New Area Code Debuts in Brooklyn

As of yesterday, April 16, residents in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island who open a contract for a new landline or cell phone may start receiving an unfamiliar prefix: 929.

According to the state Public Service Commission, due to the city’s swelling population and rapid growth in cell phone usage, five area codes for New York City no longer are enough.

The new 929 number will serve as a compliment to the existing 718 and 347 area codes for the outer boroughs.

The most important news for customers is that local calls will remain local calls despite the new area code, and the price of a local call will not increase.

Although Manhattan will be unaffected for now, officials are preparing to add a new area code for the island by the year 2014, when its 212 and 646 number exchanges are also set to run out.