615 Area Code

[FriendlyFlier]

Since 1954 - the greater Nashville area and middle Tennessee split from the usual 901 into its own 615 area code. In '97 we saw the split sending Clarksville, Tullahoma, etc. into the 931 area code. From what I've heard, 615 numbers were sent to be exhausted as of 2000 but measures were taken and in 2003 the government said there were at least 5 more years left as it was. That would be 2008 - which is now. Does anyone have any clue about a future change to the 615 area code?

caution: This info was taken from various sources but mainly Wikipedia.

[e-dub]

yeah, i was wondering this myself...

eric b

[monsoon]

Everything that you want to know about area codes including relief activity can be found here at http://www.nanpa.com.

[FriendlyFlier]

According to the January 2011 TN Regulatory Authority, the 615 area code will be exhausted in Q4 2013. The consensus was that an "all-services distributed overlay plan" would be the preferred method of relief.

"...the all-services distributed overlay, would superimpose a new NPA over

the same geographic area covered by the existing 615 NPA. All existing customers would retain

the 615 area code and would not have to change their telephone numbers. When the 615 NPA

exhausts, all CO code assignments will be made from the new overlay area code. Consistent

with FCC regulations, the relief plan would require 10-digit dialing for all calls within and

between the 615 NPA and the new NPA.12 The industry recommends that local calls within the

615 NPA and between the 615 NPA and other NPAs, including the new NPA, be dialed as 10-

digits, or permissively as 1+10 digits at each service provider’s discretion."

Long story short, 10-digit dialing will likely be required as of Q4 2013 and an additional area code will be assigned to overlay 615.

[smeagolsfree]

I didnt realize the 615 numbers would be exhausted so soon. I would have thought another 10 years or so. Seems to me Atlanta may have an overlay like that. does anyone know for sure?

[nashbill]

Charlotte area implemented that type of overlay before I moved here. Pittsburgh and the county it is in, on the other hand, was given the old area code and all of the other counties had to change to the new area code. My parents had the same telephone number for over 50 years and I had to learn a new area code to call them. Back before cell phones of course.