The availability of the (615) area code is nearly depleted, and new phone customers in DeKalb County and other parts of Middle Tennessee are expected to be assigned a new prefix beginning in the spring of 2015.
The Tennessee Regulatory Authority voted last week to approve a new (629) area code after the existing numbers have all been assigned. Customers who currently have (615) numbers will not be affected under the plan.
The TRA approved what is called an “overlay plan,” meaning that a new prefix area will not created. New customers in the (615) area will simply receive the (629) prefix.
The agency said the decision came after a two-month survey, which concluded that 83 percent of Middle Tennesseans favored an overlay to the splitting of the area into two regions.
While the change will apparently require 10-digit dialing for local calls in the (615) and the (629) area code, these calls will not be considered long distance.
“Many consumers are accustomed to dialing 10-digits to complete a call, and because of this, we believed the best course of action was to pursue the overlay option,” said TRA Chairman Jim Allison. “This will be the least disruptive of the two options and serve the Middle Tennessee area best in view of the growth the area is experiencing.”
The overlay will allow existing phone customers keep their current numbers. Phone companies reportedly have been given until July to prepare for the overlay.
The (615) area code has served 13 middle Tennessee counties since 1954.