Telephone numbers in Australia

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 and Media Authority taking place between 1994 and 1998.[1]

Australia telephone numbers
Location of Australia (dark green)
Location
CountryAustralia
ContinentOceania
RegulatorAustralian Communications and Media Authority
TypeOpen
NSN length9
Typical format(0x) xxxx xxxx;
Access codes
Country calling code+61
International call prefix0011
Trunk prefix0

Overview

For landline telephony, Australia is now geographically divided into four large areas, most of which cover more than one State and/or Territory. All "Local" telephone numbers within these four areas are of eight digits, consisting (mainly) of a four digit "Exchange" code plus a four digit number. The "National 'Significant' Number" consists of a single digit "Area" code followed by the "Local" eight digit number – a total of nine digits. Within Australia, to access the "Number" of a landline telephone in an "Area" other than that in which the caller is located (including a caller using a "Mobile" 'phone), it is first necessary to dial the Australian "Trunk Access Code" of 0 plus the "Area" code, followed by the "Local" Number. Thus, the "Full National Number" (FNN) has ten digits: 0x xxxx xxxx.

  • 00 International and Emergency access (see below for details)
  • 01 Alternative phone services
    • 014 Satellite phones
    • 0163 Pager numbers
    • 0198 Data numbers (e.g. 0198 308 888 is the dial-up PoP number for Telstra)
  • 02 Geographic: Central East region (NSW, ACT)
  • 03 Geographic: South-east region (VIC, TAS)
  • 04 Digital Mobile services (3G, 4G, 5G and GSM)
  • 0550 Location Independent Communication Services
  • 07 Geographic: North-east region (QLD)
  • 08 Geographic: Central and West region (SA, NT, WA)
  • 1 Non-geographic numbers (mostly for domestic use only; see below of details)

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. In addition, each current area code has large number "ranges" unallocated.

When dialling from outside Australia, after dialling the appropriate International Access Code it is necessary to dial the Country Code for Australia (61) followed by the nine digit "National 'Significant' Number". (The + symbol is used to represent the International Access Code, e.g. +61 3 xxxx xxxx for a number in Victoria/Tasmania or +61 4 xxxx xxxx for a "Mobile" number). Some numbers beginning with a 1 may be dialled without any replacement, after dialling the required International Access Code and the Country Code for Australia (+61). (see below)

Australian "Local Area" numbers are of eight digits in length, conventionally written in the form xxxx xxxx. "Mobile" (Cell Phone) numbers are written in the form of ten digits in length since, when dialed within Australia, the Trunk Access Code 0 must be included, plus 4, which indicates the Service required is a "Mobile" number. Mobile numbers are conventionally written 04xx xxx xxx. If a landline or mobile number is written where it may be viewed by an international audience (e.g. in an email signature or on a website) then the number is often written as +61 x xxxx xxxx or +61 4 xxxx xxxx respectively.

(The Australian National "Trunk Access Code" of 0 is not used for calls originated from locations outside Australia.)

Geographic numbers

Fixed line telephone numbers in Australia

(Within Australia, to access a number in another "Area" it is first necessary to dial the "Trunk Access Code" of 0, followed by the "Area Code" and then the specific "Local" number).

In major centres, the first four digits specify the CCA (Call Collection Area, also known as an "exchange"), and the remaining digits specify a number at that exchange, up to 10,000 of which may be connected. Smaller Exchanges in more remote areas may mean that no more than 1,000 or 100 numbers respectively could be connected to such exchanges.

To access numbers in the same area, it is necessary only to dial the eight digits concerned. To access a number in another "Area" it is first necessary to dial the "Trunk Access Code" of 0, followed by the area code (2, 3, 7 or 8) and then the specific "Local" number.

