Area Code 839

[ShepCock]

A new area code is coming to Columbia and the Midlands. How will it affect you?

Move over, 803, there’s going to be a new area code in town.

Beginning in May, new phone customers could begin receiving the new 839 area code depending on where they live. The 803 and 839 codes will cover the same central South Carolina area, which stretches roughly from Rock Hill to Allendale and Sumter to Aiken.

And on April 25, customers making local calls will have to dial all 10 digits of the phone number, even if the call is to a number with the same area code. That change will affect mostly home land lines, as most mobile phones and office phone systems already require 10 digits, said Doug Pratt, an engineer with the S.C. Public Service Commission.

The change will be effective for home land lines in April in preparation for the May 839 launch.

A “permissive” period for 10-digit dialing begins Oct. 26, when customers can dial either 7 or 10 digits.

“This is to get people used to dialing a 10-digit number,” Pratt said. “In April it will become mandatory.”

The area code will be the fifth in the state, with 864 covering the Upstate, 803 in the Midlands and 843 and 854 in the Lowcountry.

The 803 area code includes York, Lancaster, Chester Lexington, Richland, Fairfield and Kershaw counties. Beginning May 26, it will have the 839 area code added. Here are some effects, according to the PSC.

▪ Current telephone numbers, including the current area code, will not change. If a customer has an 803 area code, that area code will remain unchanged.

▪ The price of a call, coverage area or other rates and services will not change because of the new area code..

▪ Current local calls will remain a local call for billing purposes regardless of the number of digits dialed.

▪ 911 calls will remain unchanged.

▪ If services accessed by dialing 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 or 811 are currently available, they will remain unchanged.

▪ All services, automatic dialing equipment or other types of equipment that are currently programmed to dial a 7-digit number will need to be reprogrammed to match the new dialing procedures. Some examples are life safety systems, stored telephone numbers in contact lists in phones, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers and alarm and security systems.

 

[Spur's Addiction]

Probably a non issue for most these days with all the cell phones. 20 years ago this is a much bigger deal. I remember when all of S.C. was the 803 area code.

 

[carolina_corpsman]

all the gang members will need to get cover up tats. 

 

[Cockyandproud]

Probably a non issue for most these days with all the cell phones. 20 years ago this is a much bigger deal. I remember when all of S.C. was the 803 area code.

Yep, I remember 803 being for the whole stat, as well.

However, I did not know that we Had 854 in the Lowcountry.  I thought we still had three area codes.  

Cool, I’ve already learned my new thing for the day!

 

[TheYancey]

The last time this happened to us we managed to get a vanity area code.  My sleepy little rocket launching river town's AC is now 321.

 

[cocky0]

The last time this happened to us we managed to get a vanity area code.  My sleepy little rocket launching river town's AC is now 321.

Back when you were a kid, weren't all the phone numbers single digits?

 

[TheYancey]

Back when you were a kid, weren't all the phone numbers single digits?

3 digits.  At least ours was single use.  Most had party lines.

 

[Cockyandproud]

I remember party lines.  We had an old lady up the road who would eavesdrop on my mom's conversations.  The only way my mom found out was the old bag asked her a question about something, and the only person my mom had mentioned that to was my aunt.