OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – If you get a call from an area code not familiar to you, that may be because it’s brand new. Nebraska’s new 531 area code will soon be used for new lines in the eastern third of the state. The state Public Service Commission said Monday that phone companies are running out of numbers in the 402 area code. Regulators began planning for the new area code roughly a decade ago.

Cullen Roberts with the state Public Service Commission says a number of the last 402 prefixes were assigned this spring when a phone company started offering new services. The new 531 area code will be overlaid on top of the 402 area, so current 402 customers won’t be forced to switch phone numbers.

But all calls in the area will require the area code plus the seven-digit telephone number.