North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, permissive dialing is the ability to make phone calls in an area subject to a newly introduced

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

by using both the new and preexisting dialing methods. When an area is given a new area code under a

split plan Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

, the area's previous area code would no longer be valid for calls in the area, so calls to numbers using the old area code will not work. To alleviate misdialing frustration, the local routing can be set up such that both the old and new area codes will work for the same telephone exchange. During this period, the local numbering authority must not reassign the area's existing exchanges to the remaining area of the old area code, nor vice versa. At the end of the permissive dialing period, the old area code is no longer valid for numbers in the affected area. Under an

overlay plan Overlay may refer to: Computers *Overlay network, a computer network which is built on top of another network *Hardware overlay, one type of video overlay that uses memory dedicated to the application *Another term for exec, replacing one process ...

, permissive dialing refers to the ability to continue to connect calls via

7-digit dialing Seven-digit dialing is a telephone dialing procedure customary in some territories of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for dialing telephone numbers in the same numbering plan area (NPA). NANP telephone numbers consist of ten digits, of wh ...

while also making 10-digit dialing valid. Again, the affected area must not introduce any new ambiguous telephone exchanges. At the end of the period, 10-digit dialing becomes mandatory.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite news , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yBAEAAAAMBAJ&dq=permissive+dialing&pg=PA6 , title=Area code changes cause some commotion , author1=David Rohde , author2=Joanie Wrexler , newspaper=

Network World International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...

, publisher=

IDG International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...

, location=

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

, USA , date=15 May 1995 , page=6 , accessdate=8 January 2013

External links

FCC Area Code Fact Sheet, 1995
Telephone numbers