Area code 206
For last six decades, telecommunication sector has been benefiting from a plan designed by the telecom stalwarts, Bell Laboratories and AT&T. This is the concept of Numbering Plan Area codes or simply area codes. Area codes are that gateway which guides you to your destination out of your area code or if you are dialing from mobile phone or you are within the overlay plan area. The first three digits of 10-digit telephone numbers are the area code. Rest seven are the original phone number which connects you with the number you want to reach. This process is accomplished with the help of Public Switched Telephone Network. So, in the span between your dialing the number and other person picking up the phone, so many activities take place.
Ever wondered what is the logic behind the creation of area codes? In 1947, when the area codes were created for the first time, touch-tone phones did not exist. In rotary phones, the low digit numbers could be dialed quickly. Since the cities like Chicago and New York were densely populated, the call traffic towards them was quite large. Hence authorities felt the requirement of area codes which can be entered in no time. As a result, these cities were allotted the numbers with 1, 2 and 3.
If you get a call from a number starting with 206, that means someone from the metropolitan of Seattle is calling you or may be from the suburbs in its periphery. This is one code of total five which had been assigned to Washington State. This code is mainly used in the heart of the city. Since Seattle is a very important and large city of USA, there are hoards of telephone lines, both cellular and landlines.
Other than Seattle, the area code 206 covers Bainbridge, islands of Mercer, main town Seattle covering Des Moines to Woodway. When incepted, area code 206 covered the whole of Washington. By 1957, 206 was split to 509 and assigned to eastern part of Washington. Again in 1995, there was another split and 206 got restricted to the areas of Seattle Metropolitan and Puget Sound. Rest of Washington that is the western part was assigned a new area code 360.
1997 saw another split of 206 to 425 confining the territory to the present status. The new code 425 was assigned to the north and east suburbs. Tacoma and southern suburban area received area code 253. 206 is one of the first 18 original area codes. There was another original code assigned to this state itself. The code was 564 but it was never implemented. There is still a plan that if numbers exhaust, 564 will be implemented. One drawback of this change will be that area codes of many existing cell phones as well as landline users will be changed which will create lines of confusion.
The main telephone companies doing a flourishing business within this area code are AT&T, Communication Access, Quest, MCI telecommunication, ITL, Marathon Communications Inc, US West Inc and so on. These companies provide quality service in Internet, landlines, cellular phones, cable connections and repair and maintenance of these services. So, if you are located under the area code 206, never apprehend about the telecommunication service providers. They are of highest grade.