Telephone Exchange Names - All-number Calling

All-number Calling

As demand for phone service grew in the post-World-War-II period, it was foreseeable that it would exceed the addressing capacity of the existing system of using memorable telephone exchange names as prefixes for telephone numbers. Several letter combinations had no pronounceable or memorable names and could not be used. Several North American area codes were split to enable reuse of numbers. However, as the growth accelerated, the Bell System decided to switch to all-number calling (ANC). This extended the usable numbering plan and only two area code splits became necessary between 1962 and 1981. All-number calling was phased in slowly starting in 1958. Most areas had adopted it fully by the late 1960s, though it did not become universal until the 1980s. The Bell System published and distributed area code handbooks yearly which compiled the towns available for calling using an area code.

The transition was slow in its implementation, taking the better part of the 1970s and even into the early 1980s to complete. Thus, telephone exchange names were still in use with telephone numbers well after the introduction of area codes.

AT&T employed a gradual strategy to ease the transition for customers. Originally, directory listings were printed with the exchange names spelled out in full, e.g.,

• Jones John 123 Anystreet............BUtterfield 5-1212
• Jones John Paul 5 Revolution Rd......ANdrew 3-2368

First stage was to print only the dialed letters:

• Jones John 123 Anystreet....................BU 5-1212
• Jones John Paul 5 Revolution Rd..........AN 3-2368

Second stage was to assign a selected letters combination in communities being converted from five- or fewer dialed digits to seven; no name was associated with the letters:

• Ramsay Betty 12 Connecticut Rd...........LT 1-5225

Third stage was to assign ANC to smaller communities converting to seven-digit numbers.

• Appleby Charles 1210 MacGill Lane.........553-0086

AT&T proceeded to convert existing named exchanges to ANC, starting in smaller communities. No significant opposition arose until conversion began in major cities. In some cities such as San Francisco, opposition was organized; the opposition group in San Francisco was called the Anti Digit Dialing League, of which S. I. Hayakawa was a notable member. The opposition caused AT&T to slow down the conversion process, and names did not totally disappear in major cities until 1978 (New York City). Philadelphia had named exchanges in the Bell of Pennsylvania telephone book as late as 1983, long after AT&T had hoped to complete the conversion. A company in Philadelphia still letters its dump trucks with the DE 3 exchange as of 2009. Also, a company in Kansas City, Missouri still shows commercials using the WE Westport exchange in its phone number.

Bell Canada, Alberta Government Telephones and B.C. Tel completed most conversions of existing numbers during the first half of the 1960s. Typically in larger communities, conversions would be timed with issues of the telephone directory.

For example, in London, Ontario, three conversions took place starting in February 1962 and completing in September 1963. GEneral 2, 3 and 9 were converted first; later GLadstone 1 and 5, and finally GEneral 4 and 8.

An example from Montreal, Quebec, on August 4, 1957:

• WIlbank became WEllington 2
• WEllington became WEllington 3 (a rare example of keeping the exchange name)
• FItzroy became WEllington 5
• GLenview became WEllington 7
• VEndome became DUpont 7
• HEmlock became POntiac 7
• TRenmore became POntiac 8
• HArbour became VIctor 5
• MArquette became VIctor 9

The use of letters in exchange names resulted in the placement of letters on the telephone dial, even outside the areas using the letter/number combinations. Some Canadian areas at first used original letter schemes (notably Calgary, Alberta) until later standardization within North America.