Ten-digit phone calls soon a requirement

You may do it already when you make a phone call, but starting Oct. 24, calling all 10 digits, including the area code, will be required for dialing phone numbers in the 662 area code.  

The Federal Communications Commission recently announced the requirement in certain area codes, including 662, to accommodate a new three-digit 988 number next year when calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

The FCC says the change won’t affect your current phone number, it will remain the same. The only change is that regardless where you are located when the phone call is made, starting Oct. 24 you will need to always use the area code followed by the remaining seven digits of your phone numbers. Just calling the seven digits will not work.  

CLICK HERE for the list of area codes in the United States that are affected by the ten-digit dialing requirement.  

Ten-digit dialing has already been enabled in the 662 area code. You can start using it at any time and you may already have been doing it. On Oct. 24, it will become a requirement.  

Businesses that use a PBX or VoIP phone system will need to update or reprogram your system to accommodate ten-digit dialing. That reprogramming can be done at any time ahead of the Oct. 24 requirement and is suggested to be pre-tested beforehand because the FCC has already made it become available.  

The FCC established the 988 number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline last year and it will become available nationwide on July 16, 2022. 

You can read more about the switch to ten-digit calling on the FCC website. 

FCC requires 10-digit phone calls