COURT HOUSE – There is a new area code in South Jersey, 640. With the arrival of that area code, a change will be required in the way local telephone calls are placed in and out of Cape May County.
The 609 area code will remain, but as the demand for telephone numbers increased, a new area code, termed an “overlay,” was needed. The state Board of Public Utilities authorized the change in April 2017.
Starting Jan. 20, the “permissive dialing period” begins. Users are encouraged to get into the habit of using the new dialing procedure. That will mean when placing a call between telephones in the 609 and 640 area codes, the area code and seven-digit telephone number must be dialed.
Calls from those area codes to the 856 area code, some western parts of Cape May County, as well as Cumberland and Camden counties, will require dialing 1, then the area code and then the seven-digit numbers.
Similarly, callers in the 856 area code placing calls into the 609 and 640 area must use a 1 before the area code and seven-digit number.
Effective Aug. 18, callers from the 609 and 856 area codes must use the new dialing procedure. If the procedure is not followed, that call will not be placed. Callers will be instructed to hang up and redial using the area code.
Starting Sept. 17, new telephone lines of services in the 609 area code may be given numbers from the 640 area code.
What To Do:
Change dialing procedures now to get into the habit of dialing the new way.
All services, automatic dialing equipment, and other types of equipment that is programmed to dial a seven-digit number from a 609 area code will have to be reprogrammed to use the new dialing procedures as well as any equipment that is programmed to dial a seven-digit number from an 856 area code to a 609 area code number.
Calls between 856 area code numbers are unaffected by the change.
Examples
Some types of equipment that may need to be reprogrammed include medical monitoring devices, stored telephone numbers in contact lists on phones, PBXs, fax machines, voice mail services, etc.
Contact medical alert or security providers if uncertain about equipment needs to be reprogrammed for the new procedure.
What Won’t Change
Individual telephone numbers, including area code.
Cost of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay or dialing procedure.
Local calls will remain local calls regardless of the number of digits dialed.
Emergency calls to 911 will still be just three numbers as will 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 and 811.
