Many Iowans will be getting a new phone company this weekend. Iowa Telecom has bought G.T.E.’s Iowa operations, covering nearly 300 communities and 280-thousand telephone lines. Iowa Telecom spokeswoman Julie White says the company takes over on Saturday. White says there should be no interruption in service and the only change customers will see is the return address on the bill. White says Iowans might need the reminder that the 5-1-5 area code will be splitting up next month. As of July 9th, people in the new 6-4-1 zone will be able to start using their new numbers. All soon-to-be former G-T-E customers should be getting packets in the mail this week, telling them about the changes. Using the new area code will become mandatory in December. With the acquisition, Iowa Telecom will become the nation’s 14th-largest telephone company and the second largest in Iowa.