The area codes do not exactly match State/Territory boundaries. Notable are the part of New South Wales around Broken Hill (a large part of the state's area but less than 1% of its population), which uses (08) 80xx numbers,[2] and Wodonga, which is in Victoria but is within the New South Wales (02) area code. Similarly New South Wales border towns including Deniliquin and Buronga are within the South East (Victorian) (03) area code. Physical exchanges can be allocated one or more prefixes and modern technology allows sub-sets of these number ranges to be allocated to switching entities physically located at a distance from the "exchange" in which their controlling computer is located. (Thus, the concept of what is a "telephone exchange" can become somewhat blurred.)

Landlines use an open dialling plan: if the caller's phone shares the same area code as the called phone, the area code may be omitted. For example, a call from the number (02) 5551 5678, to the number (02) 7010 1111, will be connected if the caller dials only 7010 1111. Similarly, a person who dials 7010 5678 on a land-line 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 specified without the area code. If a person's number and the destination number share the same area code, then the area code is not required, even if it is not a "local" (untimed) call.

However, the "Full National Number" may always be dialled. In fact, the full "International Number" may always be dialled, since the Australian telephone network has the "intelligence" to recognise when the destination required is either "International", in a different "National" area or within the "Local" area – and to switch and charge the call accordingly. Thus, it is strongly recommended that telephone numbers should be stored in mobile phones in the form of the full "International Number", should the owner of the phone be likely to use the phone concerned in an area away from "home", either within Australia or internationally.

Mobile phones

Within Australia, mobile phone numbers begin with 04 or 05 – the Australian National "Trunk Access Code" 0, plus the Mobile indicator 4 or 5 – followed by eight digits. This is generally written as 04 aaaa bbbb or 04aa bbb ccc within Australia, or as +61 4 aaaa bbbb for an international audience. Whilst this format may be viewed as incorrect, it is the result of mobile carriers advertising numbers in such a way so as to clearly identify the owning telco prior to mobile number portability, introduced on 25 September 2001. Prior to MNP, mobile operators generally reserved number ranges in blocks of 04 aa.

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.

In 2015 the 05 prefix (other than 0550) was also reserved for Digital Mobile Phones as a part of the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2015. However, as of 2019 no numbers have been allocated with this prefix.

Within Australia, mobile numbers must always be dialed with all 10 digits, regardless of the caller's location.

Geographic numbers

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)
  1. Prefixes proposed by ACMA and legislated in early 2008.[3] Note, some of these numbers are now actually in use
  2. New in 2012
  3. Added since renumbering
  4. 0x 5550 and 0x 7010 reserved for fictitious use.[4]

Non-geographic numbers

Mobile phone numbers (04, 05)

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.

ACMA planned to introduce the "05" range for mobile numbers in 2017, when the "04" range was expected to be exhausted.[5] So far, no such numbers have been introduced.

Allocation for numbers in the range 04 xyz0 0000 – 04 xyz9 9999
y 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
040yz Telstra Optus Vodafone Telstra
041yz Vodafone Optus Vodafone Telstra
042yz * Vodafone Optus Vodafone Telstra
043yz Vodafone Optus Vodafone Optus Telstra
044yz Spare T * Spare Telstra Vodafone
045yz Vodafone Spare Telstra
046yz Telstra Spare Optus Telstra Optus Lycamobile
047yz Lycamobile Spare Telstra Optus
048yz T Spare Optus Spare Telstra Spare Telstra P T * * P
049yz Telstra * Spare Telstra
*Allocation of numbers in these ranges
Multi Range Provider
04200 04 20000 000 – 04 20019 999 Rail Corporation New South Wales
04 20020 000 – 04 20029 999 Dialogue Communications Pty Limited
04 20030 000 – 04 20039 999 Symbio Network Pty Ltd
04 20040 000 – 04 20089 999 Spare
04 20090 000 – 04 20099 999 CLX
04201 04 20100 000 – 04 20109 999 Pivotel Satellite Pty Limited
04 20110 000 – 04 20119 999 COMPATEL Limited
04 20120 000 – 04 20199 999 Spare
04445 04 44500 000 – 04 44599 999 MBLOX
04888 04 88800 000 – 04 88899 999 Pivotel
04890 04 89000 000 – 04 89099 999 Novatel Telephony Pty Ltd
04898 04 89800 000 – 04 89839 999 Spare
04 89840 000 – 04 89849 999 Victorian Rail Track
04 89850 000 – 04 89899 999 Spare
04899 04 89900 000 – 04 89999 999 Pivotel
04915 04 91500 000 – 04 91569 999 Spare
04 91570 000 – 04 91579 999 ACMA
04 91580 000 – 04 91599 999 Spare

