On 02-Apr-12 18:27, Nobody wrote:
It intrigues me as to why North America cannot go to area code +
eight-digit addressing. Theoretically, you're increasing the number
availability by ten but don't have to create a new area code.

Changing the length of our phone numbers has many repercussions and will
not be undertaken until there is no other option. Adding new area codes
here and there is seen as the less painful solution in the short term,
and politicians rarely consider anything beyond the next election.

However, technical planning for expanding our numbers from ten to eleven
or twelve digits has already been done, for use when all other options
have been exhausted.

Note that our current ten-digit scheme allows for nearly 6.4 billion
phone numbers, which would be plenty for the 400 million people living
within the NANP if they weren't assigned so inefficiently.

S

--
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