VOIP Tech Chat → [General] Area Code Boundaries.

I have several DID's with voip.ms all within the Houston/TX area code.

713
832
281

My question is why does carriers treat some numbers as long distance even though they are local area codes?

Nobody can reach me to my 832 number without dialing 1 first and most wont because is long distance.

Is not the same with all carriers.

Not enough information.

You need to look at the area code maps to get some of those answers.

For example - are some of the area codes overlapping ? Adjacent to each other ? These do play a role on this...

I assume you are talking about local Houston residents that have a landline through ATT?

Depends on whether they subscribe to a local plan or metro plan.

The metro plan costs more per month, but includes a much larger 'local' calling area.

Thanks for the reply.

A lot of business who call me which I am sure they have long distance still have to dial 1 so I don't think it has to do with the types of plans.

@scooper:
I am not sure how much more information you need. This are all local area codes to the Houston area. A 1 should not be need it to dial a local area code.

You have to look at the next 3 digits after the area code as well.
It's the same in my area (Toronto). The city itself uses 416 and 647 area codes and the Greater Toronto Area use 905 and 289. From a Bell phone in the 416/647 area code it's free to dial almost any 905/289, but for most some 905/289 areas it's long distance to call other 905/289 areas (in some cases it could long distance across the street).

All rate centers in an area code are not necessarily local to each other.

I was telephone tech in the NY/NJ when 1+ dialing started. I got in the habit of dialing 1+ for any area code. It's now a natural function.

Correct. I'm in Raleigh, NC (919 & 984 area codes). Some numbers in the 919 area code are not considered local, but there are a few exchanges in the 252 area code that are considered local. However, someone living a few minutes away in Cary will have a slightly different list of what is local, even though they are in the same area code.

»www.localcallingguide.com is a useful tool for figuring out what is local and what isn't. However, some ILECs have online tools that might be a little easier to use - for example, »www.usa.att.com/localcal ··· ingarea/ if you're in AT&T territory.

From what I see on this map I'm guessing for some carriers within 713 area code might be LD dialling 832 and maybe also 281.
That's despite the fact that, according wikipedia, all 3 area codes should overlay. I'm guessing some carriers don't have a proper setup for those area codes by mistake or not.
Maybe you should get more info to see which carriers have such behavior, from which area code to which area code.

The area codes overlay, but area codes do not determine your local calling area. Your local calling area is tied to the rate center you are in.

For example...

VoIP.ms has a DID available with a NPA-NXX of 832-579. This is not considered a local call from a number in the HOUSTON rate center (such as someone with a 281-209 number).

If you want your VoIP number to be considered local for everyone who calls you, make sure it is in the same rate center as the people who call you. If you can't find a number you like in your rate center, pick one from a nearby rate center that is also considered local.

If the OP could post the area code plus the next 3 (or better yet next 4) digits of the DIDs from VoIP.ms, we could probably determine why the calls aren't being considered local.

By the way, the information I am posting is based on how the ILEC providers work without being on any kind of expanded local calling plan. VoIP (including cable VoIP), mobile phones, and even some CLEC providers operate differently.

You need to look at LATA, not area codes.

A call within an area code COULD be long distance.

A call between area codes might NOT be long distance.

Also:

1) Long Distance is a POTS concept. Does not apply to most VoIP situations and certainly not to cellphone calls (in the US anyway).

2) Tell your friends that whether or not they dial [1] is not necessarily an indicator of the cost of the call, or whether or not it is so-called long distance.

Here is an LATA map for Texas and nearby states. May be a little outdated. Numbers are for LATA, NOT area codes.
»www.latamaps.com/Telecom ··· nics.pdf

I guess this is where I lack the knowledge. I have not research enough to understand carrier and rate locations/centers...

If it helps:

832 717

»www.localcallingguide.co ··· h=198890

The link that gweidenh posted lists exchanges that should (not guaranteed) be local calls from the Tromball rate center. Here's a list of exchanges that should (again, not guaranteed) be able to make local calls to Tromball numbers: »www.localcallingguide.co ··· 90&dir=2

Also, a bit of history: I grew up in western New York state, near Rochester. At the time, both Rochester and Buffalo were in the 716 area code. However, from where I lived, Buffalo (sixty-some miles away) was most certainly not a local call. Actually, some places as close as 10 miles away weren't local calls; to call numbers in those areas, you had to dial 1 first, or the call wouldn't go through, so if you were making such a call from 716-222-XXXX to 716-458-YYYY, you'd have to dial 1-458-YYYY, and you'd know you were making a toll call.

Yes I notice and reversed the look up. If understand correctly it still a local number.

In your particular case, that also may have been because Rochester, New York was served the the late great Rochester Telephone Corporation....

Whereas going out of the greater Rochester area (towards Buffalo for example) was the Bell System's New York Telephone Company.

I would bet that in that particular case of adding [1] to a 7-digit number (total of 8 digits) it merely reflected going out of Rochester Tel's territory. That was common in areas served by independent phone companies.

Example: Jamestown, NY, formerly served by the Jamestown Telephone Company. IIRC the local people had to dial something like [110] to call out of Jamestown area.

-------------------------------------------

Rochester Telephone evolved into Frontier, just as DuMont TV eventually evolved into Fox Broadcasting. In both cases the route was not a straight line, and in both cases things were better the old way....

Here's the list of area codes + prefixes (commonly referred to as NPA-NXX) that are local to the HOUSTON, TX ratecenter:
»www.localcallingguide.co ··· 630&dir=

Unfortunately, 832-717 is not one of them.

Here's the list of rate centers that can call your DID without being considered long distance:
»www.localcallingguide.co ··· h=198890

People who can call you without being charged long distance might be on an expanded local plan (or U-verse) with AT&T, or using a different provider.

11/2/1996: Area code 281 was created as an overlay to area code 713. The two area codes serve the same area.

1/16/1999: Area code 832 was created as an overlay to area code 713. The two area codes serve the same area.

Long distance or not cannot be determined by area code only. Prefix is also required to determine which rate center the DID is belong to. Long distance or not is determined by distance between rate centers (central office) instead of service location.

Some phone company require +1 for all 10-digit dialing while others require +1 only for long distance call.

Even if you have an overlay not all exchanges have to be part of the overlay. A good example is 305/786 overlay, where some 305 exchanges do not belong to it ( Monroe county Keys) and you have to dial 1 form other 305/786 exchanges and it is considered long distance with PSTN.