There was a time when seven-digit rotary dialling was sufficient to call the office, the dentist or any other important people. There was also the human voice of an operator who could make the connection for a long-distance call. But such simple procedures have long since passed. This is the age of the fax machine, pager, cell phone and Blackberry, and the procedure of dialling “1” followed by the area code, followed by the regular phone number to make a long distance call. But worse is to come, because local calls will soon require the area code as well. This is because Alberta will have a new area code, 587, effective Sept. 8, 2008. The new area code will be overlaid with the 780 and 403 area codes that are already in place for northern and southern Alberta. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced the change on June 14, 2007. Without the new area code, the province would run out of telephone numbers for the 403 and 780 area codes in 2009. There will be a transition period beginning June 23, called the “permissive” dialling period. Seven-digit dialling will still be allowed, but callers will be reminded to use 10-digit dialling the next time they make a call. For those who use only a regular telephone for their every-day needs, it just means adding on three extra digits, 780, so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. However, those who use cell phones and fax machines for speed dialling will have to reprogram for the new procedure. No doubt, there will be much profanity and cursing when the reprogramming takes place. But the reprogramming headaches won’t be limited to just cell phones and fax machines, as apartment building buzz codes, elevator phones and home alarm systems may also be affected. Companies such as Bell Canada Enterprises are already encouraging their customers to prepare for the 10-digit reprogramming procedure. Here’s something else to think about: business cards. Those who now use business cards without the area code should discard them and get new ones made with it. This will save a lot of aggravation with current and future customers and clients. Ten-digit local calling is not new, as Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver already use it. But in September 2008, British Columbia will become the first Canadian province to require 10-digit dialling for all local calls. North America has become caught up in an area code frenzy in the last decade, and Alberta is part of it. The 403 area code was the only one for Alberta prior to 1997, but the 780 area code was put in place for the northern half of the province in 1999. Another area code, 825, is being set aside for Alberta in the 2020s. But the area codes for North America are fast running out, and there are predictions that 11-, 12- or even 13-digit local calling will one day become the norm in some major cities. Must consumers be punished by such complications, simply to communicate with one another? Yet, there is no going back to the simpler telecommunication system of even twenty years ago. Multi-digit dialling and the high-tech communication devices are here to stay. It’s a case of coping with the increasing complexities and frustrations of those devices.

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