San Diegans will have to start dialing an area code for local calls about this time next year because of changes approved by the California Public Utilities Commission, the agency announced Monday.
Instead of creating an entirely new area code, the commissioners decided to remove the boundaries between the 619 and 858 geographic areas, allowing them to be given out in the same region.
According to a CPUC staff report, the 619 area code is expected to use up its available prefixes by late next year, while 858 has a projected 30 years of numbers remaining. Combining the two should hold off the problem for 17 years, the report said.
The upshot is that customers can retain their current numbers.
The price is having to dial 1 plus the area code for all local calls. Callers can begin using the new procedure in October, while the dialing process is scheduled to become mandatory in April next year, according to the CPUC.
The 619 area code is used in southern portions of the city of San Diego – – roughly up to Linda Vista — plus Chula Vista and National City in the South Bay, East County cities like El Cajon and Santee, and in unincorporated areas. It was created in 1982.
The 858 area code, which went into use in 1999, extends north from the San Diego beach communities into La Jolla, Del Mar and Solana Beach, and inland to Rancho Santa Fe, Rancho Bernardo and Poway.
–City News Service
