Overlay complex
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In
History
From the inception of the North American Numbering Plan in 1947 until 1992, the only method of introducing new area codes was the
With the proliferation of
Methodology
Most implementations of the overlay method have required ten-digit dialing, by including the area code, for all subscribers for all calling destinations, local or long-distance.[a]
Exceptions
Near numbering plan area boundaries, special situations arose at times when established communities extended on both sides of the boundary. To preserve local community integrity, identity, and convenience, a party could dial an office prefix for a local call with only seven-digits, but the destination was technically located in the adjacent number plan area. If a subscriber called a distant office prefix with the same area code, the call would require the dialing prefix 1 before the seven- or ten-digit number.
A similar practice was implemented on a large scale in the metropolitan area of
A similar method was employed in
Rapid growth
The rise in popularity of mobile devices has added to the pressure against split plans, as an area-code change affecting the exchange in which a cellphone is based not only forces customers to reprogram their phones but also requires the
Compromise
Most overlay plans introduced the inconvenience of mandatory
Popularity
Overlays were initially met with resistance, as they result in multiple area codes in the same geographic area, which requires ten-digit dialing. In many cases, such as
Telecommunications companies have increasingly favored overlays even in sparsely-populated rural areas in which ten-digit local numbers are unnecessary, as split plans force cellular providers to reprogram millions of client handsets. Customers also incur costs to publish new letterheads and to reprogram stored address book data on individual devices. Overlays have become more expedient as the proliferation of cell phones has accelerated area codes exhaustion. In most relief planning projects, overlays have become the sole option considered in the planning stage.[3]
This is especially practiced for area codes that have been pushed back to the brink of exhaustion after being recently split, as carriers want to minimize additional customer inconveniences. For example,
Overlay plans also favor
The first example of an area code overlaid on an entire U.S. jurisdiction was
The first instance of a statewide overlay was West Virginia's area code 304, in 2009. West Virginia had been served by 304 since the inception of the North American Numbering Plan, but it was obvious by 2007 that the state needed a new area code. At first, state officials voted to split off northern West Virginia with area code 681 and to leave southern West Virginia in 304. However, lobbying by the telecommunications industry led the state to reverse the decision and turn 681 into an overlay. Idaho followed that precedent in 2017 by overlaying area code 208 with 986.
The area codes for four of the five largest Canadian markets (
) were split in the 1990s. Overlays gained popularity in the Canadian telephone network in the early 2000s. The proliferation of cellphones, fax machines, pagers, and dial-up Internet connections, particularly in larger markets threatened central office code exhaustion in many areas.Particularly severe allocation problems manifested themselves at the turn of the century in
The successful implementation of 647 triggered the rapid adoption of overlays across Canada. By 2023, seven-digit dialing had been effectively eliminated nationwide in Canada (as well as in most of the United States), due to both overlays and other regulatory requirements. Overlays are now the preferred method of expansion in Canada, and no numbering plan areas have been split in the country since 1999.
Types
The
In a distributed overlay, or all-services overlay, an entire existing numbering plan area (NPA) gains another area code serving the entire area. As of 2022, all area code overlays are of this kind.
In a single concentrated overlay, only the high-growth portion of an existing area gains a second area code. This was previously implemented in several numbering plan areas, but all of them have since covered entire NPAs.
In a multiple concentrated overlay, the entire existing numbering plan area gains multiple additional area codes, each of which serves a different subsection of the original. This has not been implemented yet.
In a multiple-area distributed overlay, two or more numbering plan areas gain a single new area code covering the entire area, either concurrently or in phases. Examples include
A boundary-extension overlay is a type in which one or more neighboring numbering plan areas (with an overlay code or a primary area code) is expanded. Examples include
Service-specific overlays are not practiced in the NANP. Only one case, the first overlay area code in the NANPA, 917, was an example of this. It was established originally as an area code specifically for cellphones and pagers in New York City, but soon afterward, the FCC specified that area codes must not be service-specific, but it grandfathered this use for 917. Later, 917 became available for landline assignments in New York City.
Number pool management
The persistent unpopularity of new area code creation by splits or overlays has contributed to a change in the rules of number block allocation to conserve the pool of available telephone numbers. The change, which allowed for the assignment of smaller number blocks, is commonly known as telephone number pooling, and has slowed the need for new area codes. For example, the western half of Washington, including Seattle, narrowly avoided the need for an overlay in 2001. Area code 564, originally planned for introduction in October 2001, was delayed indefinitely in August 2001 after state regulators determined that the use of number pooling had resulted in more efficiency in the use of telephone numbers in western Washington. The 564 overlay complex was delayed until 2017.
Number pooling is not practiced in Canada. Every competing carrier is issued blocks of 10,000 numbers for every rate center in which it offers service, regardless of its actual subscriber count. Individual rate centers exist even in the smallest hamlets, and even tiny unincorporated villages receive multiple blocks of 10,000 numbers. Larger cities, particularly "megacities" that were created by amalgamations in the 1990s and early 2000s, have multiple rate centers, which were not combined for years, if at all. For example,
See also
Notes
- ^ The one notable exception was the introduction of +1-917- overlaying all of New York City; these initially kept seven-digit dial from one +1-212 point to another +1-212, leaving just the overlay numbers as ten digits. In most cases, there is no valid technical reason why a seven-digit local call could not have been sent to the original area code instead of being rejected with an error message; the decision by the FCC and the CRTC to disallow this is a political matter. The presumption is that no one would want the overlay numbers if they were ten digits with the original area code still supporting seven-digit local calling.
References
- ^ "NANPA : Numbering Resources - Central Office Codes". nationalnanpa.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ FCC. "Area Codes: Frequently Asked Questions". Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved June 22, 2006.
- ^ North American Numbering Plan Administrator (March 2022). "NANPA 2021 Annual Report" (PDF). Retrieved December 19, 2022.