Press Release

New Overlay Area Codes Assigned to New Jersey's 201, 973 and 732 Calling Areas

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 16, 2001) - The North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) announced today that three new area codes - 551, 356 and 848 - have been assigned to the areas currently served by the 201, 973 and 732 area codes, respectively in northern New Jersey.

The area code relief plan was recommended by a telecommunications industry group, which considered several alternatives for relief of the three area codes before reaching agreement on the overlay plan. The State of New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted the overlay relief plan in an Order issued last month. This area code relief is the first overlay plan approved for New Jersey.

In an overlay relief plan, an additional area code is added to the same geographic area currently served by the existing area code. All existing numbers will retain the current area code, but new telephone customers for local phone service, cellular and paging services, and alarms, may be assigned a telephone number in the new overlay area code.

In addition, the new overlay plan requires that all telephone calls originating in an overlay area must use 10-digit dialing (area code + seven digit phone number). This includes calls currently dialed with seven digits in either of the three existing area codes, calls within the same area code, and those made between the new overlay area codes.

To introduce the new overlay area codes, a "permissive" dialing period will begin on July 1, 2001, allowing customers calling within the 201, 973 and 732 area codes to dial either the seven or 10-digit telephone number. During the "permissive" dialing period, customers are encouraged to begin dialing 10 digits on all calls, to become accustomed to the new dialing plan in the existing 201, 973 and 732 calling areas.

Mandatory dialing begins on December 1, 2001. At this time, callers must use the new 10-digit dialing pattern to complete their calls within and between the 201, 973 and 732 area codes and the new 551, 356 and 848 area codes. Callers who do not use the new dialing pattern will receive a recorded message reminding them to dial 10 digits. They will also be required to hang up and redial the number.

Pamela Kenworthy, NANPA's area code relief planner for the eastern region, which includes New Jersey, said the introduction of the new area codes is needed due to an increase in competition in the local phone service market, the growing demand by the public for additional telephone numbers, and a technical requirement in the phone network that currently allocates phone numbers in blocks of 10,000.

Kenworthy said the addition of the new overlay area codes will not affect the cost of telephone calls. "The price of calls currently billed as local calls will remain the same regardless of the area code dialed," she noted.

When switching to or adding a new area code, Kenworthy said there are several items customers should remember including:

• Changing stationery, business cards and advertising to reflect the correct area code if not already shown
• Reprogramming alarm monitoring devices to accommodate 10-digit dialing (contact alarm service providers)
• Updating fax machine group calling lists to include 10-digit dialing
• Reprogramming speed dialers, auto dialers, alarms and PBX (private phone systems)
• Reprogramming out-dial lists on personal computers to include 10-digit dialing
• Updating or reprogramming private-dial entry access systems for 10-digit dialing.

Activation dates and customer education plans for the new area codes will be determined at a telecommunications industry meeting later this month.

The 908, 609 and 856 area codes in New Jersey will not be affected by the new overlay plan of the existing 201, 973 and 732 calling areas.

A telecommunications industry group, comprised of various industry segments, collectively develops area code relief plans for the state of New Jersey. Relief activities in New Jersey are administered by NeuStar, Inc., which was selected by the FCC to serve as the NANPA.

NANPA is the neutral, third party administrator that works with the telecommunications industry in developing area code relief plans. NANPA also oversees the assignment of area codes, three-digit central office codes, carrier identification codes, and other numbering resources throughout the United States, Canada, Bermuda and 16 Caribbean countries.

Visit NANPA online at www.nanpa.com and NeuStar at www.neustar.com

For media inquiries, please contact Bill Stern, spokesman for the North American Numbering Plan Administration, at 202-533-2648.