ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today announced that residential, business and wireless customers within the existing 631 area code in Suffolk County should be preparing for the introduction next year of the new 934 area code. 

To ensure a continuing supply of telephone numbers, the new 934 area code will be added to the 631 area code region which serves all the communities in Suffolk County, New York.    The new 934 area code will be “overlaid” or superimposed over the same geographical area as the 631 Area Code.  Beginning July 16, 2016, customers in the 631 area code region requesting new service, an additional line, or in some cases moving their service, may be assigned a number in the new 934 area code. The Commission ordered an Area Code Overlay for the area served by 631 in 2014.

As an intermediate step in the implementation of the new area code, the permissive dialing phase begins July 18, 2015, when customers should place a call within the 631 area code by dialing 10 digits (area code + 7 digits).  Calls to other area codes must still be dialed as 1+ ten digits.  The ability to place calls within 631 using 7 digits will end June 15, 2016.  Beginning June 18, 2016, all calls within 631/934 must be placed using the 10-digit telephone number (631 or 934 plus the 7-digit local telephone number).    

The most important facts that consumers and businesses need to know about the upcoming 934 area code overlay are:

§  Your telephone number, including current area code, will not change.

§  You will need to dial area code + telephone number for all calls within 631/934 (“10-digit dialing”). 

§  You will continue to dial 1+ area code + telephone number for all calls to other area codes.

§  What is a local call now will remain a local call. 

§  The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay.

§  You can still dial just three digits to reach 911.

§  If 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, 711 or 811 are currently available in your community, you will still dial these codes with just three digits.

Customers should identify their telephone number as a ten-digit number (area code + 7-digit telephone number), and include the area code when giving the number to their friends, family, business associates and business customers, etc.

Customers should ensure that all services, automatic dialing equipment, applications, software, or other types of equipment recognize the new 934 area code as a valid area code.  Some examples are life safety systems, fax machines, Internet dial-up numbers, alarm and security systems, gates, speed dialers, mobile phone contact lists, call forwarding settings, voicemail services, and similar functions. Be sure to check your business stationery, advertising materials, personal checks, and your personal or pet ID tags to ensure the area code is included in your telephone number.  Remember that all calls must be programmed using 10-digits and you need to add “1” for all calls to other area codes.

For more information, please visit either your service provider’s website or the New York Public Service Commission’s website at http://goo.gl/jvIOP4