Talk:Telephone numbers in Australia

Arbitrary section from 2004
Proposed alternatives (testing layouts - works in progress):

some ideas to contribute: regional (state) should be divided into two sections

e.g. for nsw, 02 6xxxxxxxx - regional 2 02 4xxxxxxxx - regional 1 (telstra defines the exchanges as either metropolitian, regional 1 or regional 2)

-- Chuq 02:12, 20 Oct 2004 (UTC)

pmj: I found the numbering plan somewhat lacking, not to mention ambiguous. I've updated it based on my experience, and the ACA documentation. The new table is twice the length of the old, but less "heavy" in appearance. pmj 03:43, 10 August 2005 (UTC)

Chris: I'm uncertain about the accuracy of the statement that 13/1300 numbers cannot be called outside Australia. I have on a number of occasions been able to call 13 numbers from overseas. They are called in this format: +61 13 45 67. Chris 03:20, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

pmj: Thanks for pointing that out, Chris. There are confirmed reports of 13 numbers working from overseas on Countrywide and Whirlpool. The configurable nature of SmartNumbers allows them to be set up to reject calls from mobile phones; presumably, this extends to international calls as well, with most organisations electing to block such calls.

I have removed the offending statement, as well as your dispute. I encourage anyone with precise knowledge of this matter to submit an accurate explanation. pmj 06:24, 12 October 2005 (UTC)

Is There A 06 or 09 Area Code?
I received a call from +61 6 xxxx-xxxx. Can anyone tell me what the 6 means? Perhaps it's a recently-added area code. 2601:1C2:4E02:3C3E:CCE2:FD9B:8F3F:B2C9 (talk) 05:11, 1 May 2018 (UTC)

I also received a call from a +61 9 xxxx-xxxx number. The (09) prefix is not listed anywhere either.


 * I think with the dawn of VoIP services it's possible - I know people who moved interstate and an oversight with their ISP meant their phone number remained the same for a couple of years before it was "localised" *

02 4xxx xxxx
These numbers aren't strictly "coastal NSW". The old 04x prefixes were usually the fringe area codes around Sydney, i.e for places like Camden, Newcastle, Richmond, Wollongong, etc. They extended to about 250 km from Sydney where then the 06x area codes took over. I'm not certain if that was a hard and fast rule, just what I remember. Peter1968 09:39, 22 December 2005 (UTC)
 * The Sydney region started off as the Sydney Metropolitan Unit Fee Area (SMUFA) - i.e. no matter what the originating and terminating ends, the call was charged a unit fee. Later, the Extended Local Service Area (ELSA) was created - a band around the SMUFA to include areas like Palm Beach, Windsor, Richmond, Penrith, all the way round to Helensburgh; I don't think it included Newcastle or Wollongong. It was a unit fee call from one of the ELSA zones to the adjacent tandem exchange (e.g. Penrith to Blacktown and all its dependent exchanges, and Penrith to the adjacent ELSA zones) but a longer distance call (e.g. Penrith to Parramatta, or Penrith to a non-adjacent ELSA zone) was a timed call. 47 was the code for Penrith, 45 for Windsor, 46 for Campbelltown - but I can't recall the codes for the other ELSA zones.

Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 11:11, 16 April 2020 (UTC)

mass call service
The item 'mass call service' seems to be wrong. It seems that on page 181 of the numbering plan the number is 1140 (ex. 11409).

Look on the next page, it includes the rest of the 114 range. Lazybeam 12:11, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

106 first what?
The article says that ‘The 106 number is believed to be first in the world’. Does this refer to being the first tty emergency number in the world? —Felix the Cassowary 10:03, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Yes. Maybe this should be made more encyclopedic, and link to a tty emergency page, or something. Clarify: I believe that 106 is the first national-wide TTY emergency number in the world, not necessarily the first TTY emergency available. Lazybeam 12:13, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

Sub-areas
Whoever added the zones in Sydney (ie the 02 90**, etc), I reckon that should be moved into a separate section, and other areas included. The original list was meant to be just a general overview. If we are going to start doing that, we might as well start listing exchange ranges, or at least charge zone areas. Lazybeam 12:22, 28 September 2006 (UTC)


