When it comes to a telephone number, all of the digits mean something.
It's the same idea as a mailing address, only in numerical form.
A telephone number in the United States has a total of ten digits and is laid out in the following pattern: 000-000-0000.
The first three digits are referred to as the area code.
The second grouping of three digits is the prefix.
The last four digits make up the line number.
Each of these segments makes up a part of the total address, making sure that when dialed, the caller reaches the intended destination.
The area code is the grouping that specifies the geographic region to which the number belongs within the country.
Depending on where it is, it can refer to an entire state, a section of a state, or a city within a state.
The prefix was originally a designation for the phone number's switch.
The switch was a breakdown of the telephone service carrier's central office.
Each switch was a smaller geographical area within the area code.
So when a phone call was made to an area code, it would be sent to that area code's central office, and then the switch would tell the operator which physical location was the telephone call's next stop.
From there, it would be sent to the line number.
Since switches are now done by computer, the prefix's geographical designations aren't as rigid anymore and local number portability has become possible.
This means that a person can change locations within a local calling area and maintain the same telephone number - even if they have moved into the zone traditionally covered by a different switch.
The line number is the breakdown from switch level that heads the call to the actual telephone line to which the complete telephone number belongs.
It should be noted that the line number belongs to the entire line, and not to one specific telephone.
Therefore, if there are five jacks in one house, they are all connected to the same line and therefore have the same line number.
As you can see, an area code, and line number all have their own uses and guide a telephone call to the right recipient.
It's the same idea as a mailing address, only in numerical form.
A telephone number in the United States has a total of ten digits and is laid out in the following pattern: 000-000-0000.
The first three digits are referred to as the area code.
The second grouping of three digits is the prefix.
The last four digits make up the line number.
Each of these segments makes up a part of the total address, making sure that when dialed, the caller reaches the intended destination.
The area code is the grouping that specifies the geographic region to which the number belongs within the country.
Depending on where it is, it can refer to an entire state, a section of a state, or a city within a state.
The prefix was originally a designation for the phone number's switch.
The switch was a breakdown of the telephone service carrier's central office.
Each switch was a smaller geographical area within the area code.
So when a phone call was made to an area code, it would be sent to that area code's central office, and then the switch would tell the operator which physical location was the telephone call's next stop.
From there, it would be sent to the line number.
Since switches are now done by computer, the prefix's geographical designations aren't as rigid anymore and local number portability has become possible.
This means that a person can change locations within a local calling area and maintain the same telephone number - even if they have moved into the zone traditionally covered by a different switch.
The line number is the breakdown from switch level that heads the call to the actual telephone line to which the complete telephone number belongs.
It should be noted that the line number belongs to the entire line, and not to one specific telephone.
Therefore, if there are five jacks in one house, they are all connected to the same line and therefore have the same line number.
As you can see, an area code, and line number all have their own uses and guide a telephone call to the right recipient.
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