Telephone exchange names

In the United States, the demand for telephone service outpaced the scalability of the alphanumeric system and after introduction of area codes for direct-distance dialing, all-number calling became necessary.

In the early, small telephone networks, it was customary to initiate a connection to another subscriber by requesting the name of the desired party from the operator.

While this method persisted into the 1920s in very small communities,[2] growth of the business soon made this impractical, and subscriber stations were assigned telephone numbers.

Single exchanges (central offices) were typically named after the municipality or location, so that calls to another town could be easily identified.

The selection of central office names was conducted in a careful manner to avoid misunderstanding of the verbal requests.

Eventually, starting in the late 1940s, all local numbering plans were changed to the 2L-5N system to prepare for nationwide Operator Toll Dialing.

In small towns with a single central office, local calls typically required dialing only four digits at most.

In 1915, newly developed panel switching systems were tested in the Mulberry and Waverly exchanges in Newark, New Jersey.

[citation needed] In the early 1950s, AT&T established a list of recommended exchange names that were the result of studies to minimize misunderstandings when spoken.

Several North American numbering plan areas (NPAs) were divided so that more office codes became available to smaller regions.

The first stage in the conversion only the dialed letters were printed, as illustrated in this example: At this stage, telephone companies had the means to assign letter combinations for central office prefixes that were previously unavailable, thus any set of five- or fewer-digit numbers could be expanded to seven digits, without naming conflicts.

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.

Bell Canada, Alberta Government Telephones, and BC Tel completed most conversions of existing numbers during the first half of the 1960s.

In Toronto, historically 2L+4N before numbers were lengthened to accommodate the 1957 introduction of direct distance dialling, the March 1966 directory had no exchange names.

Some Canadian areas at first used original letter schemes, notably Calgary, Alberta, until later standardization within North America.

In smaller communities with four- or five-digit numbers and a single city exchange, central office names appeared for the first time in the late 1950s, and then solely to match the North American direct distance dial standard of a three-digit area code and seven-digit local number.

The names, usually chosen from standard Bell System lists, had no local significance and were short-lived; phase-out began soon after 1960.

Virtually every telephone exchange in Europe was named after a single village, town, or city but sometimes a geographical feature (e.g.

Later, Coded Call Indicator working equipment was installed at some manual exchanges so that the caller could dial all seven digits, and the required number would be displayed to the operator.

The other main UK conurbations followed suit, namely Manchester in 1930 (e.g., DEAnsgate 3414, the number for Kendals department store), Birmingham (in 1931), Glasgow (in 1937), and later Liverpool and Edinburgh (c. 1950).

Telephone exchange names often provide a historical, memorable, and even nostalgic context, personal connection, or identity to a community.

An old 2L-5N format appears in the song title "PEnnsylvania 6-5000" (phone number PE 6-5000), recorded by Glenn Miller.

Other popular songs have used 2L-5N telephone exchanges in their names including: "BEechwood 4-5789", by The Marvelettes; "LOnesome 7-7203 by Hawkshaw Hawkins; and "ECho Valley 2-6809" by The Partridge Family.

The title of BUtterfield 8, the 1935 John O'Hara novel whose film adaptation won Elizabeth Taylor an Academy Award for Best Actress, refers to the exchange of the characters' telephone numbers (on the Upper East Side of Manhattan).

[10] Another movie title based on these types of phone exchanges is director Henry Hathaway's "Call Northside 777" (1948), starring Jimmy Stewart.

The 1952 stage play and screenplay by Frederick Knott "Dial M for Murder" refers to the MAIda Vale number used to summon the intended victim to the telephone.

Face of a 1939 Western Electric 202 or 302 type rotary dial showing the telephone number LA-2697, which includes the first two letters of Lakewood, New Jersey
Educational film produced by Bell which explains the correct use of a dial telephone, using WOrth 4-9970 as an example number
This mid- to late-1950s telephone dial displays the name of telephone exchange Kenmore , in the South Side of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The telephone number of this station is K -9293 . Since the letter K is emboldened, it was a required component of the telephone number, dialed as the digit 5 , as the red lettering indicates.
Telephone numbers listed in 1920 in New York City having three-letter exchange prefixes
Telephone number card of c.1948 with the local telephone number 4-5876 in Atlantic City, NJ, using the central office prefix 4 . It was later converted to AT4 to produce a 2L-5N telephone number.