Quad Cities, Illinois, will get a new 861 area code next month.
To ensure a continued supply of new phone numbers, the Illinois Commission of Commerce (ICC) has approved an area code overlay for the 309 area code area. This region serves Midwestern Illinois, including East Moline, Moline, and Rock Island.
The new 861 area code will serve the same geographical area that the existing 309 area code currently serves, and people with 309 numbers will not need to change, according to an ICC release Wednesday. is not.
The new 861 area code does not replace the current number but overlays the area with the 309 code.
Starting February 24, 2023, the new 861 area code overlay will not require changes to existing area codes or phone numbers. “We will continue to dial all local area codes and phone numbers within and between the 309 and new 861 area codes, as we do today,” the release said.
Beginning February 24, customers in 309 area code overlay areas may be assigned a new 861 area code number when they request new service or additional lines. According to the ICC, customers receiving the 861 area code will have to dial the area code and phone number for all local calls, as customers with phone numbers in the 309 area code do today. .
what do i need to do?
Overlay region customers must:
- Continue to dial 10 digits for all local calls, including calls within the same area code.
- Continue to identify your phone number with a 10-digit number and include the area code when giving the number to friends, family, business associates, customers, etc.
- Make sure all services, auto-dialing equipment, or other types of equipment recognize the new 861 area code as a valid area code and continue to store or program phone numbers as 10-digit numbers . Examples include phone numbers stored in your cell phone contact list, PBXs, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, speed dialers, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, medical alarm devices, safety alarm security systems and gates, Ankle monitors, etc. other similar equipment.
- Check items such as websites, personal and business stationery, printed checks, advertising materials, contact information, and personal or pet ID tags to make sure they contain your area code. please.
What remains the same?
- Your phone number, including your current area code, will not change.
- Call rates, coverage areas and other rates and services will not be changed by the overlay.
- Local calls remain local calls. Continue to dial 10 digits for local calls within and between overlay area codes and 1+10 digits for long distance calls.
- You can also dial just three digits to reach 911 and 988, and 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711, or 811.
309 since 1957
The new 861 area code has been in the works for some time, at least since 2021. The 309 area code was originally created in 1957 and covers Peoria, McLean, Rock Island, Tazewell, Knox, Henry, Woodford, Fulton and McDonagh counties.
According to the late 2021 ICC press release, using the overlay area code will not change the existing number.
“However, since the new area code feature within the same boundaries is the existing number, all calls must be completed by dialing the full 10-digit phone number (including the area code),” the ICC said. said.
Subscribers within the 309 area code can now complete local calls simply by dialing a seven-digit phone number. In July 2020, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order designating “988” as a new three-digit national suicide prevention hotline, effective in 2022.
For the 988 code to work properly, any area code that already uses “988” as a prefix must be converted to 10-digit dialing. This change eliminates 7-digit local dialing and eliminates the benefits of geographic splits and overlays.
As such, the only way to provide new phone numbers in areas that are expected to run out is to assign new overlay codes, the ICC said.
The 861 area code is assigned to new customers requesting local phone service, cellular service, paging service, and alarms. With the new 861 area code, customers in the current 309 area will keep their number.
According to the ICC, the introduction of new area codes will allow number managers to continue to provide prefixes and blocks to allocate to new and growing telecommunications service providers. Consumers who want additional phone lines can often continue to receive the 309 phone number even after the 861 area code goes live.
For more information, please visit the ICC area code website.
