Telephone Area Code Revisions:

The phone companies are scrambling to add new area codes. Most of the problem stems from second, third and fourth lines for fax, the kids, a pager, et al. It seems to me that a simple system of adding a single digit to the telephone number could save a lot of the problems that the telephone companies are complaining about.

First of all, a single area code can handle almost 8 million numbers with the present seven digit numbers. That is 10 million numbers less 1 Meg each for numbers starting with 0 or 1, and then deducting unused prefixes such as 555 or 911.

Adding one digit to every phone number would increase the total, per area code, to 80 million. In order to start, every subscriber would get a 1 added to the basic number. Easy for everyone. You won't even need a phone book to know that 555-5555 is now 555-55551. Fix the definition of the next numbers. 2 for fax, 3 for modem, 4 for pager, 5 for answering machine, and 6 to 0 open for other uses. If you want to fax John Doe at 555-5555 just dial 555-55552. No answer ? No fax machine ! Want to call the second voice line ? Try 6. Want to leave a voice mail without disturbing him or getting stuck talking to the bore? Try 5.

This scheme would never fill to the 80 million hypothetical lines because few would ever need the 10 lines, but I suspect it will soon exceed the 16 million achieved by expanding to a second area code. It would provide the average user with a convenient system using a single seven digit number with standard extensions instead of 2, 3, or even 10 unrelated numbers.

11 Jan 97

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