On August 25, 2005 the California Public Utilities Commission approved a request by a group of telecommunications carriers to replace the current back-up plan to split the 310 area code with an area code overlay, when the 310 area code ran out of numbers to assign to telecommunication companies. To accommodate the growing need for telephone numbers, the 424 area code will be added to the area served by 310.
- Who will be affected?
- What is an area code overlay?
- What will be the new dialing procedure?
- When will the change begin?
- What will you need to do?
- What will remain the same?
- Who may you contact with questions?
Who will be affected?
The new 424 area code will serve customers in the same geographic region as the current 310 area code, which includes the Westside and South Bay area of Los Angeles County and a small portion of Ventura County. This is known as an area code overlay.
What is an area code overlay?
An overlay is the addition of another area code (424) to the same geographic region as an existing area code (310). An overlay does not require customers to change their existing area code.
What will be the new dialing procedure?
To complete calls from a landline phone, the new dialing procedure requires callers to dial 1 + area code + telephone number. This means that all calls in the 310 area code that are currently dialed with seven digits will need to be dialed using 1+ area code + telephone number.
To complete calls from a cellular or mobile phone, callers may dial the area code + telephone number or 1 + area code and telephone number whenever placing a call from a phone number with the 310 or 424 area code.
When will the change begin?
Effective December 31, 2005, you should begin using the new dialing procedure whenever you place a call from the 310 area code. If you forget and use the old dialing procedure of dialing just seven digits, your call will still be completed.
Beginning July 26, 2006, you must use the new dialing procedure for all calls. After this date, if you do not use the new dialing procedure, your call will not be completed, and a recording will instruct you to hang up and dial again.
Beginning August 26, 2006, new telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers with the 424 area code.
What will you need to do?
In addition to changing your dialing procedure, all services, automatic dialing equipment, or other types of equipment that are programmed with a 7-digit number will need to be reprogrammed to use the new dialing procedure. Some examples are life safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems, gates, speed dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, and similar functions. You may also want to check your business stationery or advertising materials to ensure the area code is included.
What will remain the same?
- Your telephone number, including current area code, will not change.
- The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay.
- What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed.
- You can still dial just three digits to reach 911, as well as 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, and 711.
Who may you contact with questions?
If you have any questions regarding information provided in this notice, AT&T Business Customers please call the customer service number on your bill. If you are hearing or speech-impaired and use a TTY, please call 1-800- 833-3232. For questions about your AT&T residential service please call AT&T Customer Service at 1-800-288- 2747. You can also access the following website for more information: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/ .
