10-Digit Dialing Begins June 1: What Employees Need to Know

Beginning June 1, calls to any phone number with a 512 area code must include the area code for the call to go through. Callers who do not include all 10 digits will hear a recording instructing them to hang up and dial again.

The 10-digit dialing is necessary to accommodate the population growth in the region. The state Public Utility Commission in July will begin assigning a 737 area code to new numbers throughout much of Central Texas.

Dialing ACC numbers internally will not change: Callers simply dial the last number of the prefix (in most cases “3”) and the four-digit extension. Employees will continue to dial “9” for an outside line. Emergency call (911) dialing will stay the same, as will calls for the community service numbers 211, 311, and 411.

In addition to remembering to include the area code when placing local external calls, employees need to update any devices that store phone numbers for automatic dialing, such as phones, fax machines, or security systems. Particular items to update:

  • Speed dial and auto-dial settings (must include all 10 digits)
  • Mobile phone contact lists
  • Call-forwarding settings
  • Voicemail greetings
  • Phone listings on websites or printed materials (add area code if it is not currently included)

New ACC numbers – including those for the Elgin and Hays campuses – will continue to have a 512 area code. Numbers for those campuses may have their own prefix, however, calls to those numbers from other ACC numbers can be made using five digits (the last number of the prefix, plus the four numbers of the extension, i.e., 3-xxxx). Calls to those numbers from outside the ACC network will require the area code.

If the college ever exceeds 10,000 phone numbers, the new numbers may require a different area code.

For any questions about new phone dialing requirements, contact Gary Weseman, director of ACCNET services.

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