The new 624 area code will be an overlay to the existing 716 area code

Albany, NY – July 11, 2023 – FirstLight, a leading provider of digital infrastructure services to enterprise and carrier customers throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, is informing its New York customers and communities today that Western New York is getting a new 624 area code later this year affecting newly assigned phone numbers.

To meet the increasing demand for residential and business phone numbers, the New York Public Service Commission approved an overlay area code to be added to the current 716 area code that serves all or portions of Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties.

The new overlay area code will be assigned to newly issued telephone numbers in that region once all unassigned 716 telephone numbers are exhausted and will apply to new telephone numbers in the area regardless of service type.

Later this year, customers in the 716 region requesting new service, an additional line, or a move in the location of their service, may be assigned a number in the new 624 area code. It was anticipated that the new numbers could be assigned as early as November 2023.

Existing customers in the 716 area code will not be impacted by the new overlay area code. The new area code is projected to provide telephone numbers for approximately 29 years.

Among the highlights of the change:

  • Current telephone numbers, including current area code, will not change.
  • The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the overlay.
  • Calls now considered local will continue to remain local calls.
  • Calls between 624 and 716 area codes are local calls.
  • Consumers will continue to dial the area code + telephone number for all calls to other area codes.
  • Calls to reach 911 Emergency Service and similar public service agencies will remain three digit.