10 digit dialing begins Saturday in 317 area code

INDIANAPOLIS - Starting Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, even local phone calls in central Indiana's 317 area code will require 10 digits. This means you will need to dial "317-555-5555" instead of "555-5555" to call your next-door neighbor or local pizza parlor.

If you try to make a local phone call by only punching in seven digits on or after Saturday, you will hear a recording asking you to retry the call with the "317" area code included.

The change to 10-digit dialing was needed so a new 463 area code could be added to Indianapolis and most of its suburbs. New 463 numbers will be added in a way that will allow all consumers with existing 317 phone numbers to keep them.

Starting next month, newly-assigned telephone numbers may include the new 463 area code. The "overlay" method has been common for new area code additions since 2008, including the 812/930 overlay implemented in southern Indiana last year.

The 317/463 overlay is being implemented to guarantee enough telephone numbers for the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Available 317 numbers would be exhausted by the end of this year if the new 463 area code weren't added, according to industry projections.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission approved the 317/463 overlay in 2015 after a nine-month study suggested the overlay method would be the least disruptive option to open up new numbers.