed being in the most overcrowded area code on the continent. :-) Jamie