Why do you have to dial the area code if you are calling from the same area code

[MarvKirsch]

I am considering switching over to Verizon Digital Voice, I already have Verizon phone service as part of my quad package.  I understand that there are some more features, as well as a reduction of a certain tax resulting in apporx $8 savings per month.  The only drawback, as far as my wife is concerned, is that we would be required to dial the area code even if we are calling next door.  I am curious as to why that is.  I live on Long Island, New York.  Any insight would be helpful.  I have used the speed dial argument, but I am getting resitance.  Thanks in advance.  Marv

[GaryDoug]

Beat the dead horse huh. All 3 of my different phones work this way by design: Dial a number then press talk. The pressing of the talk button indicates that the dialer is done. This really isn't rocket science.

[tns]

---

@GaryDoug wrote:

Beat the dead horse huh. All 3 of my different phones work this way by design: Dial a number then press talk. The pressing of the talk button indicates that the dialer is done. This really isn't rocket science.

---

And there are smoe phones that automatically add the local area code in such cases.  Still doesn't help in the case of dialing after connecting to the phone system.  The phone doesn't send an indicator of the last digit dialed.

Many would have liked it if Verizon's FIOS Digital Voice had chosen to recognize your local exchange, and required you to dial 11 digits for long distan e, but they didn't.

[bluayez1]

With all of the options that Verizon provides to modify your service, it would be simple enough to allow you to select your "home" area code and use that if only 7 digits entered.   I swear at the phone everytime I try to dial my neighbors.  We don't actually use our home phone often, and I don't NEED to enter the area code on my cell phone as long as I'm in my home area.  This is a MAJOR PITA!  That Verizon could easily provide a solution for.  It's most likely why we'll either get rid of Verizon and go back to COX.... or just get rid of the home phone.

[Calruby]

I just had to throw in my 2 cents.  It's very UNTRUE that everyone has to dial 1 and their own area code when making a call.  I'm in Northern CA and have AT&T for our phone company.  We have never had to dial 1 or our own area code to make a local call...EVER!  We don't have to dial anything but the 7 digit phone number as long as it's in our own area code.  We are charged a local toll charge if the number we're calling is out of town.  But we still do NOT have to dial anything but their 7 digit number.  When dialing out of our area code, then and only then, do we have to dial 1 and their area code and the 7 digit telephone number.  I'm really sorry to hear that some people in other areas and states have to go through all that dialing just to call their next door neighbor.  It's a real pain.  I just recently had someone tell me that they had to start dialing all that when calling next door.  I would have never believed them if I hadn't come here and read your posts. 

[Justin46]

---

@Calruby wrote:

I just had to throw in my 2 cents.  It's very UNTRUE that everyone has to dial 1 and their own area code when making a call.  I'm in Northern CA and have AT&T for our phone company.  We have never had to dial 1 or our own area code to make a local call...EVER!  We don't have to dial anything but the 7 digit phone number as long as it's in our own area code.  We are charged a local toll charge if the number we're calling is out of town.  But we still do NOT have to dial anything but their 7 digit number.  When dialing out of our area code, then and only then, do we have to dial 1 and their area code and the 7 digit telephone number.  I'm really sorry to hear that some people in other areas and states have to go through all that dialing just to call their next door neighbor.  It's a real pain.  I just recently had someone tell me that they had to start dialing all that when calling next door.  I would have never believed them if I hadn't come here and read your posts. 

---

You must be in a VERY rural area. Here in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, we transitioned to  mandatory 10 digit dialing 15 or 20 years or more ago - everybody, Verizon, AT&T, whoever. This is because we have "overlay area codes", where my next door neighbor may have a different area code from mine, and the one on the other size of my neighbor may be the same as mine, so the decision was made that everybody would do it. I don't know for sure how many "local" area codes we have now, but I think there are two or three in the Ft. Worth area and three or four in the Dallas area. For a few weeks there were a lot of complaints, then people got used to it, and now, so what?

And no, we don't have to dial "1" unless it really is long distance, just the 10 digits. And why in the world is 10 digits a big deal anyway? Don't you have every number you normally call programmed into the phone? It is a rare day that I actually have to push the number buttons to make a call any more....

__________________________________
Justin
FiOS TV, Internet, and phone user
QIP7232
Keller, TX 76248

[john19831]

I 've worked in Atlanta, Charleston SC, Charlotte NC and Miami, and DC, for over 25  years and we have never had to dial a ten digit phone number unless it  was long distance.

[john19831]

..oops, forgot.. when I was working my crew out of DallasTX (2000-2009) we didn't have dial ten digits there either.

[Calruby]

Thanks, John...that's what I meant when I wrote my post...not everyone has to dial the entire 10 digit number to make a local call.  And for the record...Sacramento is NOT rural!  That dude from TX has probably never been here...which is fine...but no way are we considered rural!  And so far, no one here, or in any part of Northern CA, has ever had to dial anything but the 7 digit local number to make a local call.  I fully understand that with the over whelming amount of numbers needed for cell phones as well as land lines, new area codes and prefixes have to be added.  And that can mean that somewhere someone might have to call long distance to reach the house right next door.  It happens.  But it does not include EVERYONE!!!  And so far...no one HERE has to dial long distance for a local call.  I don't like it when anyone says "everyone" when it just is NOT true!!!

[Poorfellow]

---

@MarvKirsch wrote:

I am considering switching over to Verizon Digital Voice, I already have Verizon phone service as part of my quad package.  I understand that there are some more features, as well as a reduction of a certain tax resulting in apporx $8 savings per month.  The only drawback, as far as my wife is concerned, is that we would be required to dial the area code even if we are calling next door.  I am curious as to why that is.  I live on Long Island, New York.  Any insight would be helpful.  I have used the speed dial argument, but I am getting resitance.  Thanks in advance.  Marv

---

Ten digit calling is the dial plan in all of NYC.  Based on the number of legacy and overlay area codes, NYNEX/Bell Atlantic chose to stick with a consistent "always use the area code to dial within the LATA" plan.

I believe that most of the wire centers in the 516 area code are also subject to this 'all or nothing' solution, and the tandem switch (the aggregate switch for a large area) would need to receive the full number to determine within which overlay area code the recipient of the call's switch exists.

Keep in mind you live in the most densely-populated region of the US, so it makes sense to instill the expectation of using the area code to avoid mis-dialing.  A ton of exchanges are recycled across overlay area codes in the NY metropolitan area, leading to potential constant mis-dialing if the area code could be omitted -- this was the case in the 1980s when the 718 area code was introduced to extend the life of 212.

[GaryDoug]

A business associate of mine uses this telephone system for his office:

http://www.yeastar.com/Products/MyPBX.asp

From page 33 of the "MyPBX Standard User Manual" :
"·Prepend these digits before dialing: These digits will be prepended to the phone number before the call is placed. For example, if a trunk requires 10 digit dialing, but users are more comfortable with 7 digit dialing, this field could be used to prepend a 3 digit area code to all 7 digit phone numbers before calls are placed. When using analog trunks, a 'w' character may also be prepended to provide a slight delay before dialing "

This is the way Verizon should have done it. That way it would work for any phone.