DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Parts of Ohio are preparing for the addition of a new area code and mandated 10-digit dialing in early 2020.
Next March, area code 326 will be rolled out for new phone subscribers alongside the existing 937 area code in the Dayton area of southwest Ohio according to the Dayton Daily News.
"There are 7.92 million possible phone numbers in any given area code," Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) spokesman Matt Schilling said. "We are literally running out of phone numbers in that area code."
All current 937 area code subscribers will keep their numbers.
Starting Feb. 8, 2020, all local phone calls will require the use of all 10 digits: the area code and the 7-digit number. The 326 area code will take effect on March 8, 2020, but 937 numbers aren't expected to run out until 2021.
Frank Blackstone, a local resident and retired pharmacist, remembers when the 937 area code was split from 513 in 1986. He told the paper that people are now more adept with technology, and it shouldn't be much of an issue in the long run. "Potentially confusing, but we will endure," Blackstone said.
Leaders from area cities said they are making sure employees are prepared for the new 326 code and the shift to 10-digits and will take measures to work with residents and businesses as needed.
