Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: U5434122@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Answer to Area Code Congestion Message-ID: <2748@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 10 Jan 90 22:31:07 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: The University of Melbourne Lines: 63 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 17, message 3 of 6 Here is a way to ease area code congestion without being too difficult to implement in North America. It basically means that the affected area switches to 8 digit numbers without any other area needing to know. Most telephone numbers stay the same, with the addition of another digit, and for those that change, working out the new number is very easy. Taking Los Angeles area 213 as an example: 1. Abolish area code 213 and in its place establish areas 225 and 228. This will mean that all areas using 225 and 228 as prefixes must remove 1+7D toll dialling. 2. There is no geographical isolation of 225 and 228. Instead, the areas are assigned to the prefixes 2xx-5xx and 6xx-9xx. 3. Old numbers beginning with 5 and 8 have their first digit changed to 7 and 3 respectively. 4. Dialling within the 225-228 area *must* begin with either a 5 or an 8. Any attempt to dial a number beginning with 2,3,4,6,7,9 should be directed a recorded message to remind about the new system. This should last several months. The new numbering system would be: Old New 213-2xx- 225-2xx- 213-3xx- 225-3xx- 213-4xx- 225-4xx- 213-5xx- 225-7xx- 213-6xx- 228-6xx- 213-7xx- 228-7xx- 213-8xx- 228-3xx- 213-9xx- 228-9xx- There would certainly be teething problems, especially for people whose old numbers began with 5 or 8, since there can be no slow change-over for them. The benefits of this system are many, including the retention of LA as a large community, and an inexhaustible supply of new prefixes, by simply adding new pseudo-areas 22N when everyone was used to 8 digit dialling. 8 digit numbers could provide up to 80 million services, and I doubt that even the USA's voracious telephone appetite would use them all. Cellular sevices could all be moved to say 229, allowing easy identification of a number as mobile. Lastly, by using area codes in the series NXX (X not 1,0 ) 80 megalopoli could have their area code worries removed forever. It would even be possible to merge areas already separated. e.g. Assign 332 and 337 to 212 and 335 and 339 to 718. After a year or so, when everyone is used to 8 digits the old 212 and 718 areas would be part of the 33N area. Comments anyone?? Daniel O'Callaghan, u5434122@ucsvc.unimelb.edu.au