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| Bell Atlantic to Begin Issuing Telephone Numbers With New 646 Area Code in Manhattan |
New Area Code Joins 212 and 917 on July 1
NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning July 1, Bell Atlantic will
start issuing telephone numbers with the new 646 area code to Manhattan
customers who request new telephone service, add a phone line, or, in some
cases, move their service. The new code is needed to make more phone numbers
available in Manhattan.
Current Manhattan customers with the 212 and 917 area codes will keep
their same area code and telephone numbers. While some new Manhattan
residential and business customers will receive the new 646 area code, others
may be assigned a telephone number with the 212 or 917 area code, depending on
availability of numbers.
The New York State Public Service Commission ordered the new 646 area code
to be added to Manhattan's current 212 and 917 area codes in April of last
year.
Calls between New York City's 212, 646, 917 and 718 area codes will
continue to be billed as local calls. Calls to 911 emergency service and 411
directory assistance service remain as usual.
Customers with the 212 area code will continue to dial only seven digits
to reach another Manhattan customer within the 212 area code. Similarly,
calls from a customer with a 646 number to another customer with a 646 number
will be dialed with seven digits.
To call between any of the New York City area codes, customers will
continue to dial "1" plus the area code, plus the standard seven-digit number,
just as in calling another area code across the country.
"It's important for all customers to begin to think of their telephone
number as a 10-digit number when providing it to family and friends," said
John Rollo, Bell Atlantic executive director for Community Affairs. "The good
news is that no current customers have to change their telephone number when
this new area code is introduced."
This month, Bell Atlantic is beginning a customer education campaign to
familiarize callers with the new 646 area code. The campaign will include
notices in June phone bills; advertising; a 24-hour, toll-free information
line (800-322-3558); programs for community groups; community newsletters, and
more. Much of the communications will be multi-lingual and accessible by TTY
for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
In addition, the company's Web site, http://www.BellAtlantic.com/areacode,
has a full description of area code changes throughout Bell Atlantic's
Maine-to-Virginia service area.
Customers who use modems, fax machines, automatic dialers and other
telecommunications equipment will need to program any such equipment to reach
a customer in the new 646 area code.
The demand for new telephone numbers is exploding as people are
communicating more than ever using additional phone lines, cellular phones,
pagers, computer modems and fax machines. In addition, dozens of other
communications companies offer local phone service, and these competing
companies require phone numbers for their customers.
The 212 area code was introduced in 1945 and served all of New York City
for 40 years. The 718 area code was introduced in 1985 replacing the 212 area
code in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. In 1993, the Bronx also changed
from the 212 to the 718 area code. The 917 area code was introduced in all
five boroughs of New York City in 1992 and was used initially for phone
numbers for cellular and paging services. It now also is used for basic phone
service in Manhattan as well.
Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and
information industry. With 43 million telephone access lines and nine million
wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of
advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services
and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic
companies are also among the world's largest investors in
high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in
23 countries.
INTERNET USERS: Bell Atlantic news releases, executive speeches, news
media contacts and other useful information are available at Bell Atlantic's
News Center on the World Wide Web (http://www.ba.com). To receive news
releases by email, visit the News Center and register for personalized
automatic delivery of Bell Atlantic news releases.
SOURCE Bell Atlantic
back to topRelated links:
Company News On-Call:
800-758-5804, ext. 094251
CONTACT:
John Bonomo of Bell Atlantic, 212-395-7756,
or John.J.Bonomo@BellAtlantic.com
