Columbia, SC (WLTX) -The Midlands will be getting a new area code in the not too distant future.
The North American Numbering Plan Administrator announced this week that the Midlands--including the Columbia area--will have an additional prefix, 839, that will join the current one, 803.
Service providers are expected to have the new code ready to go by about the middle of 2020. At that point, they can start issuing numbers beginning with 839.
The new code will cover the exact same geographic region as 803, which includes areas from Rock Hill at the North Carolina border through Columbia and down to the Georgia border. (You can see that area in the map below)
To be clear, 839 will not replace the 803 area code: the old number will still exist, and anyone who has a current 803 number won't have to change it. The 839 code will be only for new lines that are issued.
There will be one change, however: once the 839 is in place, everyone in the area will have to dial the area code for all calls, even local ones.
South Carolina has three other area codes: 864, which covers the Upstate, and 843 and 854, which includes the coastal region.