Cal State Fullerton Area Code Changing to 657

May 30 Switch Affects Fullerton, CSUF Irvine Campuses

May 27, 2009 :: No.214

Beginning May 30, Cal State Fullerton will have a new area code — 657.

Cal State Fullerton’s main campus in Fullerton and CSUF Irvine Campus will be using this latest area code assigned within Orange County.

The additional area code was added by the California Public Utilities Commission to meet the increasing needs for additional phone numbers from throughout the county, explained Marci Payne, manager of telecommunications for Cal State Fullerton.

The new area code does not make calling the campus a long distance call, so long as the calls are made inside the 714/657 area code overlay area: Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Habra, La Mirada, La Palma, Orange, Placentia, Santa Ana, Westminster and Yorba Linda, according to Payne.

While the Public Utilities Commission was considering a new area code to “overlay” over the county, Cal State Fullerton was dealing with its own shortage of 278 prefix numbers. The solution, said Payne, was to go with the use of the new area code and buy all available 278 prefixes.

“We currently have about 7,000 phone numbers on campus, and we know that our need will increase over time,” said Payne. “By purchasing the entire 278 prefix, that will make available 10,000 telephone numbers.

“We have been without available 278 lines for awhile and have actually been changing on-campus-only phone numbers to something other than 278 to make more of those numbers available for use on telephone lines used by the public to reach campus,” she added.

The area-code change affects calls to all Fullerton and CSUF Irvine Campus land lines, whether an office phone or fax — but only if being called from off campus. It doesn’t affect university-purchased cell phones because the myriad cell phone companies do not control any part of the 657 area code at this time, Payne said.

“After May 30 — for the majority of our phone lines — if community members call the campus using 714 instead of 657, they will hear a message stating that the number they dialed is no longer in service,” Payne said. “About 200 phone lines considered critical numbers will carry a message through Sept. 15 informing callers that the area code has changed and to hang up and redial using 657.”

Cal State Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center in Santa Ana and Garden Grove Center remain in the 714 area code.

Media Contacts:
Marci Payne, Telecommunications, 657-278-3451 or marcipayne@fullerton.edu
Pamela McLaren, Public Affairs, 657-278-4852 or pmclaren@fullerton.edu