The numbers 04 91570 156, 04 91570 157, 04 91570 158, 04 91570 159 and 04 91570 110 are reserved for fictitious use.[6]

Satellite phone numbers (014)

Numbers beginning with 014 are predominantly used for satellite services. Parts of the 014 prefix had previously been used as a 9 digit, AMPS mobile phone access code.

The 01471 prefix is the ten-digit replacement for the previous, nine-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: 222,000 with the rest "spare".

The prefixes 0141, 0142, 0143, 0145 and 0147 are set aside for satellite systems; the rest of the 014 prefix range is currently not allocated to any other service type. There is not a lot of demand for these services, and many satellite phones now have normal mobile phone numbers (prefix 04), so it is not likely for the entire 014 range to be allocated to satellite services.

Location independent communications service (0550)

These numbers are designed for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems, where they work like a fixed number but not allocated on a geographical level. It is possible that LICS numbers will be absorbed into mobile numbers in the future, as they provide similar features. Indeed, the July 2012 variation of the numbering plan allocated the rest of the 05 range to digital mobile numbering.[7]

Data numbers (0198)

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 308 888 is the dial-up PoP number for Telstra Internet

Obsolete numbers

Most numbers that are no longer used have been removed from the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 2015, whether in previous variations or in this complete replacement. (See below)

However, the 0163 prefix is still allocated for use with pagers. This was reduced from 016 in a variation to the previous numbering plan. As of March 2011 only 1000 numbers were allocated, and by the end of 2012 there were none allocated.

Non-geographic numbers (domestic use)

The following codes are not generally dialable from international points, but used in domestic dialling:

  • 000 – Emergency (Police, Fire, Ambulance)
  • 106 – TTY emergency (for the hearing-impaired)
  • 11 – Community services
    • 1100 – Dial Before You Dig (to prevent inadvertent damage to underground cables or infrastructure)
    • 112 – Alternative access to Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance; diallable from GSM mobile phones only)
    • 119x – Information services (e.g. 1194 was time (no longer available from 1 October 2019) and 1196 was weather (no longer available from 1 October 2019))
  • 12 – Network services
    • 1221 – International faults reporting service
    • 1222 – Call costs and enquiries service
    • 1223 – Directory assistance
    • 1225 – International directory assistance
    • 123x – Premium operator services (e.g. 1234 is Sensis personal assistance)
    • 124xx – Other operator services (e.g. 12456 is Sensis Call Connect)
    • 125xxx – Telstra mobile services (e.g. 125111 is Telstra mobile customer service)
    • 1268x, 1268 xxxx and 1268 xxx xxx – Internal network services
    • 127 – Testing numbers (e.g. 12722123 reads your number from a Telstra line, 12723123 reads your number for an Optus line) (length varies), dial 12722199 then hang up and the call is returned by the exchange (used to test handset functionality)
    • 1282 – Call information service
    • 128xx – Call information service
  • 13 xx xx and 1300 xxx xxx – "Local Rate" calls, except for VoIP and mobile phone users
  • 1345 xxxx – Local rate calls (only used for back-to-base monitored alarm systems)
  • 14xx – Carrier override prefixes (e.g. 1411 is the override prefix for the Telstra network; see below for details)
  • 180 xxxx and 1800 xxx xxx – FreeCall
  • 183x – Caller identification override prefixes (1831 blocks caller-id sending while 1832 unblocks caller-id sending)
  • 188 xxxx – Premium SMS (since moved to 19 range)
  • 189 xx – Calling card service
  • 19 xx xx and 19xx xxxx – Premium SMS
  • 190x xxx xxx – Premium rate services (usually 1902 and 1900)

