New 669 Area Code Hits Silicon Valley Saturday

When the 669 is introduced, residents and businesses with a 408 number will keep the same number. Yet those requesting a new or additional number may be given a 669, depending on the availability of 408 numbers.

Area chamber of commerce organizations are recommending residents and businesses take the following steps to prepare for the addition of the 669 -- the 54th area code to be added to California in the past 10 years. 

• Notify alarm service providers.
• Reprogram equipment such as automatic dialers, speed dialers, call forwarding, and modems for computer or internet dial-up access.
• Make sure that security door and gate systems are programmed to begin dialing 1+area code+telephone number.
• Test telephone equipment to determine if it can dial and receive 1+area code+telephone number. 
• Update items such as checks, business cards and brochures to reflect the area code change.

An area code overlay adds a second area code to the same geographic region as an existing area code. Therefore, multiple area codes can co-exist within the same geographic region, according to the California Public Utilities Commission.

New telephone numbers with the 669 area code will be issued to customers requesting new telecommunication services going forward.

The 408 area code is predominantly in Santa Clara County, as well as neighboring cities and small unincorporated portions of Alameda and Santa Cruz counties. Cities in the 408 area code include San Jose (the state’s third largest city), as well as the cities of Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and a portion of Palo Alto.

Area codes were first introduced to California in 1947. The region now served by the 408 area code was originally part of the 415 area code, one of the first three area codes in the state, according to the CPUC.

In June 1959, the 408 area code was created by splitting the 415 area code to meet consumer demand for new telephone numbers. In 1997, San Benito County and most of Monterey County and Santa Cruz County were split from the 408 area code and assigned the 831 area code.

In response to demand for new numbers and facing exhaustion of available numbers, the CPUC had previously adopted an overlay for the 408 area code.  But on Dec. 16, 1999, it suspended the overlay plan while number conservation measures extended the life of the 408 area code, the CPUC said.

Despite these measures, the North American Numbering Plan Administration (NANPA) projects the 408 area code will run out of numbers (the first three digits after the area code) in the first quarter of 2013. 

NANPA holds overall responsibility for the neutral administration of telephone numbers in California, the CPUC said.

The proposal voted on by the CPUC can be seen by clicking here.

For more information on the 408 area code, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov/PUC/Telco/generalInfo/Area+Codes/408+Area+Code.htm

For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.

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