By Carol Mowdy Bond
Contributing Writer
A new area code is coming to telephone customers in Canadian County.
But those who use the existing 405 area code will not see a change.
On October 23, Dist. 41 Rep. Denise Crosswhite-Hader, R-Yukon, released a statement saying that all or parts of Canadian County will receive a new area code. While people with phone numbers that use the area code 405 will continue to use that one, new telephone numbers in the county will receive 572 as the area code. But that won’t happen until next year.
“I wanted to give you a quick heads up about some changes in the 405 area code starting October 24. I hope it is helpful to you. Changes are coming for telephone customers in the 405 area code. Starting Saturday, October 24, local calls within the 405 area code can be made by either dialing the local 7-digit local number or by dialing the area code 405 plus the local number. This will continue for six months, after which all local calls within the 405 area will require 10-digit dialing (area code plus the local number,” Crosswhite-Hader said,
The schedule for local-call 10-digit dialing within the 405 area code, and the addition of the 572 area code, looks like this. But the plan could possibly be revised.
October 24,2020 – “Permissive” 10-digit dialing begins. “Customers are encouraged to begin using 10-digit dialing (405 plus the local number) to make calls. However, local calls will still be completed if the local 7-digit number is entered without the area code,” Crosswhite-Hader said.
April 24, 2021 – Mandatory 10-digit dialing begins. All local calls will require the area code plus the local number.
May 24, 2021 – The 572 area code will be added to all or parts of the area that had previously been served by only the 405 area code.
On January 8 of this year, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission voted unanimously to add the new 572 area code because next year the 405 area code will run out of available numbers. Phone numbers, that are currently included in the 405 area code, include all or parts of these counties: Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Hughes, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Noble, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne, Pottawatomie, Seminole, and Washita. The area includes Oklahoma City.
The North American Numbering Plan Administrator released information saying the 405 area code will run out of phone numbers by December 2021. By adding the new 572 area code through a plan called an overlay, this will allow for new telephone numbers without a change in the size of the local calling area. And people will be able to keep their 405 phone numbers.
Both the 405 and 572 area codes will be used for people making local calls in the area. If a person is making a local call, regardless of which area code the user needs to use, the local call will continue to be a local call at no additional charge.
Areas are running out of phone numbers for a variety of reasons. There are technological changes, some families have multiple phone lines, businesses need more services, and the population is growing.
Adding the 572 area code will be like the first overlay plan for Oklahoma, which occurred in 2011. The first plan impacted those living in areas with the 918 area code, which included Tulsa. The 918 area code ran out of new phone numbers. So, the 539 area code was added, and all local calling went to the 10-digit format.
Good thing these changes weren’t made 54 years ago. Otherwise, Wilson Pickett’s 1966 number 1 hit single “634-5789” might have been titled differently.