Some notes:

  • These numbers do not have a Trunk Access Code prefix (0).
  • The 106 number is believed to be the first nationwide TTY emergency service in the world.
  • 13 xx xx, 1300 xxx xxx and 1800 xxx xxx numbers can provide source-based routing, used by organisations such as pizza chains that advertise one number nationwide that connects customers to their nearest store.
  • Virtually all FreeCall numbers in use are 1800 xxx xxx, though some organisations do use the shorter 7-digit version.[8]
  • Some of these numbers are dialable from locations outside Australia. It is up to the individual owner to set this up correctly (for 13 and 18 numbers at least) (e.g. +61 13x xxx)
  • 911 will not re-route to triple zero as the prefix 911x has been allocated to landlines under the current numbering plan.[9] 911 may redirect to 000 when using a mobile phone, like 112, but it is not encouraged as knowledge of these numbers causes confusion

Emergency services numbers (000, 106, 112)

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 landlines.[10] 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.).[11] 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.[12]

Local Rate and FreeCall numbers (13, 180)

Australia uses the free call prefix 1800 for 10 digit freecall numbers. This is similar to 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.[13] They are also known as priority 13, and priority 1300 numbers. These work across large areas (potentially the whole of Australia) and charge the caller only 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 current 8-digit local numbering plan. Businesses looking for local callers tend to connect to a "1300" number. 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.

Though promoted as "local call rate" calls, calls to 13 and 1300 numbers cost more than a local call fee for those people using VoIP and having all local and national calls free.

1800, 1300 and 13 numbers are reverse charge networks. Other than the length of the number, the differences between a 13 number and a 1300 number is that the shorter number has a higher fee for the owner of the number: there should be no difference in cost to the caller. A call to an 1800 is free when dialled from a landline, and mobile phones since 2014.[14] It depends on the individual mobile plan as how 13 and 1300 numbers are charged: all plans no longer charge for 1800 but 13 and 1300 may still be charged at a high rate, or outside included calls.

These numbers "forward" to a geographic or mobile number. The recipient is usually charged at a set rate per second for each call, depending on plan and destination.

Premium numbers (19)

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 local numbers, the prefix 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 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.

International access

Default (0011)

The main international prefix is 0011. (E.164 international format is supported from phones with the ability to dial the '+' symbol.[15])

Others

There are other codes for using a non-default carrier or a special plan:

  • 0014 will route through the Primus network
    • 0015 formerly used the Telstra network on a special mode for international faxing. Telstra has retired this code
  • 0019 will use the Optus network
  • Other 4 and 5 digit prefixes beginning with 001 (and even 009) are available but have not been allocated.

However, carrier selection codes (14xx) are now also used, and carrier pre-selection is widely used.

Override prefixes/Carrier Codes

Provider override codes (14)

These four-digit numbers are dialled before the destination number to complete and bill a call by a carrier other than the subscriber's service provider. For example, to use AAPT to call a number in Tokyo, Japan, subscribers would dial 1414 0011 81 3 xxxx xxxx, or to use Optus to call a number in Perth they would dial 1456 08 xxxx xxxx. It is not clear if all these prefixes will actually work. Not all carriers have interconnect agreements with each other

