| A phone number is not merely a random collection of | | | | means you will not know from what type of phone a |
| numbers. There was a lot of thought put into how | | | | number comes if that is the case. On the other hand, |
| these numbers should be formatted when the area | | | | some save certain prefixes for cellular numbers, but |
| code system was put in place back in the 1940s. You | | | | that is something you may not know unless the |
| probably know that your area code signifies what | | | | number is local. |
| state or region of a state in which you live - and that it | | | | There are probably a few prefixes of which most |
| can tell you the same information about any other | | | | people are aware. One would be the 555 prefix. This |
| phone number that you see. When thinking about | | | | is normally not used in most area codes, though there |
| these phone numbers, you should also know a little | | | | are some exceptions. It is generally used for |
| about prefixes. | | | | information in most codes (555-1212), but otherwise left |
| The prefix of the phone number tells you the name of | | | | unused because the 555 is used in movies and |
| a city, part of a city, or town. This prefix comes | | | | television. This saves people from getting thousands of |
| directly after the area code in a set of phone digits. In | | | | calls because their number was inadvertently put into a |
| larger areas, cities need to have many more than just | | | | movie or other entertainment production. |
| one prefix. If you search for information on a phone | | | | When you want to know more about a phone number |
| number, you can always look at the area code and | | | | calling you or someone that you love, you can find |
| then search for the prefix within that code. That alone | | | | more help through the Internet. You can search out a |
| can tell you what you need, but not always. | | | | area prefix through any area code to see from which |
| Some areas use prefixes in different ways. Some | | | | city a call comes. When you have that information, you |
| areas have a pool of prefixes that they randomly | | | | may very well have what you need to identify the |
| assign to numbers. These can be used for landline | | | | caller. |
| phones, cellular phones, or fax and Internet lines. That | | | | |