East Tennessee to Introduce New Area Code 729 for Existing 423 Region

East Tennessee is set to introduce its new area code, 729, for the existing 423 region due to the continuous surge in population. This change has been approved by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission and will come into effect on August 5. Existing phone numbers with the 423 area code will remain unchanged. The new 729 will be assigned exclusively to new lines, and customers will now be required to dial the area code along with the seven-digit telephone number to complete local calls. However, this change will not affect the price of local calls, nor would it impede the dialing of emergency service numbers.

From August 5, ten-digit dialing will be recommended for local calls; though, a grace period of six-months is being provided for customers to adjust to this change. Starting in February, all local calls within the 423 area code will mandatorily require ten-digit dialing, and seven-digit calls will no longer be completed.

Parts of East Tennessee are set to receive the new area code. These include communities such as Ball Play, Cokercreek, Englewood, Niota, Riceville, Tellico Plains, and Vonore. Centred in the 423 zone, Knoxville and Oak Ridge cater to the 865 area code serving the metro area. When the 865 area code was initiated in 1999, its digits were deliberately chosen to spell VOL on a phone keypad in a nod to the University of Tennessee sports, aiming to make the transition more palatable.

Tennessee’s population has seen a significant rise in recent years. Knox County in particular, is predicted to experience explosive growth in the forthcoming 20 years. Projections from the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization and the University of Tennessee Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research estimate approximately 80,000 more residents in Knox County by 2045 than currently in 2024. Akin to Knox, Rutherford County in Middle Tennessee is also amongst the state’s fastest-growing counties. Last year, this county witnessed a 1.8% increase, accumulating over 360,000 residents.