[November 20, 2009]

Study: 918 area code to be full in '12: The state will then have to either split the code's zone or assign a new code to new numbers. [Tulsa World, Okla.]

(Tulsa World (OK) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 20--A study by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission of the projected shortage of telephone numbers in the 918 area code has concluded that all available numbers would be in use by the second quarter of 2012.

The commission's staff found that studies by the North American Numbering Plan Administration are "complete and proper" and that no number conservation measures by telecommunications companies will significantly extend the projected "number exhaust" date.

NANPA estimated in October 2007 that the 918 area code would run out of numbers in the first quarter of 2011. It revised the estimate in October to project the exhaust date to the second quarter of 2012.

The OCC report says: "Staff concludes that NANPA has performed a complete and accurate forecast for number exhaust within the 918 area code. Additional conservation measures such as mandatory pooling and rate center consolidation may extend the life of the 918 area code, but staff concludes such measures will not significantly extend the life of the 918 area code." NANPA is a division of Neustar, a private company hired by the Federal Communications Commission to manage the telecommunications numbering system.

After examining the NANPA studies and the issues surrounding the short supply of 918 numbers, an administrative law judge recommended to the commission in July that an area code overlay would be the preferred remedy.

An area code overlay, which would be put into effect over 15 months, would let residents and businesses with telephone or telecommunications services in the 918 area code keep their numbers. New customers within the 918 area code boundaries would receive a new area code, however.

Although local calling boundaries would remain the same, an area code overlay would require 10-digit dialing for all local calls.

The commission has not decided whether to approve an area code overlay or adopt an area code split, which would divide the zone into a 918 section and another section with a new area code.

Commissioners requested the staff study after representatives of more than two dozen rural telecommunications companies questioned the accuracy of NANPA's projected exhaust date.

The companies said there might be available telephone numbers held by certain companies and conservation measures that could be adopted to extend the projected exhaust date.

Ron Comingdeer, an Oklahoma City lawyer representing Bixby Telephone Co., Cherokee Telephone Co. and 13 other telecommunications providers, said he and his clients were analyzing the commission's report.

"We didn't challenge NANPA's analysis as correct," Comingdeer said. "We thought it didn't go far enough, that other conservation measures could delay implementation of a split or overlay. We would hope we could find measures that would remove the need to take any action." Telecommunications service providers request prefixes -- the three-digit number between the area code and the four-digit line number -- from NANPA. It assigns new prefixes, monitors the usage of prefixes within an area code and forecasts when an area code will most likely exhaust its numbers and when a new area code will be required.

An area code has 792 available prefixes, each of which contains 10,000 numbers.

D.R. Stewart 581-8451 don.stewart@tulsaworld.com To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, Tulsa World, Okla.

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