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This map shows area codes throughout New Jersey. (Graphic by Stephen Stirling)

State regulators have approved a new area code for South Jersey.

The 640 area code will be added to the region currently served by 609, following approval last month by the state Board of Public Utilities.

Neustar Inc., the company that administers area codes for the Federal Communications Commission, projected that the 609 area code would max out its phone number options by late 2018, prompting the request for the addition of 640.

Current 609 customers, extending from Mercer County south to Cape May County, will keep their area code and new customers will receive 640 in a process called an "overlay." Rather than carving out a geographic region for 640 and forcing 609 customers to change area codes, the overlay process is considered the least disruptive option.

"The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has directed all local exchange service providers to activate the new area code to ensure the availability of numbering resources in a manner that is most efficient and least confusing for consumers, while minimizing possible disruption to consumers and businesses," according to an announcement by Neustar.

Increased demand for phone numbers in the 609 area code led to moving the project exhaustion date for available numbers from 2019 to 2018, according to Neustar.

Use of the new area code will begin in 2018.

Under the plan, current 609 customers will have to convert to 10-digit dialing within the area code.

That change will be phased in over a 15-month period, including seven months for network preparation and customer education and seven months of permissive dialing, in which customers can still use 7-digit dialing. At the end of that period, 10-digit dialing will be mandatory.

The new area code will be activated a month after mandatory 10-digit dialing begins in the 609 area code.

The new area code is the 10th for the state and is predicted to last 46 years before its possible phone numbers are exhausted.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.