 * OK I've separated them out and added Brisbane. When I get a chance I'll change the formatting of the numbers in the Brisbane area (Make them like "07 30" instead of "(07) 30"), change Sydney and Melbourne to the same format, and add in Adelaide and Perth. Source is []. I also don't like the asterices in this section, tossing up between replacing them with xs or nothing. So "02 9***" should become either "02 9xxx xxxx" or simply "02 9" to be more correct. This is because of things like Telstra's "1*" dialling thingy (one-star) might be ambiguous. I prefer the latter. Lazybeam (talk) 13:07, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

using standard formats
May I suggest an emphasis on transcribing telephone numbers acording to the *standard* formats ? I notice a common tendency in A/a to transcribe many numbers according to idiosyncratic formats ( eg omitting the "0" of the area code etc..trascribing the "04" of a mobile as if it were an area code etc..)which IMO makes for confusion, especially in databases etc.As someone with experoience of working in an emergency service environment where correct number recording/transcribing was often time-critical, I find it disturbing that the standard formats are so often ignored with potentially serious consequences. I am not sure what causes this confusion, except perhaps ignornce of the implications..any ideas ? Feroshki 01:02, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

Bathurst Island?
Do they use numbers outside the (08) 89xx xxxx for NT? I know NT has since been allocated (08) 79xx xxxx. Lazybeam 15:41, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Wording
Section/Overview says "The area codes do not exactly match political territories." political is not the correct word here. "officially recognised boundaries" would be closer but there is a better phrase - just wish I could think of it right now.

A very useful and helpful article - tells this reader, at least, exactly what is needed and also gives dates for technical changes which is also very helpful in this type of article. 124.169.217.145 (talk) 07:06, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

No access for SIM-less carriage services to emergency call service ???
I went to these pages while trying to understand the Australian numbering plan in order to place a call. Curiosity made me read the paragraph about 000 and 112 emergency numbers.

I understand here that a regulation in Australia specifically prevents some people to call an emergency service, just because they have no SIM when they place the call ? This seems unreasonnable, I would believe that the reasonnable regulation would be to oblige the carriers to allow emergency calls even if the SIM card is missing... Did I understand the right way ? And if yes, what is the reason for that ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Michelgre (talk • contribs) 12:40, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

AFAIK The regulation was brought in to make 000 the same as 112 on mobile phones, so that 000 will work no matter what. Without it 000 would work through the SIM where 112 bypasses it. 112 is always the emergency number on GSM phones. Interestingly my near-new phone only auto-unlocks on 112 and 911. I used to have a phone that also unlocked with 08, 999 and 000. Lazybeam (talk) 10:13, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

Cocos (Keeling) / Christmas
I was looking up the phone codes for Cocos (Keeling) and Christmas Islands, and it seems perhaps that the list given here is in reverse? When checking tourism site #s, Christmas numbers are 61 08 9164, and Cocos (Keeling) ones are listed 61 08 9162; however, on the list given here, those are reversed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.239.51.6 (talk • contribs) 19:17, 23 June 2009 (UTC)

Telstra Landline Test numbers are incorrect
>Telstra Landline Test numbers >12722123 - Playback the last connected or current landline number >12722199 - Ringback the current landline number

They are incorrectly listed. They should be: 12722123 - Ringback the current landline number 12722199 - Playback the last connected or current landline number

/dave. Bushy555 (talk) 03:52, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

No they are correct. 199 was the callback and 19123 was the playback - changed to 12722xxx in the 1990s renumbering. http://whrl.pl/RH1cQ Lazybeam (talk) 11:31, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

Wikivoyage Area Code Complaint
Hi! Over on Wikivoyage we've received a complaint about this page, concerning some factual errors. I've copied it below and hopefully you'll be able to resolve this issue. Thanks! :) --Nicholasjf21 (talk) 18:36, 16 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Hi
 * I was reading about your area codes on the page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbers_in_Australia#South-east_region_.2803.29


