 |
Florida Area Code Changes
| Getting Ready | History
of Changes |
Questions & Answers | 407/321
| 941/863
Questions And Answers For 407/321 Area Code Changes
The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) has designated a new
area code for the 407 area code that includes Brevard County, and
approved a new area code in an overlay plan for the part of 407
that includes Seminole, Orange, Osceola and portions of Lake and
Volusia counties. The new area code, 321, will be the same for the
overlay areas and for Brevard County.
The new area code will be implemented in two phases: Phase One will
be the overlay plan, which will require ten-digit dialing for local
calls within Orange, Seminole, Osceola and parts of Lake and Volusia
counties. Permissive ten-digit dialing begins April 1, 1999. Mandatory
ten-digit dialing will begin Dec. 1, 1999. Phase Two will be the
new area code split plan for Brevard County. Permissive dialing
for the new 321 area code in Brevard will begins Nov. 1, 1999. Mandatory
dialing will take effect on Oct. 1, 2000.
Sprint's Local Telecommunications Division serves
more than 400,000 customer lines in Seminole, Orange, Osceola, Lake
and Volusia counties.
- Why do we need a new area code?
- Will a new area code have any effect on local or long
distance rates?
- Will I lose my ability to dial 25-cents-per call Extended
Calling Service routes from outlying communities such as Mount
Dora, Groveland and Clermont to Orlando?
- What is an area code overlay?
- What are the advantages of an area code overlay?
- Why did the PSC not choose a traditional area code
geographical split for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties as
they did in Brevard County?
- How many years of relief will an overlay plan give
Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, and how many years of relief
will the geographical split give Brevard County?
- What is the advantage of a geographical area code
split for Brevard County?
- When will the new area code take effect?
- The PSC-approved plan will mean parts of Deltona
in west Volusia County may have three area codes-904, 407 and
the new overlay code. What is being done to remedy that situation?
- How will customers be notified about the area code
relief plan?
- What is Sprint doing to prepare for the area code
overlay?
- Will I have to dial 10 digits when I page someone
or use my wireless phone?
- What if I find out my business telephone equipment
is not compatible with ten-digit dialing?
- Are there other areas of Florida that have an area
code overlay?
- When did the 407 area code take effect?
- Didn't the 407 area code just split a few years ago?
- What if I have other questions about this area code
relief plan?
Why do we need a new area code?
Increasing demand for telephone numbers in Central Florida has created the need for a new area code. The region is quickly running out of 407 numbers due to unprecedented demand for new services such as second lines, cellular phones, beepers, fax machines and dedicated modems for Internet access. In addition, requests for telephone numbers by new competitors in the telecommunications industry has helped deplete the available supply.
Will a new area code have any effect on local or long distance rates?
No. The change will not affect rates or calling areas. To place a ten-digit local call, it is not necessary to dial a "1" before the area code and 7-digit number.
Will I lose my ability to dial 25-cents-per call Extended Calling Service routes from outlying communities such as Mount Dora, Groveland and Clermont to Orlando?
No, the Extended Calling Service 25-cents-per-call routes will remain, but customers will need to dial 10 digits instead of 7 when the area code overlay takes effect.
What is an area code overlay?
In an overlay situation, a new area code is placed over the existing area code, with both codes sharing the same geographic boundaries. Existing customers in Orange, Osceola and Seminole and parts of Lake and Volusia counties keep their 407 area code and the new area code is given only to some people who request a new phone number. Because there will continue to be at least some available 407 local prefix numbers, due to existing inventories held by telecommunications companies and recycling of old numbers when service is disconnected, some new customers could also receive a 407 area code after the overlay takes effect. An overlay will require ten-digit dialing, which means customers within the overlay area will have to dial the 407 or 321 area code and the seven-digit local telephone number to complete local calls.
What are the advantages of an area code overlay?
- An overlay offers the longest area code relief for all customers.
- Existing customers are not required to change their telephone numbers.
- An overlay treats all customers equally-both traditional land-line and wireless.
- An overlay offers the easiest way to lead into future area code splits-all that's required is to begin assigning the new number to new lines, when an additional area code is needed.
