New Mexico's 505/575 Area Code Split

The 505 area code has been serving New Mexico since 1947, but New Mexico's population has grown to almost 2 million people and one area code is not longer adequate.  At 12:01 a.m. on Sunday October 5, 2008, mandatory dialing for the New Mexico 505/575 Area Code Split will begin

Who Will Be Affected by the New 575 Area Code?

The northwestern region of the existing 505 area code will keep 505 after the split. This will include the communities of Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Farmington, Gallup, Grants, Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Rio Rancho and Santa Fe.

The new 575 area code will serve the remaining portion of the existing 505 area code.  This will include the communities of Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Clovis, Deming, El Rito, Gallina, Hatch, Hobbs, Las Cruces, Penasco, Raton, Ruidoso, Silver City, Socorro, and Taos.

Will the cost of calls change because of a new area code?

No, calls that were local before the introduction of the new area code will remain local calls. Local calling areas do not change when a new area code is established. It is distance, time of day and length of call that determine the price of a call.

Why is New Mexico adding a new area code?

In recent years, a combination of new technologies and increased consumer demand for regular telephones in homes and offices, cellular and PCS phones, pagers, lines used for fax machines, modems, internet access, and other uses have strained existing telephone number resources. Also, new local telephone service providers need telephone numbers in order to provide service to their customer. All of these factors have resulted in an increased demand for numbers in New Mexico. As a result, telephone number shortages have occurred at the prefix level.

Due to the many choices in service providers, significant increases in products and additional lines, and the limit to the amount of resources in an area code that can be allocated to telecommunication providers, it has become necessary to add the new area code to the impacted area.

New Mexico Emergency and Directory Services

911 Services will NOT be affected by the introduction of a new area code. Emergency calls will continue to be handled just as they are today.

411 Services will NOT be affected by the introduction of a new area code. Directory assistance calls will continue to be handled just as they are today. And, there is no change in the cost of a directory assistance call.

If 211, 311, 511, 611, 711 and 811 are currently available in your community you can still dial them with just three digits.

All directories, as they are published, will be updated to reflect the new area code. Directories in a geographic area affected by overlay will publish the area code along with the seven-digit telephone number for each directory listing.

Individual customers are responsible for any changes to listings appearing in other directories. Each customer is responsible for telephone numbers appearing in any display advertising.

The impact home and business telephone service

If your area code changes, you should notify family, friends and business associates of the change. You may also need to change stationery, business card and other printed material or reprogram your equipment to reflect the change. Other changes that may be required include:

• address books
• advertisements
• alarm equipment
• automatic dialers
• bill statements
• business cards
• checks
• computer lists
• electronic banking information
• emergency contact lists
• identification bracelets
• fax machines
• health provider cards
• number plate on your telephone
• pet ID tags
• speed dial lists

Additionally, business customers should check for:

Impacts with PBX and other business equipment Some business customers may need to upgrade or adjust their equipment to handle the new area code. Not all business equipment will require upgrading. Call routing lists may also need to be changed. If you have questions regarding your equipment, please contact your vendor for additional information or assistance.

Impacts to Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) Customers: SOME ISDN equipment may have the area code included in the Service Profile Identifier (SPID). If so, that equipment must be reprogrammed to accommodate the new area code. ISDN customers will be notified of the specific date that they need to reprogram their SPID. If the SPID is not reprogrammed on that date, the ISDN equipment won't work.

If you have any questions, contact your equipment vendor or the manufacturer to determine if the SPID in your equipment requires reprogramming. In some cases, instruction manuals or other documents provided with the equipment may show you how to make the necessary changes.

Help with the New Mexico 505/575 area code split

If you believe that you are experiencing problems due to the 505/575 Area Code Split, you can contact the Consumer Relations Division of the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission at 888-427-5772