Location of Australia (dark green) |
|
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Continent | Australia |
| Access codes | |
| Country calling | +61 |
| International prefix | 0011 |
| Trunk prefix | 0 |
| Dial plan | |
| Regulator | Australian Communications and Media Authority |
| Type | Open |
| NSN length | 8 |
| Typical format | (0x) xxxx xxxx |
Country Code: +61
International Call Prefix: 0011
Trunk Prefix: 0
The Australian telephone numbering plan describes the allocation of phone numbers in Australia. It has changed many times, the most recent major reorganisation by the Australian Communications Authority taking place between 1994 and 1998.[1]
Contents |
Australia is divided geographically into four large area codes, most of which cover more than one state and/or territory. The standard telephone number in Australia (which within the telecommunications industry is referred to as a FNN - Full National Number) has ten digits, of which the first is '0'.
The first digits specify the type of service. The following list is a high level of numbering plan presented in domestic format. Geographical region boundaries do not exactly follow state borders.
Internationally the first 0 is replaced by the +61 country code (e.g. +61 2 xxxx xxxx for NSW or +61 4 xxxx xxxx for a mobile number). Some numbers beginning with a 1 may be dialled without any replacement. (see below) There has been careful planning to avoid clashing with 01x numbers in this case.
End-user numbers are 10 digits long, conventionally written in the form (0x) xxxx xxxx for geographic and 04xx xxx xxx for mobile numbers. If the number is written where it may be viewed by an international audience (e.g. on an email signature or website) then the number is often written as +61 x xxxx xxxx or +61 4xx xxx xxx respectively (the initial 0 is not used for calls from overseas).
Fixed line telephone numbers in Australia consist of the area code (two digits, starting with '0'), and an eight-digit local number. The area codes do not exactly match state boundaries. Notably the part of NSW around Broken Hill (a large part of the state's area but less than 1% of its population), which uses (08) 80xx numbers; and Wodonga, which is in Victoria but are within the NSW (02) area code. The first four, five or six "local" digits generally specify the CCA (Call Collection Area)(exchange), and the remaining digits a line at that exchange. Virtually all exchanges have more than one prefix: prefixes were added as demand grew.
Landlines use an open dialing plan: if the caller's phone shares the same area code as the receiver, the area code may be omitted. For example a call from the number (02) 5551 5678, to the number (02) 7010 1111, will get through if the caller only dials 7010 1111. Similarly, a person who dials 7010 5678 on a landline or mobile phone in Melbourne (i.e., within the 03 area) will be connected to 03 7010 5678. For this reason, landline numbers are often given out without the area code. If your number and the destination number share the same area code, then the area code is not required, even if it isn't a "local" call.
Mobile phone numbers begin with 04, followed by eight digits. e.g. 04yy yxx xxx. The y-digit codes are allocated per network, although with the introduction of number portability, there is no longer a fixed relationship between the mobile phone number and the network it uses. New numbers are still allocated to phone companies in blocks, so a new number will generally still be on its "home" network.
Mobile numbers must always be dialed as complete 10 digits, no matter where they are being called from. 04 is a prefix, not an "area code", as such.
Geographical areas are identified by the first few digits of the local number:
Central East region (02)
|
South-east region (03)
|
North-east region (07)
|
Central and West region (08)
|
|
Sydney
|
Melbourne
|
Brisbane
|
Adelaide
|
Perth
|
Each mobile phone company is allocated numbers in blocks, which are listed below. However mobile number portability means an individual number might have been "ported". There are also many MVNOs which use numbers from their wholesaler or might have their own ranges. A search function is also available on the ACMA website.
