Lowcountry getting new area code

Changes are coming to the way Lowcountry residents make phone calls.

Instead of dialing seven digits for local numbers, residents will soon be required to dial 10.

By Sept. 19, anyone making a local phone call in the Lowcountry will be required to dial the area code.

The Lowcountry will also gain a new area code in the fall. By Oct. 19, people signing up for new phone service in the Lowcountry could receive a new 854 area code. Existing phone numbers will not change.

Because of the popularity of cellphones and continuous population growth in the Lowcountry, new numbers are necessary.

"Essentially, you run out of phone numbers," Hargray Communications director of marketing Eddie Andrews said.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 7:01 AM with the headline "Lowcountry getting new area code."