Louisiana residents living in 337 and 504 area codes will soon have to dial 10 digits when making all phone calls.

Eighty-two area codes around the country are transitioning to 10-digit dialing as the Federal Communications Commission prepares to enable 988 to be used to reach the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Two of the affected area codes in Louisiana will be the 337 area code for Southwest Louisiana and 504 for New Orleans.

The reason for the change to 10-digit dialing these areas is because some numbers in those area codes use 988 as the first three digits in their phone numbers.

The FCC says the change to 10-digit dialing will begin on April 24, 2021. However, for a few months, calls made with only 7 digits will continue to go through.

But those calls will stop going through on Oct. 24, 2021, and only calls made using 10 digits will be completed.

The 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is expected to be put into place on July 16, 2022.

The FCC says that during the transition, Americans who need help should continue to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255 (1-800-273-TALK) or through online chats. Veterans and service members may reach the Veterans Crisis Line by pressing 1 after dialing, chatting online at www.veteranscrisisline.net, or texting 838255.

https://www.kalb.com/2021/04/01/337-and-504-area-codes-moving-to-10-digit-dialing/