"larry" wrote in message
but there still are big problems with phone NUMBERS, there just weren't
enough for all the new uses (cellphones, faxes, and other data devices).
most of the US has gone to mandatory 10 digit dialing and 10,000 number
blocks are no longer handed out to new phone companies. even so, plans
are in place to go to four digit area codes when the number combinations
available finally run out.

It was a huge breakthrough a few years ago when the area codes were able to
use all the digits in the second position. Originally, it has to be a 1 or 0
there. There are now multiple area codes used in the same geographical
region for cell phones now too.