Mandatory 10-digit phone dialing begins Oct. 24

Beginning Oct. 24, mandatory 10-digit dialing will start to take effect across South Dakota. On and after this date, you must dial the area code + telephone number for all local calls. Local calls dialed with only seven digits may not be completed. Instead, a recording may inform you that your call cannot be completed as dialed.

This new required dialing pattern is the result of the Federal Communications Commission’s effort to establish 988 as a three-digit dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.

“It’s important to remember that the transition to 10...