Jim Phillips writes:

>I just received an
>opinion survey from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (who
>oversees the telephone services in Ohio, among other things) asking
>me my preference for the introduction of new telephone area codes.
>...
>Geographical Split
>is where an area code defines an exclusive geographical area.
>... This allows local calling (within the same
>area code) to be done with only seven digits.

This is an illusory benefit, for two reasons. First, the geographic split
isn't likely to be very logical because what actually matters are the
geographic locations of the central offices, not the subscribers.
Therefore, calling a telephone that's across the street may require a
10-digit number because it's connected to a CO that's in a different
geographic area.

Second, as geographic areas get smaller and smaller, you dial have to
dial 10 digits for more and more numbers anyway. If you run automatic
dialing equipment, you may as well program it now to dial the area code
all the time because if you don't, you'll have to revisit the issue on
the next split, and the next. (Either system allows dialing a 10-digit
number even within the same area code.)

>Overlay on the other hand ignores geographical boundaries so you
>could end up with two phone lines in the same house or business
>that have different area codes.  This means that local calls
>would have to use the full 10-digit telephone number (including
>the area code).

We'll eventually get here for all practical purposes anyway. Overlay
means that phone numbers won't change as more area codes are added. No
reprogramming, no reprinting of stationery, no updating your little black
book. You'll have to dial three extra digits most of the time, but you'll
eventually have to do that anyway. In the three-way geographic split now
going on here in Phoenix, it's estimated that 70% of phone calls will
require 10-digit dialing.

>Also, I deduce that Geographical Split has been the "traditional"
>way of doing things, at least here in the USA.

This made sense when the change involved splitting a whole state in half,
or splitting two geographically-separate cities. Now that we're down to
carving cities up into neighborhoods, it makes a lot less sense.

-- Bruce


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