Telephone numbers in Oceania

Australia

Country Code: +61
International Call Prefix: 0011
Trunk Prefix: 0

Telephone numbers in Australia consist of a single-digit area code (prefixed with a '0' when dialing within Australia) and eight-digit local numbers, the first four, five or six of which specify the exchange, and the remaining four, three or two a line at that exchange. (Most exchanges though have several exchange codes.) Within Australia, the area code is only required to call from one area code to another.

Australia is divided geographically into a small number of large area codes, some of which cover more than one state and territory. Prior to the introduction of eight-digit numbers in the early-to-mid-1990's, telephone numbers were seven digits in the major capital cities, with a double - digit area code, and six digits in other areas with a three - digit area code. There were more than sixty such codes by 1990, with numbers running out, thus spurring the reorganization.

Following reorganization of the numbering plan between 1994[1] and 1998, the following numbering ranges are now used:

1Domestic number nation-wide, e.g. 1800, 1900, 1300, data services
02New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory
03Victoria and Tasmania
04Mobile phone services (National numbers)
05"Follow me" services (National numbers)
07Queensland
08Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia (including Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands).

National numbers have no geographic significance. Other numbers relate to a particular telephone service area.

However, allowances are made for regional variations; sometimes the codes do not strictly follow state borders. For example, Broken Hill in New South Wales uses the 08 area code, due to its closer proximity to Adelaide than the state capital Sydney, and Broken Hill area's inclusion in the Australian Central Standard Time zone. The previous area code for Broken Hill was (080). Other examples include towns in Southern New South Wales close to the border with Victoria that use the 03 (Victoria and Tasmania) prefix, including: Balranald, Wentworth and Deniliquin). Some parts of the Tweed Coast of New South Wales have an area code of 07 followed by a subscriber number of 55xx xxxx (and new numbers 56xx xxxx). This means it is the cost of a local call to phone the Gold Coast in neighbouring Queensland, since the metropolis covers both sides of the NSW/Qld border. It is also a local call to adjoining NSW 02 667x xxxx numbers from these areas, and other southern Gold Coast exchanges (07 prefix numbers must dial the 02 to access these).

New Zealand

Country Code: +64
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix: 0

Since 1993, land-line telephone numbers in New Zealand consist of a single-digit area code and seven-digit local numbers, the first three of which generally specify the exchange and the final four a line at that exchange. The domestic long distance prefix is '0'.

The dialing plan used in NZ reflects the national structure implemented by the New Zealand Post Office prior to the privatisation of the telecommunications services (and the creation of the Telecom New Zealand corporation). Domestic phone numbers with a first digit in range 2-8 are generally managed by Telecom. Phone numbers beginning with 9 are usually those from other companies, for example TelstraClear. These allocations were firm until April 2007, whereupon full number portability was introduced; numbers can now be moved between carriers. . There are currently no regions issued numbers starting with 1 - except for the national emergency services access number, '111'.

There are five regional area codes in use for landline calls, For example, a domestic toll call destined for a South Island location requires the dial prefix '03', being domestic-long-distance + 3 for the South Island.

01Telecom NZ Special Services (e.g. Directory 018 (Domestic) 0172 (International))
024099Scott Base in the Ross Dependency
02Mobile (Cellular and Paging)
03South Island and the Chatham Islands
04Wellington Region except the Wairarapa and parts of the Kapiti Coast
05"Other" network access (Non Telecom NZ services)
06Remaining southern and eastern North Island:
07Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Taumarunui
08Telecom NZ Special Services (e.g. Internet Dialup services, Toll Free)
09Auckland and Northland

Mobile phone numbers are prefixed with 02, followed by one digit and the subscriber's number, which is either six, seven or eight digits, dialled in full, e.g. 021 xxx xxx or 027 xxx xxxx. With the introduction of number portability the number prefix is no longer a sure indicator as to the terminating network, but the following table lists the "default" mobile numbering prefixes:

020Orcon
021Vodafone
0222degrees
025Telecom TDMA (No longer in service)
026Pager Services
027Telecom CDMA
028CallPlus
029TelstraClear

Free call services generally use the prefix 0800 (via Telecom NZ) or 0508 (via TelstraClear), while local rate (usually internet access numbers) have the prefix 08xx. Premium rate services use the code 0900 followed by five digits. Neither of these are accessible internationally.

The International dialing prefix is '00', though other prefixes are available (i.e. 0161, for discounted rates, or 0168, for access to USA 1800 numbers).

To dial into New Zealand from overseas, the leading 0 should be dropped from all area codes. (For example, an 021 xxx xxxx number would be reached by dialing +64 21 xxx xxxx).

Australian Antarctic Territory

Country Code: +672 1x
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Christmas Island

Country Code: +61 8 9164 – part of the Australian numbering system
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix: 0

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Country Code: +61 8 9162 – part of the Australian numbering system
International Call Prefix: 0011
Trunk Prefix: 0

Cook Islands

Country Code: +682
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

East Timor

Country Code: +670
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Easter Island

Country Code: +56 32
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Federated States of Micronesia

Country Code: +691
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Fiji

Country Code: +679
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

French Polynesia

Country Code: +689
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Kiribati

Country Code: +686
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Marshall Islands

Country Code: +692
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Nauru

Country Code: +674
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

New Caledonia

Country Code: +687
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Niue

Country Code: +683
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Norfolk Island

Country Code: +672 3
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Palau

Country Code: +680
International Call Prefix: 011 or 012
Trunk Prefix:

Papua New Guinea

Country Code: +675
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Pitcairn Islands

Country Code: +64 xx – previously +870 satellite phone only
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Samoa

Country Code: +685
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Solomon Islands

Country Code: +677
International Call Prefix: 00 or 01
Trunk Prefix:

Tokelau

Country Code: +690
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Tonga

Country Code: +676
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Tuvalu (Ellice Islands)

Country Code: +688
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Vanuatu

Country Code: +678
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

Wallis and Futuna

Country Code: +681
International Call Prefix: 00
Trunk Prefix:

United States Territories

The following Territories of the United States are part of the North American Numbering Plan, and no longer have their own country codes:

References

  1. ↑ Austel: Australia's Telephone Number Plan p. 14

See also