Prodding begins for 10-digit dialing

Tag : Used Fax Machines


Albertans who forget to dial a three digit prefix when punching in local phone numbers today will hear an automated recording reminding them to add the extra numbers starting this fall. Today marks the first day Albertans will hear the reminder, an attempt to get people used to dialing 10-digit numbers before it becomes mandatory in early September. "We are running out of 403s and 708s and we have to add a new area code," said Telus Communications spokesman Shawn Hall.

Alberta's rapid population growth in the past few years has led to a decline in available numbers, and once the phone numbers have been used up, the 587 area code will be assigned to new customers.

Hall said they could have assigned a new area code to just a particular geographical region and forced people in the area to change their phone number, but said that can cause a lot of chaos. "Having a specific number can be big to a company's identity and it's a shame if they have to change that." Although it will take some getting used to, Hall said people adapt to it quickly -- if for no other reason than to avoid hearing the automated message again and again.

Until the change comes into effect Sept. 8, calls and faxes will still go through but people will hear the reminder first. According to Jeff Meerman, a spokesman for Bell Canada, some people might be caught off-guard but most businesses have prepared for the switch. The easiest way for individuals and households to prepare, he said, is to make sure cellphones, BlackBerrys, speed dial and fax machines are all programmed with the appropriate prefix.

It is especially important to remember to program fax machines or, come September, people will not receive faxes. Three-digit numbers, including 911 and 311, will be unaffected by the change. The issue was first addressed in 2004, when the CRTC identified that Alberta would begin running out of phone numbers as early as 2009.