I have been at odds with some of my blogger pals because I favored the new area-code overlay for the area currently served by the 918 area code (rather than a split). Most of those who favored the split seemed to be from the Tulsa metro, and I had to assume they thought the metro would keep the 918 while us more rural folks would get the new area code. I favor the overlay because a whole bunch of folks and businesses who have had 918 numbers for years simply shouldn’t arbitrarily have had to switch to new ones and endure the costs associated. More importantly, area codes are becoming more and more meaningless with number portability. You can get a Vonage phone line with virtually (pardon the pun) any area code—even multiple areas codes—in the country and have it ring wherever you happen to put the VOIP device online.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission voted 2-1 Monday for the overlay rather than the split. Dana Murphy, of whom I am usually very supportive, was the dissenter.

The new area code will be 539 (Charles Hill was right about it starting with 5), and it will apply to new phone numbers within the current 918 area code after April 1, 2011 (if they are out of 918s by then). It will mean 10-digit dialing, even for local calls, which is the only downside I see to the overlay, but I frankly think we’re headed for that anyway. And honestly, we’re also headed to more pre-programmed calls from contact address books, so the extra three digits aren’t that much of a burden.

Glad they ruled the way they did. I’m remembering a Seinfeld episode about the perception of the new (646) versus the old (212) area code.

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