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New Area Code Overlay

On July 11, 2007, the Utah Public Service Commission issued an order approving the deployment of a new area code for use in the area presently served by the 801 area code. The new area code, 385, will provide additional telephone numbers that are necessary to support the growth in Utah residents, telecommunications service providers, available telecommunications products, and additional lines. The new 385 area code will cover the same geographic area as the existing 801 area code. In general, the introduction of the 385 area code will affect residents in the following counties: Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Weber, and Utah. The following questions and answers will help clarify the impact of deploying the new 385 area code:

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When will the new 385 area code become effective?
As early as March 29, 2009, new telephone numbers will be assigned with the new 385 area code.

What will change as a result of the new area code? Specifically, how will telephone dialing change?
The way customers dial a local call will change; customers will be required to dial 10 digits for all local calls, whether the telephone number they utilize is in the 801 area code or the new 385 area code. Specifically:

• For a local call within the same or different area code, customers must dial 10 digits (Area code + xxx-xxxx)
• For a toll call to all area codes, customers must dial 1+10-digits (1 + Area Code + xxx-xxxx)
• For Operator Services Credit Card, Collect, or a Third Party call to all area codes, customers must dial 0+10-digits (0 + Area Code + xxx-xxxx)

So, when will customers be required to use this new dialing arrangement?

• Permissive 10-digit dialing begins June 1, 2008 and ends March 1, 2009. During permissive dialing, calls can be dialed with either 7 or 10 digits.
• Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins March 1, 2009. After this date, calls dialed with 7 digits will not go through. The caller will get a recorded announcement instructing them to hang up and dial their call with 10 digits.

What will not change as a result of the new area code?

• Customers with existing 801 area code telephone numbers will have no change to their area code or telephone number.
• Local calling areas will remain the same; the price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change. In other words, if it is presently a local call, it will still be a local call without any toll charges.
• Customers can still dial just three digits to reach 911 and 411. If available, customers can still dial 211, 311, 511, 611, 711 and 811 with just three digits.

What should I do to ensure that my home telephone service continues to operate smoothly?
You may want to do some of the following things to make sure your calls will complete as dialed:

• If necessary, reprogram equipment such as automatic-dialers, fax machines, and computer modems before mandatory dialing begins.
• Be sure everyone in your household is aware that 10-digit dialing for all local calls will be required.

What should I do ensure that my business telephone service continues to operate smoothly?

• All businesses in Utah should verify that their telephone equipment is capable of completing calls to the new 385 area code. Some telephone equipment used by businesses will not recognize the new area code until their equipment has been reprogrammed or upgraded.
• Businesses may need to reprogram or upgrade their equipment if they use specialized communications equipment such as a PBX, electronic telephone sets, auto-dial systems, or multi-line key systems.

What other communication services might be affected?

• Calling features such as Speed Dialing and Call Forwarding may need to be updated to use the full 801 or 385 area code 10-digit telephone number for local calls.
• In addition to any changes in your dialing procedures, services that operate with automatic dialing equipment may require changes or reprogramming. Some examples are life safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems, security gates, speed-dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail, and other similar services.
• Cell phone users should make certain that telephone numbers programmed within their cell phone directories include the 10-digit number (which includes the 801 and 385 area codes).

Who is responsible for any costs that might be incurred?
Because the area code change is the result of normal growth in the state of Utah, any costs incurred for updating customer owned systems and revising printed materials will be the responsibility of the individual telephone customer. Given the long lead time of the 385 area code deployment, the impact should be minimal.

Who should I contact if I have any other questions?
If customers have any further questions, they should contact the Utah Division of Public Utilities at (800) 874-0904.

To enable verification that equipment can complete calls to the new area code, • a special test number became available on December 1, 2008. This test number, 385-600-1234 which is located in Provo, will remain active through June 1, 2009. When making a test call that is long distance, dial 1-385-600-1234. Long distance charges DO NOT apply when calling this special test number.