10-digit dialing to become mandatory Saturday

Seven-digit dialing is about to become a thing of the past in the Lowcountry.

This Saturday, callers will be required to dial all 10 digits as the rollout of a new area code overlay continues along the South Carolina coast, said Hargray digital marketing and public relations manager Karen Cline.

Cell phone users already dial 10 digits to make calls, but those with landlines and other equipment, such as fax machines, were able to make calls without using the 843 area code. Beginning Saturday, 10-digit dialing will become mandatory, Cline said. Calls won't be completed if they do not meet the 10-digit requirement, she said.

There will be no change to current 843 area code numbers, she said.

Phone numbers under a new area code, 854, will be assigned to people signing up for new phone service as early as Oct. 19, Cline said. The new area code, in a region covering the South Carolina coast from Hilton Head Island to Myrtle Beach, is necessary as the available stock of number combinations under the 843 area code nears exhaustion thanks to population growth and the proliferation of cell phones. The 843 area code region is the first of the three in the state to be overlaid with a second area code.

The new area code won't affect billing for local calls, and informational or emergency numbers like 411 and 911 will still work normally, Cline said.

Cline said locals should check any equipment that may have been programmed with a seven-digit phone number to update it with the requisite area code. That may include updating seven-digit phone numbers in contact lists, medical monitoring systems, security systems, or automatic dialing equipment on fax machines and voicemail services.

She also said business owners should update advertising materials, websites, and other stationery to include a full 10-digit phone number.

Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

Related content:

• South Carolina's next area code will be 854, Dec. 18, 2013

This story was originally published September 14, 2015 at 2:58 PM with the headline "10-digit dialing to become mandatory Saturday."