COLUMBUS, Ohio – Folks in parts of central and southeast Ohio will have to get used to dialing more digits when they make phone calls now that regulators have approved a plan to use a new area code in parts of the state covered by the 740 area code.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved a plan Wednesday to let current 740 customers keep that area code on existing phone lines but assigns the new 220 area code for new numbers.
The North American Numbering Plan Administrator projects the 740 area will run out of available phone numbers in March of 2015. Starting then, customers in the affected regions will have to use 10-digit dialing, including area codes, for local calls starting in March 2015.
The chairman of the utilities commission says the plan to use two area codes in the same region was fairer and less disruptive than splitting the region geographically into two parts with different area codes.
During a six-month grace period, starting on Sept. 20, 2014, subscribers will be able to complete local calls by dialing either 10 or seven digits. After that, callers will have to dial their own area code plus the seven-digit telephone number for all local calls.