Why did the PSC not choose a traditional area code geographical split for Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties as they did in Brevard County?
A geographical split in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties would have meant only a year or two of relief before yet another new area code is required, and it would still have forced large numbers of customers in those counties to dial 10 digits for local calls.
In cases where a geographical split occurs within a local calling area, ten-digit dialing is required to make the local calls between the two area codes.
How many years of relief will an overlay plan give Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties, and how many years of relief will the geographical split give Brevard County?
It is difficult to accurately estimate now many years of relief the overlay plan will give the area. However, an overlay plan certainly provides more relief years than a split plan. Geographical area code splits no longer provide many years' worth of relief as they historically did before the technology explosion and its accompanying insatiable appetite for new telephone numbers.
What is the advantage of a geographical area code split for Brevard County?
The main advantage of a geographical area code split for Brevard County residents is that it will preserve 7-digit local dialing.
When will the new area code take effect?
A permissive dialing period for Phase One, ten-digit dialing within the 407 area code, will begin April 1, 1999. During that period, customers can use seven or ten digits. On Dec. 1, 1999, ten-digit dialing will be mandatory for Orange, Seminole, Osceola and parts of Volusia and Lake counties. That means customers who use seven digits for a local call will hear a recording instructing them to hang up and dial ten digits. The new 321 area code will not be assigned in Central Florida until after January 2000.
Permissive dialing for the new 321 area code in Brevard County begins Nov. 1, 1999. During that period, customers calling Brevard can use the old 407 code or the new 321code. On Oct. 1, 2000, use of the 321 area code will be mandatory in Brevard and customers who dial the 407 area code for Brevard numbers will receive a recording that instructs them to hang up and dial using 321as the area code instead.
The PSC-approved plan will mean parts of Deltona in west Volusia County may have three area codes-904, 407 and the new overlay code. What is being done to remedy that situation?
Deltona is in the unusual situation of being divided into two traditional geographic codes, 407 and 904. That situation already existed as deliberations began on the most recent area code relief plan. Because of the way area codes and exchange boundaries are determined by federal and state regulators, there is no simple solution. Sprint and BellSouth have worked with the local governments in the area and are in the process of submitting a proposed solution that would ultimately reduce the number of area codes in the Deltona area (possibly to only one). Additional details on that discussion, including public input, will be available soon.
How will customers be notified about the area code relief plan?
The major local telephone companies serving the affected areas - Sprint's Local Telecommunications Division, BellSouth and Vista-United Communications - will be working with the PSC to educate customers through advertising, news releases, bill inserts in customers' monthly bills, speakers bureau presentations, school programs and other methods.
What is Sprint doing to prepare for the area code overlay?
Sprint is reprogramming its network to prepare for the April 1, 1999, implementation date of the area code overlay.
Will I have to dial 10 digits when I page someone or use my wireless phone?
Yes, ten-digit dialing will be required for all calls in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and parts of Lake and Volusia counties. In addition, phone equipment, including home alarm systems, may have to be reprogrammed to allow pre-set or automatically-dialed listings to be dialed with 10 digits. Some business telephone equipment, including PBX and Key systems, also may require reprogramming.
What if I find out my business telephone equipment is not compatible with ten-digit dialing?
If your equipment is not compatible with ten-digit dialing, contact your equipment vendor.
Are there other areas of Florida that have an area code overlay?
Yes, in Dade County. The 786 area code was implemented as an overlay for the 305 area code in July of 1998. The part of the 305 area code in Monroe County that includes the Florida Keys kept the 305 area code with no overlay but with a number of three-digit local number prefixes reserved for future use, since the area is near population buildout.
When did the 407 area code take effect?
In April 1988, the 305 area code was split at the Broward/Palm Beach County line to create the 407 area code, which then included Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Brevard, Osceola, Orange and Seminole counties.
Didn't the 407 area code just split a few years ago?
Yes, the 561 area code was created with Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties in April 1997, when they were split from the 407 area code. Demand for new telephone numbers in the remaining 407 area code area consisting of Orange, Seminole, Osceola and Brevard counties is so great that a new area code is again needed.
What if I have other questions about this area code relief plan?
Please call your local Sprint business office.
|
