The answer to the age old question, "What's your phone number?" is about to get a little bit longer. South Jersey will soon see an unexpected side effect of the explosion of cell phone use: a new area code. Yes, with practically everyone owning a cell phone now, it is projected that the 609 area code will run out of possible phone numbers as early as next year, Neustar, the company that administers phone numbers for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), announced.

However, instead of replacing old phone numbers with the new 640 area code, Neustar will "overlay" the area code into the existing region. Anyone with an existing 609 number will keep their current phone number, but anyone getting a new phone will be rewarded with the 640 area code. The 609 exchange is expected to run out of possible phone numbers by the third quarter of 2018. Every new phone number will not only have a new area code, but will convert to a 10-digit dialing system because the region will now have two area codes, according to WPG Talk Radio.



The new system will be phased in over a period of 15 months, according to nj.com. Seven months will be for preparation and education. There will also be a seven-month period in which residents can continue to use the seven-digit system before being forced into the new 10-digit system.

It is the state's 10th area code, and is expected to last 46 years, according to the report.



The 609 exchange has been in place for decades. In 1999, the 856 area code was introduced to a portion of South Jersey. At that point, some existing 609 numbers were replaced.

The 609 area code is still used in Atlantic, Cape May, Mercer and Ocean counties. The list of all municipalities that use the 609 exchange is available here.