949 Area Code Begins Service April 18
Southern Portion of Orange County Splits Off From 714 Area Code


    SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 1998--The new 949 area   code will begin serving customers in the existing 714 area code in  the southern portion of Orange County on April 18, 1998.

    The 949 area code is being created through a geographic split of   the 714 area code approved by the Public Utilities Commission on  February 5, 1997. The new 949 area code, which will become  California's 20th area code, is needed to meet the rapidly growing  demand for additional phone numbers in the 714 area code and across  the state.

    A six-month "get-acquainted" dialing period will begin April 18  with the introduction of the 949 area code.  During this period,   people calling from outside the area can dial either the old 714 or  new 949 to reach customers in the 949 area code.  Also, for six  months beginning April 18, customers in the 714 and 949 area codes  can call between the two area codes using seven-digit dialing.

    The "get-acquainted" dialing period ends on October 17, 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 949 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 714 area code will continue to serve customers in the   northern portion of Orange County.  Some of the communities that will remain entirely in the 714 area code include:      
     
    Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Orange, Placentia, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster and Yorba Linda. 
     
    The majority of customers in Santa Ana and Tustin will also keep the 714 area code.   In addition, the 714 area code will continue serving small portions of Brea, La Mirada, La Palma, Los Alamitos and  La Habra.
     

  • The new 949 area code will serve customers in the southern portion of Orange County.  Some of the communities that will be served entirely by the 949 area code include:
     
    Aliso Viejo, Balboa, Capistrano Valley, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana Heights.  Most customers in Irvine will also receive the new 949 area code.
     

  • Several communities located along the new 714-949 split line border will be served by both area codes - part of the community will be remain 714 and part will receive the new 949 area code.  Some of the cities that will be served by both area codes include:
     
    Costa Mesa, Irvine, Santa Ana and Tustin.

    The new 949 area code is projected to accommodate the need for new phone numbers for 18 to 22 years while the remaining 714 area  code is expected to last four to five years.    
     

Price of Calls Will Not Be Affected

    "The introduction of the 949 area code will not affect the price of telephone calls,"  explained Doug Hescox, California-Nevada Code Administrator.  "What is a local call now will remain a local call.    Call distance and time determine the cost of a call, not whether or  not you dial an area code.  In addition, 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 714 and new 949 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 949 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 714 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, Century Communications, Comcast, Cox  PCS, Cox Telecommunications, GTE, ICG, LA Cellular, MCI, MFS  Communications, Mobilemedia Communications, Nationwide
Paging,  Pacific Bell, PageNet, Sprint, TCG, Time Warner and TSR Paging.

    California-Nevada Code Administration is an independent planning   group that administers numbering resources on behalf of the  California telecommunications industry.  Lockheed Martin serves as  the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) and oversees  area code relief planning. The California Public Utilities  Commission makes final decisions on area code issues.

CONTACT:

California-Nevada Code Administration

Chris Kniestedt/Alison Costa, 916/441-7606