Technology... always evolving... always changing... always finding new innovative ways to make our life more annoy.... convenient! There is a change coming to how we make phone calls here in the Panhandle.

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Goodbye 7 Digits

Most of us grew up in a time where all you had to do to make a call was pick up the phone and dial 7 digits... you know... 555-1234? It was easy to dial and easy to remember and trust me when I was a kid and you got that number from your crush there was nothing more nerve racking then calling only to talk to their parents first. Nothing about that was easy and it was all awkward. Here in the Amarillo area 7 digit dialing goes away Saturday April 24th.

Jose Gil

10 digit dialing is already here anyway...

All 10 digit dialing is the 7 we know plus the area code in front of it (806-555-1234.) So why are we making the switch? There's a group of folks known as the North American Numbering Plan Administration, Which inself sounds pretty impressive, who are adding a new 3 digit number "988" which functions very similarly to 911, 311 and the likes. It's main job is to connect you to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. A noble cause by the way. Part of the plan is to change dial habits to prevent any confusion or false calls. (you'll never find an area code that starts with 911, 311, 511, etc for this reason)

If you have a cell phone or any type of VOIP line you are already dialing 10 digits anyway so for a majority of us the transition shouldn't be too difficult but a couple of things you need to keep in mind.

Older appliances or home automation or security systems that rely on the phone system may need to be updated or replaced depending on how they are setup.