  • 1410 – Telstra
  • 1411 – Telstra
  • 1412 – TPG (Was Chime)
  • 1413 – Telstra
  • 1414 – TPG (Was AAPT)
  • 1415 – Vodafone
  • 1422 – Premier Technologies
  • 1423 – TPG (was Soul Pattinson)
  • 1428 – Verizon Australia
  • 1431 – Vodafone Hutchison
  • 1434 – Symbio Networks
  • 1441 – TPG (was Soul Pattinson)
  • 1447 – TransACT
  • 1450 – Pivotel
  • 1455 – Netsip
  • 1456 – Optus
  • 1464 – TPG (Was Agile)
  • 1466 – Primus
  • 1468 – Telpacific
  • 1469 – Lycamobile
  • 1474 – Powertel
  • 1477 – Vocus
  • 1488 – Symbio Networks
  • 1499 – VIRTUTEL


Supplementary Control service (183) works from both landline and mobile
  • 1831 – Block caller-id sending
  • 1832 – Unblock caller-id sending

Caller identification control, on a call-by-call basis – mobile only
  • #31# – Block caller-id sending, for this call, then dial the number you are calling.
  • *31# – Unblock caller-id sending, for this call, then dial the number you are calling.

Unlike the feature codes below, these caller-id prefixes work with all/most carriers.

Other numbers and codes

Feature codes – Telstra

These codes are only true for Telstra-infrastructure based landline phones

  • Call waiting
    • *#43# – Check call waiting status
    • *43# – Enable call waiting
    • #43# – Disable call waiting
    • *44 – Dial before a number to disable call waiting for the call duration (Enabled on Ericsson 'AXE' and Alcatel 'S12' based exchanges)
  • Call forward – immediate
    • *#21# – Check Call Forward Immediate Status
    • *21 [forward number] # – Enable Call Forward Immediate on all incoming calls
    • #21# – Disable Call Forward Immediate
  • Call forward – busy
    • *#24# – Check Call Forward Busy Status
    • *24 [forward number] # – Enable Call Forward when line is Busy for incoming calls
    • #24# – Disable Call Forward Busy
  • Call forward - no answer
    • *#61# - Check Call Forward No Answer Status
    • *61 [forward number] # - Enable Call Forward when there is No Answer for incoming calls
    • *61 [forward number] * [time in seconds] # - Enable Call Forward when there is No Answer within set number of seconds for incoming calls
    • #61# - Disable Call Forward No Answer
  • Last call return
    • *10# – Check last missed call
    • 0# – Redial last number (This is only enabled on Ericsson based Exchanges)
  • Call control
    • *30 [old pin] * [new pin] * [new pin] # – Setup/change current Call Control PIN
    • *#33# – Check Call Control Status
    • *33 [pin] # – Enable Call Control on line
    • #33 [pin] # – Disable Call Control on line

Test numbers
  • Telstra Landline Test numbers
    • 12722123 – Playback the last connected or current landline number (add 1832 in front for private numbers)
    • 12722199 – Ringback the current landline number
  • Telstra payphone test numbers
    • 12722101 - will only take 1¢ per metering pulses
    • 0488076353 - will test the SMS function of the phone
  • Optus landline test numbers
    • 1272312 – Playback the last connected or current landline number
    • 1272399 – Ringback the current landline number
  • From other subscribers including VoIP providers
    • 1800801920 – Playback the last connected or current landline number
  • Other
    • 12711 – Current long-distance Carrier Name

Historic numbering plans
Main article: Former Australian dialling codes

2010s

Many old numbers were officially removed from the Telecommunications Numbering Plan in the 2015 version, whether in the replacement version or a previous variation.

  • 018 AMPS phone numbers are completely removed.
  • 0500 Personal Numbers are removed.
  • Unused prefixes such as 114 mass calling service are removed.

1990s

0055 numbers were previously premium-rate numbers, but have been moved into 190 numbers before 1999.

The original toll-free area code was 008, but the format was changed to 1800.

Directory assistance used various numbers: 013 for local calls, 0175 for other national calls, and 0103 for international. The two domestic numbers have been replaced with 1223, while 0103 was replaced with 1225. Other numbers for directory assistance, often with a call connection option, exist depending on the carrier.

0011 was initially the code for the operator, which later became the international exit code.

