Residents in area codes 708 and 219 soon will need to dial 10 digits

Residents living in telephone area codes 708 and 219 will soon join others across the nation in having to dial all 10 digits, even when placing calls locally.

The change, effective Oct. 24, is part of a Federal Communications Commission effort to free up 988 as a three-digit method to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, similar to how people dial 911 for police and fire emergencies or 311 for local government services.

The switch to 10-digit dialing requires people making calls from phones to the 708 or 219 area codes to dial the area code plus the seven-digit telephone number, even when calling from a number within those same area codes.

The 82 area codes in 35 states making the change have 988 as a local exchange, the first three digits of a seven-digit telephone number. That necessitated the shift requiring dialing the area code first, according to the FCC.

People in the 708 and 219 area codes have been able to use 10-digit dialing since April as they prepare for the transition but will be required to do so come Oct. 24. Phone numbers will not change, according to the FCC. In area code 708, users will be required to dial the number 1 before the area code and sevendigit phone number.

Some residents in those area codes complained on social media about the change, while others celebrated the ease of access it will provide for those who need assistance from the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Villages such as Tinley Park have made several posts over the course of the year to prepare residents for the change. Village Manager Pat Carr emphasized the shift does not affect how 911 is dialed.

“We do not expect any issues,” Carr said. “The only thing we will have to do is change any area codes in our file if we need to call any other agency or company.”

Oak Lawn Village Manager Tom Phelan noted their 911 center already supports 10-digit dialing. It is also ready for a new 464 area code that becomes effective Jan. 21 in a large area of southern Cook County.

“People will need to dial the 1 plus area code and the number to reach nonemergency numbers, just as they do today if they call a 312 area code from 773,” Phelan said.

Many other area codes across the country already use 10-digit dialing. Dialing just seven digits in any of those area codes will result in a notification that the call cannot be connected and must be redialed. The same thing will happen to 708 and 219 callers Oct. 24.

Orland Park police Chief Joseph Mitchell said the village’s system already requires the caller to use the area code plus the sevendigit number. The only change for Orland Park, he said, is for contact numbers to be updated to include the 708 area code, which was previously a default of the system. People calling the station for nonemergency issues will need to be cognizant of the change.

“We would anticipate many nonemergency callers to be initially frustrated until the learning curve is over, but this is exactly what everybody has experienced for a call outside of our local 708 area code,” Mitchell said.

“We are surprised that there has not been a flood of public service announcements regarding this matter prior to now,” he said.

Britney Bouie, director of communications at the Illinois Commerce Commission, said the office has not directly offered educational material regarding the federal changes and their impact. But she said telephone providers typically give information to their customers about such changes.

Companies that use PBX or VoIP phone systems may need to update or reprogram them for 10-digit dialing before seven-digit dialing is phased out this month, according to the FCC. The ICC also noted all automatic dialing equipment, life safety systems, fax machines, fire or burglar alarms, mobile contact lists, call forwarding and other equipment programmed to complete calls using only seven-digit numbers will need to be reprogrammed.

The price of calls will not change because of the dialing change.

The 988 number was established by the FCC in 2020 to be easy to remember and easy to dial for those who need to reach suicide prevention and mental health counselors. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline is not expected to switch over completely to 988 until July 16, 2021, the deadline when providers are required to direct all of those three-digit calls to the service.

The two-year transition is designed to allow time for network changes as well as Suicide Prevention Lifeline preparation for an expected increase in call volume. The Lifeline received 2.4 million calls in 2020.

Until the transition is complete, officials said anyone who needs help may continue to call 800273-8255 or join online chats at suicidepreven tionlifeline.org. Veterans and service members can reach the Veterans Crisis line by dialing that number and pressing 1 after dialing, chat online at veterans crisisline.net or text 838255.