You might be surprised to learn that the telephone company did not always use the same 10 digit system that they are currently operating on. As a matter of fact, it was only whenever telephones begin to truly overtake the system that they needed a way to be able to tell the difference in where the phone calls were coming from and where they were going.
Of course, automation had a lot to do with the fact that the 10 digit numerical system came about as well. As they were moving away from the type of system where an operator needed to sit in the switchboard and manually plug in different phone calls, they needed a more accurate way to be able to depict where call was coming from and where it was that it was going.
You are, no doubt familiar with the 10 digit telephone system that is now being used but taking a close look at it can actually be quite interesting. Here is a little bit about what you can learn by following along with the various parts of these area codes and telephone numbers. Understanding this can help you in a number of different ways.
The first three digits are the area code. This is the most telling part about the telephone number, because it helps you to see what part of the country that the call originated from. Most area codes are somewhat localized, especially because of all of the telephones that are now in existence. At times, an area code may span several small towns and there are rare occasions whenever it might even cross state lines. Most of the time, however, area codes are assigned to a very small area of the country and there might even be cities that have multiple area codes.
The unfortunate thing about the 10 digit numerical system that is currently being used is that it might someday become outdated. Whenever I first started out, the area codes were plentiful and they were assigned to a wide area for each number that was existing. The prevalence of cellular telephones, along with the fact that many businesses have a dedicated fax line has used up many area codes rather quickly. We are not at the maximum limit as of yet, but there may come a day whenever we reach it and a change needs to be made.
The second set of three digits that is inside of the 10 digit telephone number help you break down even further where the call is originating from. Each area will have this code assigned to it and it is very rare that it will span more than one small area of the country. It may also help you to tell whether you are receiving a phone call from a cellular line or if it is a land-based line.
If you're trying to trace a telephone number, you can use the first six digits in order to narrow down your search to a large extent. The area code should be the first thing that you look at, and there are places available on the Internet which lists all area codes and where they originate from. From that point, you can do more of a localized search or perhaps even look up the exact telephone number in order to find who it was that was calling you.
Of course, automation had a lot to do with the fact that the 10 digit numerical system came about as well. As they were moving away from the type of system where an operator needed to sit in the switchboard and manually plug in different phone calls, they needed a more accurate way to be able to depict where call was coming from and where it was that it was going.
You are, no doubt familiar with the 10 digit telephone system that is now being used but taking a close look at it can actually be quite interesting. Here is a little bit about what you can learn by following along with the various parts of these area codes and telephone numbers. Understanding this can help you in a number of different ways.
The first three digits are the area code. This is the most telling part about the telephone number, because it helps you to see what part of the country that the call originated from. Most area codes are somewhat localized, especially because of all of the telephones that are now in existence. At times, an area code may span several small towns and there are rare occasions whenever it might even cross state lines. Most of the time, however, area codes are assigned to a very small area of the country and there might even be cities that have multiple area codes.
The unfortunate thing about the 10 digit numerical system that is currently being used is that it might someday become outdated. Whenever I first started out, the area codes were plentiful and they were assigned to a wide area for each number that was existing. The prevalence of cellular telephones, along with the fact that many businesses have a dedicated fax line has used up many area codes rather quickly. We are not at the maximum limit as of yet, but there may come a day whenever we reach it and a change needs to be made.
The second set of three digits that is inside of the 10 digit telephone number help you break down even further where the call is originating from. Each area will have this code assigned to it and it is very rare that it will span more than one small area of the country. It may also help you to tell whether you are receiving a phone call from a cellular line or if it is a land-based line.
If you're trying to trace a telephone number, you can use the first six digits in order to narrow down your search to a large extent. The area code should be the first thing that you look at, and there are places available on the Internet which lists all area codes and where they originate from. From that point, you can do more of a localized search or perhaps even look up the exact telephone number in order to find who it was that was calling you.
About the Author:
Are you looking for Indiana cell phone numbers? You can do a reverse lookup on our website
