925 Area Code Begins Service March 14

in East Bay 925 Splits off From 510 Area Code



SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 3, 1998--The new 925 area  code will begin serving customers in the existing 510 area code east  of the Oakland Hills on March 14, 1998.

    The 925 area code is being created through a geographic split of   the 510 area code approved by the Public Utilities Commission in  February of 1997. The new 925 area code, which will become  California s 19th area code, is needed to meet the rapidly growing  demand for additional phone numbers in the
510 area code and across  the state.

    A six-month "get-acquainted" dialing period will begin March 14  with the introduction of the 925 area code.  During this period,   people calling from outside the area can dial either the old 510 or  new 925 to reach customers in the 925 area code.  Also, for six  months beginning March 14, customers in the
510 and 925 area codes  can call between the two area codes using seven-digit dialing.

    The "get-acquainted"  dialing period ends on September 12, 1998,  after which callers will need to use the correct area code to   complete their calls. For three months after that, callers who  forget to use the new 925 area code will receive a recorded message  reminding them that the area code has changed.

    The details of the area code split are as follows:

  • The 510 area code will continue to serve customers west of the Oakland Hills.  Some of
    the communities in this area include:  Hercules, Richmond, Albany, Berkeley,
    Oakland, Alameda, Hayward and  Fremont.

  • The new 925 area code will serve customers east of the Oakland Hills. Some of the communities in this area include: Martinez,  Pittsburg, Orinda, Lafeyette, Moraga, Concord, Walnut Creek,  Danville, San Ramon, Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, Sunol, Antioch  and Brentwood.

The new 925 area code is projected to accommodate the need for  new phone numbers for 13 to 16 years while the remaining 510 area  code is expected to last six years.

    Price of Calls Will Not Be Affected

    Doug Hescox, California-Nevada Code Administrator, said the introduction of the 925 will not affect the price of telephone calls. "What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the  area code change.  Call distance and time determine the cost of a  call, not whether or not you dial an area code,"  he said.  He also  said the area code s introduction will not affect customers  seven-digit phone numbers.  "Only the area code portion of their  phone number will change."

    Things to Remember

    Hescox said customers will have a six-month "get-acquainted"  dialing period during which both the 510 and new 925 area codes can  be used.  He said this period allows customers time to get used to  the new area code and for other important changes.  Some of those  changes are:           

  • Change stationery, business cards and advertising to reflect the new area code

  • Notify friends, relatives, business clients and customers of the new area code

  • Update fax machine group calling lists that have numbers affected by the change

  • Reprogram speed dialers, auto dialers, alarms and PBX (private phone systems) to reflect the change (contact your equipment vendor for assistance)

  • Reprogram outdial lists on personal computers that have numbers affected by the change

  • Check with wireless phone and paging service providers as well as Internet Service Providers to see if reprogramming is required

Make Sure Equipment Can Accommodate The New Area Code

    The new 925 area code is part of a series of new-style area codes introduced in North America beginning in 1995 that can be any three  digits from 220 to 999.  This has special implications for certain  types of telecommunications equipment, which must be reprogrammed to  recognize the new-style area codes, Hescox said.  "Historically, area codes always had either a 1 or 0 as the middle digit for  identification purposes, but by 1995 all of those codes had been  assigned.  However, certain types of
telecommunications equipment  were built to look for that middle digit of 1 or 0 to process the  call.

    "Because of this, it s important for customers to know that PBX   (private phone) systems, auto-dialers, alarms and other  telecommunications equipment may have to be re-programmed to  recognize these new-style area codes in order for calls to complete," said Hescox.  People should check with their vendors to see if their  equipment needs to be updated.

    Skyrocketing Demand for Phone Numbers in California

    The 510 area code is the latest in a series of regions in California requiring area code relief.

    "Californians are continuing to use telephone numbers at record   rates," Hescox said.  "Two primary factors driving demand are local  telephone service competition and the high-technology explosion.   With the onset of widespread competition in California s local  telephone market, each new provider requires its own supply of  telephone numbers."

    According to Hescox, the rising demand for fax machines, pagers,   cellular phones, modems for Internet access and other high-tech  equipment also increases the demand for phone numbers.

    Area code relief plans are collectively developed by a   telecommunications industry group representing more than 30  companies, including AT&T, AT&T Wireless, AirTouch, the California  Cable Television Association, GTE, MCI, Pacific Bell, Pagenet and  Sprint.

    California-Nevada Code Administration is an independent planning   group that coordinates area code relief planning and administers  numbering resources on behalf of the California telecommunications  industry.  Final decisions on area code issues are made by the  California Public Utilities Commission.

CONTACT:

California-Nevada Code Administration

Chris Kniestedt/Alison Costa,

916/441-7606