Yes, Atlanta is getting a new area code

ATLANTA — Thousands of Verizon service customers received an alert Tuesday from their provider announcing a new area code for the Atlanta area. 

Verizon said the new 943 area code will be activated in a month, adding customers could check out the phone numbers available on its dedicated website verizon.com/943overlay. However, some customers have expressed hesitancy over the message, questioning if it is a scam.

THE QUESTION

Is Atlanta getting 943 as a new area code?

THE SOURCES

• Verizon
• North American Numbering Plan Administration
• Georgia Public Service Commission

THE ANSWER

Yes, as metro Atlanta continues to grow, cell phone services will now include the 943 area code for new customers.

WHAT WE FOUND

Atlanta's current area codes are reaching their limit as most 10-digit combinations have been used up, according to data provided by the North American Numbering Plan Administration. The agency previously notified the Georgia Public Service Commission that the current collection of Atlanta area codes can be expected to be exhausted by the second quarter of 2023. 

According to the Georgia Public Service Commission, it's the first new area code in metro Atlanta since 470 was introduced in 2010. The area code perhaps most synonymous with Atlanta, 404, was the original statewide area code for Georgia in 1947. The 770 and 678 area codes arrived in the 90s.

According to the commission, 943 "is expected to fulfill Metro Atlanta's needs for 10 years."

The area covered by 943, according to the commission, will include Alpharetta, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Forest Park, Gainesville, Griffin, Lawrenceville, Mableton, Marietta, Peachtree City, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Smyrna and Tucker.