The life expectancy of Maine as a single-area-code state has been extended after a review of area code exhaust dates, according to the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
The review, by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, found that Maine uses only about 38 percent of possible phone numbers, but the 207 area code “has been in danger of exhaustion due to previous distribution practices that unnecessarily tie up large blocks of numbers without fully utilizing those blocks.”
Maine PUC said it has worked to address some of those problems, resulting in the extension of Maine’s single area code. In January 2021, the predicted exhaust date was 2025. It has since been extended to 2033, according to the PUC.
Maine is one of 11 states that still has only one area code
According to the latest estimates, the entire North American Numbering system could run out of area codes between 2047 and 2053. In that case, phone systems that use the standard 10-digit telephone number would need to be re-programmed to a 12-digit number.
The Federal Communications Commission estimates that could cost up to $270 billion.