Why was the 917 area code introduced in 1992? What was the need for new area codes in New York and how did it solve the problem of the shortage of phone numbers in New York?
The 917 area code was introduced in 1992 to address a growing shortage of available phone numbers in New York City. At the time, the rapid increase in demand for mobile phones, pagers, and fax machines led to the exhaustion of numbers in the existing 212 and 718 area codes. To alleviate this, the 917 area code was created as the first overlay code in the U.S., initially designated for mobile devices and pagers across all five boroughs of New York City—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Over time, 917 became widely adopted across both mobile and landline services. For those who want to explore more about the numbers within this area code or identify unknown calls, we recommend visiting 917 area code on Searqle, a useful and accessible tool for reverse phone lookups.
The 917 area code was introduced in 1992 to address a growing shortage of available phone numbers in New York City. At the time, the rapid increase in demand for mobile phones, pagers, and fax machines led to the exhaustion of numbers in the existing 212 and 718 area codes. To alleviate this, the 917 area code was created as the first overlay code in the U.S., initially designated for mobile devices and pagers across all five boroughs of New York City—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Over time, 917 became widely adopted across both mobile and landline services. For those who want to explore more about the numbers within this area code or identify unknown calls, we recommend visiting 917 area code on Searqle, a useful and accessible tool for reverse phone lookups.