Re: Dialing Around: How Rotary Phones Shaped the Distribution of US Area Codes [telecom]

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The long distance dialing network had two phases. The first was to automate operator dialing between points. A crude area code layout was arranged, somewhat similar to what became later, but not the same. Secondly, customer dialing was planned. Several variations of the plan were developed, with the modern version coming out in 1947. There's a Bell Telephone Magazine article on this on the TCI website, but it's restricted to TCI members.

In 1947, customers weren't aware of area codes since no one could dial long distance as yet. DDD spread slowly through the 1950s.

In the late 1950s Bell began to inform customers of area codes and direct distance dialing. Here is an ad from 1959:

(neat ad for Remington typewriters follows)

Here is an ad from 1961:

In 1967 Bell encouraged customers to use the area code:

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Posted 5 years ago by HAncock4 in General Telecommunications Forum

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