AREA CODE OPTION TO END

It's 34 days and counting until area residents will be required to let their fingers walk to 573 instead of 314 to make long-distance telephone calls in Southeast Missouri.

More than 1.3 million Southwestern Bell customers will have to break an old habit to conform to the required use of the new 573 area code starting July 8.

"Three-one-four has been around Eastern Missouri a half century," said Thomas D. Pagano, a spokesman for Southwestern Bell. "But we don't anticipate any problems with the switchover."

Customers have had the option of using either of the code numbers since 573 was introduced in January.

The Missouri Public Service Commission actually ordered the new 573 area code in July 1995, but the official change came in January.

"We don't have a number count," said Pagano. "But based on dialing patterns throughout Eastern Missouri, it appears that the majority of users have adapted to the new code."

Southwestern Bell customers will receive one more reminder of the July 8 deadline. Informational inserts will be mailed to customers over the next month.

The 314 area code will be retained in the greater St. Louis area.

The North American Numbering Plan, which established an area code system for telephone calls, was created by Bell Communications Research Labs in 1946.

Until that time, callers gave an operator the name of town or area they were calling, along with the telephone number.

At that time, 100 area codes, including 314, were established.

"All area codes had either a 1 or zero as the middle digit," said Pogano. The combinations would provide up to 720 area codes, which officials felt would carry the system to the year 2000.

"They didn't miss the prediction by much," said Pogano. "A few changes in codes were needed two years ago."

Middle numbers in the codes now include 1 through 9.

The new 573 area runs from Hannibal south to the Bootheel and west to Lake Ozark. Towns using the new area code include Jefferson City, Columbia, Cape Girardeau, Hermann, Poplar Bluff and Rolla. Retaining the 314 code is a St. Louis area bordered by Troy to the north, De Soto to the south and Washington and St. Clair to the west.

Calls will be completed for 573 or 314 until July 8. At that time, if a person mistakenly uses the wrong area code, and for three months thereafter, a recording will advise the caller of the correct area code and ask them to dial again.

The six-month period was aimed at helping people get used to dialing the new area code and to give businesses time to adjust.

"Our customers in Eastern Missouri understand that the new area code was necessary," said Pogano.

The 314 area code, he said, was running out of numbers with the advent of fax machines, cellular phones, computer modems and pagers.

"The split in area codes will replenish the supply and ensure a sufficient supply of numbers for long time into the future," said Pagano.

Businesses have been making necessary modifications to letterheads, business cards, advertising and promotional materials and internal telecommunications systems over the past few months.

A number of printing shops have conducted specials for materials with the new area codes.

With the phase-in period, most companies have managed to fit in the code changes and are ready for the July 8 deadline.