014 was originally the number for the time, (later 1104), which was changed to 1194 in 1976.

0176 was previously the reverse-charge call operator, which was moved to 12550. Alternatively 3rd-party companies exist. See Collect call#Australia

1960s

Up to this time, the maximum size of an Australian telephone number was six digits.

Until the early 1960s, the first one or two digits of telephone numbers in metropolitan areas were alphabetic, 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. The use of a letter-number combination also served as a memory aid as it was easier to remember than a string of digits in the days when such things were not as common.

Unlike the three (or fewer) letters associated with each of the numbers on the dials of telephones of the UK Director telephone system, which was used in London and other large British cities, Australia used a system of letters associated with the ten digits available on a telephone dial, where each of these letters were chosen because their "name" (when pronounced, in English) could not be confused with any of the other nine letters of the English/Latin alphabet which were also used.

Since the initial digits of 1 and 0 (ten) were not used, this gave the telephone company concerned up to 8 regions with main exchanges and up to ten sub-exchanges in each metropolitan area – a total of up to 80 individual exchanges of 10,000 numbers in each with up to only 800,000 individual "numbers" in any metropolitan area concerned. This limited capacity led to the need for a seven- or eight-digit numbering system, to allow for more "numbers" within a given area.

Because of the growth of the telephone network, Australia now has eight-digit telephone numbers within four areas.

This former alphanumeric scheme was significantly different from the current system used for SMS messages.

The former alphanumeric scheme was:

  • A = 1;
  • B = 2;
  • F = 3;
  • J = 4;
  • L = 5;
  • M = 6;
  • U = 7;
  • W = 8;
  • X = 9;
  • Y = 0

The letters did not relate to any exchange name. For example, the exchange prefix for Essendon was FU (which translated to 37 and later became the 37x [then 937x] exchange used by the whole City of Essendon [which became the City of Moonee Valley in late 1994]). Although Melbourne city numbers began with 6, it was only rarely, and probably by accident, that any other exchanges had matching letters. Numbers using the old alphanumeric scheme were written as ab.xxxx, for example FU 1234 (the actual train of digits sent to the phone was "371234") or MW 5550 (685550). Seven-digit numbers started appearing as early as 1960, and were all numerical from the start. There were still some six-digit numbers and at least one five-digit number in Melbourne as late as 1989, but by the 1990s, they all had been converted to seven-digit numbers. Footscray used six-digit numbers in exchange code 68 until 1987, when they were changed to 687 or 689.

The old call back number was 199, and could be used on public payphones, and private numbers too. This was moved to a new number 12722199.

See also

References
  1. Telecommunications Numbering Plan – 1944 as amended 4 August 2008
  2. With no new range allocated http://www.acma.gov.au/sitecore/content/Home/Industry/Telco/Numbering/IPND/numbers-specified-for-use-numbering-i-acma
  3. Telecommunications Numbering Plan Variation 2007 (draft)
  4. ACMA: Fictitious numbers for radio, books, film & TV Archived 10 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Australia to assign '05' mobile numbers to prevent run out". Computerworld. 18 July 2012. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  6. https://www.acma.gov.au/use-phone-numbers-fiction
  7. http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2012L01567
  8. Telephone numbering plan p224
  9. "Triple Zero (000)". www.triplezero.gov.au. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  10. http://www.triplezero.gov.au/Pages/Usingotheremergencynumbers.aspx
  11. http://www.acma.gov.au/Citizen/Consumer-info/All-about-numbers/Special-numbers/calling-the-emergency-call-service-from-a-mobile-phone-faqs-i-acma
  12. http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/consumer_info/draft_amending_ecs_det_for_consultation_oct07.doc
  13. Official ACMA smartnumbers site
  14. https://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Numbering/Numbering-Plan/new-arrangements-for-mobile-calls-to-1800-and-13-1300-numbers--consumers-set-to-benefit
  15. http://www.howtocallabroad.com/qa/plus-sign.html
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