A new 458 area code for Eastern Oregon is going into operation this summer.

It also will mean conversion to 10-digit dialing from seven digits in some rural areas.

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission approved the additional area code, which is being overlaid on the existing 541 code for much of the state.

For many years, nearly the entire state Oregon had a single area code of 503, which now operates only in the Portland metro area, Salem and the north coast.

After the 541 code was added to the outlying areas of the state, a 971 code was overlaid in Portland to expand the available numbers in the metro area.

The new code is the fourth for the state.