DOVER, Delaware (WPVI) — Delawareans will have to get used to dialing the area code 302 before any local phone number as the Federal Communications Commission will soon require the state to use 10-digit local dialing.
Beginning April 24, 2021, telephone users in Delaware with Delaware phone numbers will begin to dial local numbers using the full 10-digit phone numbers.
Beginning October 24, 2021, all local calls must be dialed using the full 10-digit telephone number.
The change is due to a new FCC order, which approved 988 as the 3-digit abbreviated dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, starting July 16, 2022.
Delaware currently has a (302) 988 exchange, based out of Selbyville, Sussex County.
The change will ensure that everyone is able to reach the suicide prevention network using the 3-digit 988 code.
https://6abc.com/society/delaware-to-begin-10-digit-dialing-in-2021/9372241/
