Number: PL-556
Date:
January 8, 2021
Subject: Transition to 10-digit dialing (for 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline)
Related Previous Planning Letters:

544

This planning letter supersedes PL-544. The North Dakota 701 area code has been removed
from the list of NPAs transitioning to 10-digit dialing. The 988 central office code in the701 area code has been returned to NANPA.
Background
On July 16, 2020, the FCC adopted an Order (FCC 20-100) approving the designation of 988 as
the 3-digit abbreviated dialing code for the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis
hotline, requiring all telecommunications carriers, interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) providers, and one-way VoIP providers (covered providers) to make any networkchanges necessary to ensure that users can dial 988 to reach the existing National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 / 1-800-273 (TALK) by July 16, 2022.1 The Orderrequires covered providers to implement mandatory 10-digit dialing in NPAs that use both 7digit dialing and 988 as an NXX.
The Order requires the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA) to develop,based on input from covered providers, an implementation schedule that will allow all covered
providers to meet the transition deadline in an efficient manner that best accounts for thechallenges each covered provider faces. The NANPA shall promulgate a 10-digit dialingtransition plan that enables timely implementation within 30 days of release of the Order basedon its expertise and any input it receives from covered providers within that time.2
The transition timeline, as agreed to on August 14, 20203 is as follows:1

See Implementation of the National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act of 2018, WC Docket No. 18-336, Reportand Order, FCC 20-100 (rel. July 17, 2020) available at: https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-20-100A1.pdf.
2

FCC 20-100, ¶53.

3See August 17, 2020 Draft Meeting Minutes of the Meeting for transition to 10-digit dialing for the FCC
Designation of 988 as 3-digit access to National Suicide Prevention Hotline, located through the NANP
Administration (NAS) at www.nanpa.com

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NPAs REQUIRED TO TRANSITION TO 10-DIGIT DIALING
The following 82 area codes4 currently permit 7-digit dialing and also use 988 as a central officecode. Providers operating in these NPAs must implement 10-digit dialing. Transitioning to 10digit dialing involves both the technical work needed to implement mandatory 10-digit dialing aswell as educating consumers about the transition:
STATE
AlaskaAlabamaArkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Delaware
FloridaGeorgia
Guam
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
KansasKentuckyLouisiana
MichiganMinnesota
Mississippi
MissouriMontana
NevadaNew Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
TOTAL NPAs

NPAs AFFECTED907
251501480, 520, 928
209, 530, 562, 626, 650, 707, 925, 949, 951
719, 970302
321 (Brevard County only), 352, 561, 941
478, 912
671
808
309, 618, 708
219, 574
319, 515
620, 785
859
337, 504
616, 810, 906, 989
218, 952
662
314, 417, 660, 816
406
775
603
856, 908
505, 575
516, 607, 716, 845, 914
910
440, 513
605
731, 865
254, 361, 409, 806, 830, 915, 940
802276, 804
509
262, 414, 608, 920

4TOTAL NPAs
1
1139214211322212421411122512127121482

The list of 87 area codes was reduced to 83 area codes after removing 3 area codes that are already transitioning to10-digit dialing due to an overlay and the return of 904-988. January 7, 2021, the list of area codes was revised from83 to 82 due to the North Dakota 701 area code being removed from the list of NPAs required to transition to 10digit dialing. The 701-988 prefix has been returned to NANPA.

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Implementation Schedule Conversion to 10-digit local dialing
ACTIONTIMEDATE
July 16, 2020
(This starts the 9.5-month period prior topermissive dialing effective date forcarriers to implement permissive 10-digit
dialing in their networks and starteducating customers about the upcomingdates)

Start of Network Preparation andCustomer Education

NETWORK PREPARATION PERIOD – APPROXIMATELY 9.5 MONTHS

Start of permissive 10-digit dialing(“permissive 10-digit dialingeffective date”)

12:01 am local time

April 24, 2021
(This is the date communicated tocustomers as the “permissive dialing date”
and starts the 6-month period wherecustomers start practicing dialing 10 digits
and reprogram CPE as needed; this istypically a 6-month period in an overlay
implementation)

PERMISSIVE DIALING PERIOD – 6 MONTHS
October 24, 2021
(This is the date communicated to
12:01 am local timecustomers as the “mandatory dialing date”
and starts the 8.5-month period wherecarriers can start enforcing mandatory 10digit dialing through their carrier-specificrolling cut schedule. This is not a flashcut.)
MANDATORY DIALING ENFORCEMENT PERIOD – APPROXIMATELY 8.5 MONTHS

End of permissive dialing and start ofmandatory 10-digit dialing(“mandatory 10-digit dialingeffective date”)

End of mandatory 10-digit
enforcement implementation

Covered providers shall transmit all
calls initiated by an end user dialing
988 to the current toll-free accessnumber for the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline, presently 1-800273-8255 (TALK)

12:01 am local time

12:01 am local time3

July 15, 2022
(This is the deadline by which carriersmust have completed their rolling cuts toenforce mandatory 10-digit dialing)

July 16, 2022

During the permissive dialing period, subscribers may dial local calls on either a 7-digit or 10digit basis but will be encouraged to dial 10 digits. After the permissive dialing period ends,
all calls should be dialed using 10 digits. Carriers are strongly encouraged to prepare theirswitches to begin signaling 10 digits prior to the mandatory 10-digit dialing effective date forcustomers.

Dialing Plan
Coincident with the mandatory 10-digit dialing effective date on October 24, 2021, the dialing
plan will be as follows, unless the state/NPA has a different dialing plan. All dialing plans canbe located at https://nationalnanpa.com/enas/npaDialingPlansReport.do.
The following chart shows the standard dialing plan which should be adopted in areas that have
not yet adopted a dialing plan. (CA and IL use 1+10 local dialing)
TYPE OF CALL
Local Call

CALL TERMINATING IN
Home NPA (HNPA) or
Foreign NPA (FNPA)(including Extended Area
Service (EAS) calls)

DIALING PLAN
10-digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX) *Toll Call

HNPA or FNPA

1 + 10-digits (1 + NPA-NXX-XXXX)

Operator Services

HNPA or FNPA

0 + 10-digits (0 + NPA-NXX-XXXX)

Credit card, collect, third party*1+10 digit permissible at each service provider’s discretion. (Industry Best Practice)Contact Information
General questions regarding this Planning Letter should be directed to NANPA at 925-363-0340
or via email nanpa-login@somos.com

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