BOISE - Idaho regulators say the state will get a second area code as soon as 2017, which will require 10-digit dialing for the first time throughout the state.
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission announced Tuesday that they have been requested to begin a 16-month implementation process for a second area code.
Officials say that without a new area code, Idaho's signature 208 area code will run out of numbers in mid-2018.
PUC spokesman Gene Fadness says Idaho will likely adopt a new area code that will overlay existing 208 users rather than split the state into two divisions to assign the new number.
Currently, 12 other states have just one area code. However, five of those are also weighing proposals to add a second area code.
