
HAMPTON ROADS — Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021 marked the beginning of permissive 10-digit dialing for Virginians living in the 757 area code region. This was the first step of a relief plan that was approved by the State Corporation Commission (SCC) back in Feb. 2020.
The approved relief plan signaled the beginning of an effort to phase in a new 948 area code number to the region. The North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) assigned the new area code to the Hampton roads region. The newly assigned number, 948, will relieve the future exhaustion of phone numbers in Virginia’s 757 area code.
It is estimated that the available 757 numbers in the region will run out during the fourth quarter of 2021.
The 948 area code will not replace the 757 numbers that have become synonymous with locals in the region. Instead, the SCC approved an overlay within the relief plan. This means that the 948 area code will be added as an addition to the same geographic region already being served by the existing area code (757).
New telephone lines or services may be assigned numbers using the new 948 area as early as May 9, 2022. However, residents and businesses that already have phone numbers that use 757 will get to keep them. The SCC made clear that no one’s 757 phone number will change.
757 is the area code for the vast majority of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. This includes Williamsburg, Franklin, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and the eastern shore. The SCC recommends that locals begin to get in the habit of using all 10 digits because, at the start of April 9, 2022, all local calls made in the 757 area code will not be connected if seven digits are dialed.
Residents of these areas and business owners seeking more information about the relief plan can visit the official SCC webpage to learn more.