710 Area Code
US Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)
The 710 area code is reserved for the US federal government. In practice only one number is in use: 710-NCS-GETS (the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service).
How 710 is used
Effectively only one number is in service in area code 710: 710-627-4387 (710-NCS-GETS), the universal access point for the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service. Authorized national-security and emergency-preparedness personnel dial it and then enter a 12-digit PIN to get high-probability call completion during network congestion or disaster; unauthorized callers reach an operator who asks for credentials. Ordinary callers cannot use 710 for any other purpose.
- Purpose
- US Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS)
- Assignee
- NANPA on behalf of the US federal government (administered by CISA / DHS)
- Dialed as
- 1-710-NXX-XXXX
History
Creation: Area code 710 was reserved exclusively for the US federal government in 1983, after its previous life as a TWX code for the northeastern United States ended in 1981. It became operational for the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service on September 18, 1994. GETS is now administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Relieved: Area code 710 was activated to relieve Legacy TWX use of 710 in the northeastern US (retired 1981).
Mnemonics: Prior to 1995, the middle digit of area codes was restricted to 0 or 1, which do not correspond to letters on a phone's dialing pad. Because 710 contains 0 or 1, it has no mnemonic letter equivalent.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_710.
Other special-use area codes
Same-category codes first, then the rest of the NANP special-use portfolio.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is area code 710 used for?
710 is a special-use area code in the North American Numbering Plan. The 710 area code is reserved for the US federal government. In practice only one number is in use: 710-NCS-GETS (the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service).
How is 710 dialed?
Numbers in 710 are dialed as a full ten-digit number (1-710-NXX-XXXX). It is a non-geographic area code, so 1-710 numbers are not tied to any city or state.
Who assigns 710 numbers?
NANPA on behalf of the US federal government (administered by CISA / DHS)
What did 710 relieve or replace?
Area code 710 was activated to relieve Legacy TWX use of 710 in the northeastern US (retired 1981) as that pool of numbers neared exhaustion.
When did area code 710 go into service?
Area code 710 was placed into service on Reserved 1983; operational for GETS on September 18, 1994.