559 Area Code Begins Service On November 14

559 Area Code Begins Service On November 14;
New Area Code -- California's 23rd -- Splits off from 209

12:13 p.m. Nov 05, 1998 Eastern

SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 1998--The new 559 area code will begin serving customers in part of the existing 209 area code on November 14, 1998. The 209 area code currently serves parts of the San Joaquin Valley and Central California.

The introduction of the new 559 area code, which will become California's 23rd area code, is needed to meet the rapidly growing demand for additional telephone numbers in the 209 area code and across the state. Local telephone service competition is the main cause of the explosive demand for more phone numbers.

A six-month permissive dialing period begins November 14, 1998, with the introduction of the 559 area code. During this period, people calling from outside the area can dial either the old 209 or new 559 to reach customers in the 559 area code. Also, during this time, customers in the 209 and 559 area codes can call between the two area codes using seven-digit dialing. After the permissive dialing period, customers will have to use 1 + 10-digit dialing (1 + area code + seven- digit telephone number) to call between area codes.

The 559 area code is being created through a geographic split of the 209 area code approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in September 1997.

Details Of Area Code Split Are As Follows:

The boundaries for the area code split generally runs along the Madera County line where it borders on Mariposa and Merced counties. The northern region will retain the 209 area code and the southern region will be assigned to the new 559 area code.

The 209 area code will continue to serve existing customers in Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties, most of Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties and very small parts of Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Madera, Sacramento and Santa Clara counties. Some of the cities in the northern region include Lodi, Modesto, Merced, Sonora, Stockton and Turlock.

The new 559 area code will serve most of Fresno, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties, and very small portions of Inyo, Kern, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey and San Benito counties. Some of the cities in the southern region include Fresno, Hanford, Lindsay, Madera, Porterville and Visalia.

Mandatory Dialing Period

The mandatory dialing period begins on May 15, 1999. When mandatory dialing begins, callers must use the correct area code to complete their calls.

For three months after the beginning of mandatory dialing, callers who forget to use the new 559 area code will receive a recorded message reminding them that the area code has changed, and they will be required to redial using the proper area code. The recorded reminder ends August 21, 1999.

Price Of Calls Will Not Be Affected

The introduction of the 559 area code will not affect the price of telephone calls. Call distance and time determine the cost of a call. Therefore, what is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the area code change.

Things To Remember

The permissive dialing period is a great time for customers to get used to the new area code and make important changes. Some of those changes include:

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

Area code relief plans are collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group composed of more than 30 companies with input from local community leaders and the public. The California Public Utilities Commission makes final decisions on area code issues.