Area code 907

Area code 907 covers the state of Alaska, except for the small southeastern community of Hyder, which uses area codes 236, 250 and 778 of neighboring Stewart, British Columbia.[1]

Sled and team in Houston, Alaska

Despite having telephone service to the contiguous US via a terrestrial line from Juneau since 1937,[2] Alaska was not included in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) until after the Alaska submarine cable was opened for traffic in 1956.[2] The Alaska numbering plan area (NPA) was assigned the area code 907, and entered service in 1957.

The Alaska numbering plan area is geographically the largest of any in the United States. It is the second-largest on the NANP and on the entire North American continent behind 867, which serves Canada's northern territories. Because the Aleutian Islands of Alaska cross longitude 180, the Anti-Meridian, 907 may be considered to be both the farthest west and the farthest east of all area codes in the NANP. Due to Alaska's low population, 907 is one of only 12 remaining area codes serving an entire state. It is not projected to be exhausted until after 2049.

Many calls within Alaska are long-distance calls and must be dialed with the leading 1-907, except for cellphone services. Local calls and cellphone calls for long-distance service within Alaska, only require seven-digit dialing.

At the time of its creation, area code 907 was one of the two longest area codes to dial on a rotary phone, taking 26 pulses to dial out in an era before the first touch tone phones. This is the same number of pulses as Hawaii's area code 808, introduced the same year.

See also

  • List of NANP area codes

References

  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2009-01-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. AT&T (1974) Events in Telephone History
Alaska area codes: 907
North: Arctic Ocean, +7 in Russia
West: +7 in Russia area code 907 East: 250/778/236/672, 867
South: Pacific Ocean, 808
British Columbia area codes: 236/672/778, 250, 604
Hawaii area codes: 808
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut area codes: 867


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