| 04xx | 04x0 | 04x1 | 04x2 | 04x3 | 04x4 | 04x5 | 04x6 | 04x7 | 04x8 | 04x9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 040x | Telstra | Optus | Vodafone | Telstra | ||||||
| 041x | Vodafone | Optus | Vodafone | Telstra | ||||||
| 042x | 0420 Multi | Optus | Vodafone | Telstra | ||||||
| 043x | Vodafone | Optus | Vodafone | Optus | Spare | Telstra | ||||
| 044x | Spare | 0444 Multi | Spare | 0446 Multi | Telstra | Vodafone | ||||
| 045x | Vodafone | Spare | Telstra | |||||||
| 046x | Spare | Optus | Telstra | 0468 Multi | LycaMobile | |||||
| 047x | LycaMobile | Spare | Telstra | Optus | 0479 Multi | |||||
| 048x | Spare | Telstra | 0488 Multi | 0489 Multi | ||||||
| 049x | Spare | Telstra | ||||||||
| Multi | Range | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| 0420 | 0420 000 000 - 0420 019 999 | Rail Corporation New South Wales |
| 0420 020 000 - 0420 099 999 | Spare | |
| 0420 100 000 - 0420 109 999 | Pivotel Satellite Pty Limited | |
| 0420 110 000 - 0420 199 999 | Spare | |
| 0420 200 000 - 0420 999 999 | Vodafone | |
| 0444 | 0444 000 000 - 0444 399 999 | Spare |
| 0444 400 000 - 0444 499 999 | Telstra | |
| 0444 500 000 - 0444 699 999 | Spare | |
| 0446 | 0446 000 000 - 0446 199 999 | Spare |
| 0446 200 000 - 0446 299 999 | 04GO Better | |
| 0446 300 000 - 0446 599 999 | Spare | |
| 0446 600 000 - 0446 699 999 | 04GO Better | |
| 0446 700 000 - 0446 999 999 | Spare | |
| 0468 | 0468 000 000 - 0468 299 999 | Spare |
| 0468 300 000 - 0468 999 999 | Optus | |
| 0479 | 0479 000 000 - 0479 199 999 | Optus |
| 0479 200 000 - 0479 999 999 | Spare | |
| 0488 | 0488 000 000 - 0488 799 999 | Telstra |
| 0488 800 000 - 0488 899 999 | My Number Pty Ltd | |
| 0488 900 000 - 0488 999 999 | Telstra | |
| 0489 | 0489 000 000 - 0489 839 999 | Spare |
| 0489 840 000 - 0489 849 999 | Victorian Rail Track | |
| 0489 850 000 - 0489 999 999 | Spare |
Numbers beginning with 014 are predominantly used for satellite services. Parts of the 014 prefix had been used as a 9 digit, AMPS mobile phone access code. While these parts are still "reserved" for analogue mobile phone services there are none allocated for this purpose.
The 01471 prefix is the 10 digit replacement for the previous, 9 digit ITERRA satellite phone code 0071 xxxxx. Prior to its use for ITERRA (and other satellite services). These numbers were allocated in March 1999.
0145xxxxxx numbers are used for services utilised on the Optus network in Australia. This is predominantly used for MobileSat and Thuraya mobile satellite services. These numbers were allocated in December 1992: 220,000 with the rest "spare".
The prefixes 0141, 0142, 0143, 0145 and 0147 are set aside for satellite systems - presumably the entire 014 prefix will eventually be made available. However, there is not a lot of demand for these services, and many satellite phones now have normal mobile phone numbers (prefix 04).
All calls to 0198 numbers are a "local call" cost like 13 and 1300 numbers but are used for internet service provider access numbers. They are used both with dial up modems and ISDN. e.g. 0198 379 000 is the Dial-Up PoP number for iiNet
Some numbers are still in the plan that are no longer used.
The 016 prefix is used for pagers. As of March 2011 only 1000 numbers are allocated.
The 015 and 018 prefixes (along with parts of 014 and 017) were used for Analogue (AMPS) mobile phones. As of March 2011 only 3 numbers are allocated. These numbers were migrated into the 04 range in the late 1990s early 2000s.
The following codes are not generally dialable from international points, but used in domestic dialling:
Some notes:
The current numbering plan would appear to be sufficient to cope with potential increase in demand for services for quite some time to come. The 06 and 09 area codes are completely unused, plus each current area code has large spaces unallocated.
000 is the primary emergency telephone number in Australia. Secondary emergency numbers are 106 (for use by the hearing impaired with a TTY terminal) and the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112.
Increased awareness of the 112 emergency number in Australia has led to the potential for confusion over which number to call in an emergency. As a secondary emergency number, 112 is not guaranteed to work from all technologies; most notably, it does not work from land lines.[5] In order to encourage use of 000, mobile telephones imported commercially into Australia are required to be programmed to treat 000 in the same fashion as 112 (i.e. dialling with key lock enabled, use of any carrier, preferential routing, etc.). On older or privately imported (e.g. roaming from another country) telephones, 000 may not receive such preferential treatment.
