Philadelphia, PA
- The Public Utility Commission (PUC) today urged residents and businesses to take steps to prepare themselves for the upcoming implementation of a new “overlay” area code for Southeastern Pennsylvania.
A new “445” area code is being placed into service because the remaining supply of numbers in the current 215/267 area codes is nearly exhausted. The area serves Philadelphia and portions of Bucks, Montgomery, Lehigh and Berks counties. The earliest date that any new 445 number can be placed into service is Saturday, March 3, 2018.
“First and foremost, consumers across the Philadelphia region should understand that the activation of this new area code will not change the way they dial calls or result in any changes to their service – ‘local calls’ under your current calling plan will remain local calls,” said PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown.
The PUC noted that callers across Southeastern Pennsylvania have been using 10-digit dialing for nearly 20 years – since the 267 overlay area code was established in conjunction with the 215 area code. For most residents and businesses, the biggest adjustment will be recognizing that calls to-and-from the ‘445’ area code are still local calls.
Current customers will keep their existing 215 or 267 phone numbers, but starting March 3, 2018, residents or businesses seeking new telephone lines may be assigned numbers in the 445 area code.
