ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996               TAG: 9601260076
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON

800S RUN OUT, SO FCC TO ADD TOLL-FREE 888S

Coming soon to a telephone near you: 1-888.

The 888 prefix goes into use March 1 for toll-free calls. It will not replace 800 numbers, but will be an additional code.

The Federal Communications Commission adopted a plan Thursday for introducing the second toll-free exchange.

The FCC is adding the 888 code because the pool of available 800 numbers is expected to run out by spring. The agency said that just 600,000 such numbers remain available.

By using the 888 prefix, telephone companies will have about 7.5 million new numbers to sell, the FCC said.

Beginning Feb. 10, AT&T, MCI, Sprint and other telephone companies that provide toll-free service can begin taking reservations from companies for specific 888 numbers.

About 310,000 ``vanity'' numbers using the 888 prefix already have been requested, the FCC said. Those requests will be set aside until the FCC decides how it wants to distribute the numbers.

- Associated Press

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