'260' and '574' Area Codes Required on Calls Beginning June 14

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Beginning June 14, callers must dial Indiana's new 260 and 574 area codes to call people in the northeast and north central parts of the state. The 219 area code will continue to serve northwest Indiana.

The 219 code formerly covered all of northern Indiana, but due to the need for additional phone numbers the new area codes were created last June. During a transitional period that began in January, callers have been able to complete calls to northeast and north central Indiana by using the new 260 and 574 area codes or the existing 219 code. However, beginning June 14, callers who forget to dial the new 260 or 574 area codes will hear a recording advising them to dial the call again using the new code.

Some cities changing to the 260 area code are Albion, Angola, Auburn, Berne, Bluffton, Columbia City, Corunna, Decatur, Fort Wayne, Garrett, Huntertown, Huntington, Kendallville, LaGrange, New Haven, Portland, Roanoke, Wabash and Wawaka. Some cities changing to the 574 code are Burket, Dunlap, Elkhart, Goshen, Leesburg, Logansport, Middlebury, Millwood, Osceola, Plymouth, Rochester, South Bend, Syracuse, Walkerton, Warsaw and Winamac. The 219 area code will continue to serve cities including Chesterton, Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, LaPorte, Lowell, Merrillville, Michigan City, Portage, Rensselaer and Valparaiso.

The new area codes have no effect on rates or local calling areas. However, callers will need to dial 10 digits -- the correct area code and seven-digit number -- for local calls made between area codes.

The demand for phone numbers is sparked in large measure by the growing number of telecommunications companies competing for local phone service. These companies require a large supply of numbers to serve their customers. In addition, thousands of customers use fax machines, pagers, cellular phones, modems and other communications devices that need phone numbers.

Customers are encouraged to reprogram, as needed, their telephones, computers with dial-up Internet access, fax machines, speed dialing and call-forwarding services, and any other equipment that automatically dials telephone numbers. Customers should also check with their security or alarm companies and other suppliers of their business phone equipment to ensure their systems are programmed to handle the new dialing patterns.

For more information on this and other area code changes, visit www.verizon.com/areacodes or call Verizon at 1-800-483-3000.

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with 133.8 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.6 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and nearly 248,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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