After 15 long years of delays, the long-awaited 447 area code is finally ready to overlay the long-standing 217 code.
On Feb. 27, any person making a local call in central Illinois must dial all 10 digits of their number, in preparation for phone numbers that will include the 447 code. Those numbers will begin to be distributed on March 27. After that date, people who buy new cell phone or voice over internet protocol (VOIP) packages may have a new number with a new area code.
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New area code approved years ago
The Illinois Commerce Commission approved the new area code back in 2006, but years of number pooling — in which telephone carriers share pieces of a number prefix — have allowed the 217 area code to carry on alone for a decade and a half. Without that pooling, the 447 code could have arrived in central Illinois by at least 2007.
“The reason it’s taken so long is (that) the (number) prefix can now be cut up into 10 individual pieces at 10 individual carriers,” said George Light, an engineering analyst at the ICC. “That technology (number pooling) was just rolling out in 2006. That helped to conserve the resources much longer than was originally anticipated.”
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What changes when it’s rolled out?
However, the number of prefixes is beginning to reach the point where an overlay is needed. For those who still have a 217 area code, there’s no change. They will still have their phone number, with their area code, once March 27 rolls around.
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But for those who need a new phone or new phone service, may be assigned the new area code. Light says that it will be a trickle-down effect where only a small percentage of people will have the new area code for a time before it becomes prominent within the region.
“For a very long period of time, 99.9 percent of the numbers will be 217,” Light said. “Generally, it will be cellular providers (who have the new number first) because they have larger volumes of people coming in, signing up, switching over, getting new phones. Usually, when you see the new area code, it’s typically a cellular provider.
“It’s going to be gradual. You won’t wake up one morning and see 447 billboards and signs all over the place. It’ll happen very slowly.”
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The question of whether or not the 447 area code is able to gain traction in a town used to 217 will be a function of demand for the brand new numbers. Springfield is likely to see the new number quicker, as it is a larger area with more people and will likely have more requests for the new numbers.
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“Eventually, they’ll trickle out into the mainstream everywhere,” Light said.
For the time being, Light and the ICC are making people aware of the changes through press releases and media availabilities. The carriers are also involved in this through billing notifications and social media engagements telling customers about the new changes.
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Do I need to update my contacts?
Light noted that the ICC, the carriers and the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) have been working together in order to make the changes as smooth as possible.
“It’s a cooperative effort,” Light said. “We make sure that all of the behind the scenes work is getting done. Part of that is the public outreach to make people aware.”
To help people get ready to dial all 10 digits, Light said that people who have contacts in their phones should take the time to put area codes — whatever they are — into the phones so that they aren’t rejected when Feb. 27 rolls around.
“If they have cellphone contacts or speed dialing or one-touch dialing, they need to go in sometime in the next couple of weeks and change that to put in the 217,” Light said. “If your contact only has seven digits and you hit the dial number, it’s not going to go through.”
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