A proposed amendment to the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 would prevent carriers from providing emergency services access to SIM-less devices, i.e. mobile telephones that do not have a SIM installed.[6]
Australia uses the free call prefix 1800 for 10 digit freecall numbers. This is copied from the North American or NANPA prefix 1-800, but while in North America, the 1 is the long-distance or toll prefix and 800 is the area code; 1800 in Australia is itself a "virtual area code" (prior to the introduction of 8-digit numbers, the free call code was 008). There are also seven digit freecall numbers beginning with 180 - the only numbers currently allocated begin with 1802.
The 13 and 1300 numbers are known as Local Rate Numbers or SmartNumbers.[7] They are also known as priority 13, and priority 1300 numbers.[8] These work across large areas (potentially the whole of Australia) and only charge the caller a low cost, routing the call to the appropriate place in a given area. For example, a company could have the number 139999 and have the telephone company set it up so that calls made in Melbourne would route to their Melbourne number, calls made in Brisbane to their Brisbane number, and calls made anywhere else in Australia route to their Sydney number, all at a local charge cost to the caller. 13 numbers were not available before the introduction of the new numbering plan. Businesses looking for local callers tend to connect a "1300". Note that these numbers are called "Local Rate" and not "Local" numbers, so do not necessarily cost the same as a local call: Indeed many (landline and mobile) phone plans do not even include them in the "included" credit and/or charge them at a higher rate than "normal" numbers.
1800, 1300 and 13 numbers are reverse charge networks. There is no real difference between a 13 number and a 1300 number other than the length of the number, though the shorter number has a higher fee for the owner of the number. The difference between a 13 number and an 1800 number is that a 13 number attracts a local call connect fee (around 25c) when dialled from a landline. A call to an 1800 is free when dialled from a landline. Note that higher fees usually apply when either type of number is dialled from a mobile phone. These numbers "forward" to a geographic or mobile number. When a 13 number is called by a user in the same local call area there is usually no cost to the recipient for the first 20 minutes. The recipient is usually charged at a set rate per second for each call, depending on plan and destination.
190x (not to be confused with 0198) is the prefix for premium rate services (e.g. recorded information, competition lines, psychics, phone sex, etc.). (Prior to the introduction of 8-digit numbers, the area code was 0055.) 190 numbers incur a rate as charged by the provider - either at a per-minute rate (limited at $5.50 per minute) or a fixed rate (up to $38.50 per call). The latter method is most often used for fax-back services, where a timed charge is not appropriate. Costs of 190 calls for competitions involving chance are also often limited by state legislation to $0.55 per call. (In the previous numbering plan, 0055 numbers were limited to three bands: Premium Rate, Value Rate and Budget Rate, with per minute rates of $0.75, $0.60 and $0.40 respectively.)
Other numbers beginning with 19 are used for premium-rate SMS services. These were originally trialled using the 188 prefix. These can actually range from a standard SMS cost (usually 25c), up to 55c for competition use, to several dollars for other uses, such as unique bid auctions.
The main international prefix is 0011. (For mobile phones, the plus symbol "+" can be used instead of the prefix.[1][2])
There are other codes for using a non-default carrier or a special plan:
However, carrier selection codes (14xx) are now also used, and carrier pre-selection is widely used.
These numbers would be dialled before the destination number to be billed by a provider other than your normal biller. For example, to use AAPT to call Japan one would dial 1414 0011 81 xxx xxx xxxx, or to use Optus to call a Perth number one would dial 1456 08 xxxx xxxx.
These codes are only true for Telstra-infrastructure based landline phones
0055 numbers were previously premium-rate numbers, but have been moved into 190 numbers before 1999. They are still referenced by many Australians.
013 was previously the directory assistance number, which has been moved to 1223, 1234 and 12456.
014 was originally the number for the time, which later was changed to 1104, and more recently 1194.
0176 was previously the reverse-charge call operator, which has been moved to 12550 or 3rd-party companies such as 1800 REVERSE.
Until the early 1960s, the first one or two digits of telephone numbers in metropolitan areas were alphabetical, with each letter representing a distinct number on the telephone dial. Each one-letter or two-letter code signified an exchange within an urban area. Rural and regional areas typically relied on manual exchanges, or only one automatic exchange for the whole town, so rural and regional numbers did not feature these letter prefixes.
This alphanumeric scheme was significantly different from the current system used for SMS messages.
The former alphanumeric scheme was:
The old call back number was 199, and could be used on public pay phones, and private numbers too. This has been moved to a new number 12722199.
Former Australian dialling codes
|
||||||||