New area code being assigned
By Bob Diddlebock
Denver Post Business Writer
Oct. 2 - US West said Thursday that it has begun to set aside the new 720
area code for its own use, as well as for paging, wireless-telephone and
long-distance companies.
It may be a few months, however, before the new tag starts to turn up in the
fast-growing Denver metro market because U S West and some of its
competitors still have some 303 numbers left.
U S West is using the 720 area code, as well as the new 10-digitdialing
system, to address the growing volume of requests for new residential and
business telephone service in the Denver area.
On Thursday, U S West assigned the 720 tag to 24 batches of telephone
numbers, each starting with a different, three-digit prefix. Each prefix batch
includes 10,000 phone numbers. Among the recipients of the 720
designations, besides U S West and its U S West Wireless division:
Denver-based ICG Netcom, NextLink, Teleport Communications Group,
Sprint Wireless, Western Wireless, AT&T's local service division, Winstar
Communications Inc. and Nextel.
The 720 area code assignment was welcomed by Winstar, which has been
delivering wireless telephone services to businesses primarily in downtown
Denver, Cherry Creek and the South Colorado Boulevard corridor since
June.
"This is terrific news,'' said Randy Garlington, the vice president and general
manager of Winstar's local operation. "There are a lot of service areas we
haven't been able to get into because there aren't enough telephone
numbers.''
With the 720 area code, he said Winstar, based in the Denver Tech Center,
will be able to move into the lucrative DTC, Meridian and Inverness
business park areas, as well as into other sectors throughout the metro area.
Garlington said new Winstar customers will probably begin to get the
company's first 720 areacode numbers in about 60 days.
ICG, also in the Tech Center and another U S West competitor along the
Front Range, said it will begin to assign the 720 area code when it uses up
its 10,000-unit batch of 303 tags. That could be late this year or in early
1999.
ICG, which has been delivering local, long-distance and Internetbased
telephone service over a wired network from Fort Collins to Pueblo, is now
pushing state regulators to institute so-called "number portability.''
That would let U S West customers keep their telephone numbers if they
switch to another service provider, which ICG says would help competitors
challenge U S West.
Emily Harrison, a U S West spokeswoman, said the company's major
service centers in Aurora, Littleton and Boulder also have been given the
go-ahead to use the 720 area code. However, the telephone company
hasn't assigned a telephone number with the new 720 tag yet, and may not
for the time being, she added.
The reason: Some phone numbers with area code 303 remain available in U
S West's network.
Harrison also said U S West will continue to hold on to 303 telephone
numbers that customers may disconnect, and then reassign them. She added
that more batches of new 720 area-code phone numbers will be released
throughout October.
Despite some customer dread about the advent of 10-digit dialing, Harrison
said it has been "quiet'' on the complaint front from U S West's point of
view.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission reported no major problems
Thursday stemming from 10-digit dialing, which went into effect last month. |
