TELEPHONE PREFIXES MOUNT UP

"Please call 986-5000."

"My number is 331-0000."

Long distance?

There are just some of Cape Girardeau's newest telephone prefixes.

The prefix 986 is designated for large businesses with phones systems containing more than 100 telephones. Another prefix, 331, is used for direct inward dialing or DID customers.

With the addition of these prefixes in Cape Girardeau, the city now has eight telephone prefixes.

If you toss in cellular telephone prefixes, and that list grows to 13.

Count 'em: Originating telephone prefix exchanges for the regular Southwestern Bell Telephone numbers include 331, 332, 334, 335, 339, 651, 290 and 986.

Ameritech Cellular has three originating prefixes for Cape Girardeau customers, 270, 934 and 979. Southwestern Bell Cellular has two -- 450 and 225.

The 331 prefix is the latest to show up on the Cape Girardeau scene.

"This is a special number for busineses which want inward calls only," said Jack Farmer, a spokesman for Southwestern Bell. "You can't call out."

The 986 prefix is also a special prefix, said James Wertz, a sales representative and spokesperson for SWB.

"This prefix is reserved for large companies only," said Wertz. "It's especially popular with banks."

The 986 service is available for any company who takes on a telephone system with more than 100 phones.

The 290 number, added in 1991, was the fifth prefix in Cape Girardeau, but was designed for Missouri state offices only.

With those additions, the regular residential prefix number list narrows to five which is about right, said Farmer.

"The reason you need a multi-prefix in an area is that you can only assign 10,000 numbers to a prefix," he said. "Some areas need only one prefix."

Prior to 1967 in Cape Girardeau, the Edgewater or ED4 and ED5 were the most familiar prefixes.

But Edgewater was phased out beginning Sept. 21, 1968. The ED4 or ED5 exchanged were changed to 334 or 335.

As the city's population increased, so did the need for more telephone number combinations. Also involved in the increase of prefixes has been the diversity of telephone products -- fax machines, pagers and cellular phones to second residential lines.

When the 332 prefix was added in January 1997, the residential total reached five listing.

But, telephone officials point out that not all the numbers can be used. Many telephone numbers are tied up in transition as residents move out of the area. A number is retired for one year when a resident moves.

Southwestern Bell used to make a big deal out of a new telephone prefix. Now it happens so often an area might get a new one without much of an announcement.

It's a very positive sign for any community that needs to add a three-digit exchange, say telephone spokesmen. The need for a new prefix is a sign of growth in a city.

Jackson is another Southeast Missouri city on the grow, and now has two prefixes -- 243 and 204. Sikeston received a second prefix in 1995.