Article 67427 of comp.dcom.telecom: Path: matra.meer.net!news1.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsswitch.lcs.mit.edu!telecom-digest.org!ptownson Date: Tue, 6 Jan 1998 08:06:16 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: New Minnesota Area Code Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: editor@telecom-digest.org Approved: [comp.dcom.telecom/5adb3861698a438f94a68884aa21a5cb] X-URL: http://telecom-digest.org/ X-Submissions-To: editor@telecom-digest.org X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@telecom-digest.org X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 18, Issue 1, Message 3 of 9 Lines: 48 Xref: matra.meer.net comp.dcom.telecom:67427 New Minnesota Area Code for St. Paul, Suburbs Takes Effect in July By Martin J. Moylan, Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Jan. 6--Here are three digitqs residents of the eastern metropolitan Twin Cities should memorize and pass along if they want to stay in touch with the rest of Minnesota and the world: 6-5-1. That's the new area code for St. Paul and other points east now assigned to the 612 area code. They're scheduled to start using 651 in July. Bellcore, a telecommunications organization that does research for the Baby Bells, announced the code assignment Monday. During a "grace period" from July 1998 to January 1999, calls between eastern and western metropolitan communities will go through with -or without -- callers dialing an area code. But starting in January 1999, those calls will require 10 digits -the appropriate area code plus a seven-digit telephone number. Ten-digit dialing will not incur toll charges. Calls that are toll-free now will remain toll-free after the area code split. Calls within each of the two metropolitan area codes will require only the usual seven digits. The dividing line between the 612 and 651 area codes runs north to south. St. Paul, Roseville, New Brighton, Arden Hills, Lino Lakes, Forest Lake, Mendota Heights, Eagan, Rosemount, Farmington and other points east get 651. Minneapolis, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Mounds View, Blaine, Bloomington, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville and other communities in the west keep 612, for now. Given the Twin Cities' voracious appetite for new numbers for cellular telephones, second lines, computer modems and other devices, the state Public Utilities Commission expects to consider the need for yet another area code in the summer of 1999. By 2001, the western half of the metropolitan area could need another area code, the PUC believes. That code would be 952.