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COUER D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho residents soon will have to enter an area code to call other people in the state.
The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that starting in August, Idaho telephone customers must start punching in 10 digits to make a call.
Anyone who gets a new phone number after Sept. 5 will be assigned the new area code 986.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission announced in late 2015 that the new code will overlay existing 208 users rather than split the state into two divisions to assign the new number.
Idaho has had a 208 code since 1947.
State regulators implemented a 16-month plan for the second code after learning that the 208 area code would run out of available numbers by mid-2018.
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