 * i found it VERy interesting that the eastern region, BAIRNSDALE, now has phone numbers that are 03 41. Wow. I live in Bairnsdale and I can tell you that our phone numbers ALL start with 03 51. the next digit for our area is either 52 or 53 therefore our phone numbers are (03) 5152 xxxx or (03) 5153 xxxx.
 * You need to remove the supposed "41" for our region phone number. Whoever has given you this information obviously knows that (03) 41 does not and wont exist for this area of the state. the codes are not positioned like that. I work for the telco business in this area so I am a professional in the telecommunications business


 * Asked by: 121.214.109.103 17:59, 16 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Not a factual error: a new range: (03) 41 is added to (03) 51, like the (03) 8 was added to (03) 9. See http://www.acma.gov.au/Industry/Telco/Numbering/IPND/numbers-specified-for-use-numbering-i-acma - has nothing to do with subsequent digits. As a professional you should also know that there have been ranges added since 1996, especially non-Telstra prefixes. Telstra isn't yet using anything in (03) 41 that I can see, but it is using parts of 5150 and 5156, so not just 5152 and 5153. Lazybeam (talk) 14:25, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Article contradicts itself regarding mobile numbers
At the end of the "mobile phone" section, the article states "Mobile numbers must always be dialed with all 10 digits, no matter where they are being called from. 04 is a prefix, not an "area code", as such."

However, earlier, it provides an example of how with international dialing the 0 can be omitted for mobile (and other) numbers: "Internationally the first 0 is replaced by the +61 country code (e.g. +61 2 xxxx xxxx for NSW or +61 4xx xxx xxx for a mobile number)."

So, which is it? Is the zero always necessary or not? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tekhnofiend (talk • contribs) 00:39, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Calling mobiles from landlines?
If I was to use the international designation to call a mobile phone from a landline in Australia, for example if I dialed +61 455 555 555 instead of 0455 555 555. Would I incur international rates? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sir Langan (talk • contribs) 05:00, 20 March 2014 (UTC)

In my experience there is no difference. In fact they recommend you store it in your phone as +61 455 555 555 so if you are international roaming it will be easier to call home. Lazybeam (talk) 14:26, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Mobile phone numbers table
What on earth does the hideous table under mean? It is garish, compressed, unintelligible and it is unclear how to read it.



—sroc &#x1F4AC; 14:49, 7 April 2015 (UTC)

Numbers for mobile services were originally allocated to Carriers as shown in the table - but a problem soon arose: when a customer with Carrier A wanted to move to Carrier B to take advantage of a better deal, the customer had to get a new number in Carrier B's range. The problem disappeared when number portability was mandated by the Fed Govt: a service that was originally with one Carrier may now be 'ported' to a different Carrier - without changing the number. Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 04:24, 6 June 2017 (UTC)

Alternate format for country areas
In Victoria before the introduction of nation-wide 8-digit numbers, country areas used to be able to dial within the same area by just dialing the last 6 digits. A number that has been converted to (03) 5198 7654 would have originally been (051) 987 654. Because of this, many (if not most) country residents still specify their numbers in the following format: (03) 51 987 654. Can a reference for this be found and included in the article?

Danielklein (talk) 07:00, 3 January 2017 (UTC)

References (section 10)
The links for references 4 and 10 do not work. The correct links are: 4. http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/fictitious-numbers-for-radio-film-and-television-i-acma, and 10. http://www.acma.gov.au/theACMA/calling-the-emergency-call-service-from-a-mobile-phone--faqs. I have yet to work out how to correct them: the edit function shows only ref [2] ... so perhaps someone much smarter than I can fix them? Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 04:13, 6 June 2017 (UTC)

More than 1½ years later, these dead links still show ... can someone please fix them? Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 08:47, 30 January 2019 (UTC)
 * If you're still active, Lazybeam, you may care to have a go at fixing these links that have been wrong for more than 10 years. Prisoner of Zenda (talk) 21:17, 23 March 2020 (UTC)
 * first one may have changed again https://www.acma.gov.au/use-phone-numbers-fiction 203.6.69.2 (talk) 23:00, 14 April 2020 (UTC)

Pre 1960 (Alphanumeric) numbers
Seem to read everywhere that before 1960 numbers were 1 or 2 letters, followed by 4 digits. Further that there were only 9 letters (mapping to digits) - A B F J L M U W X Y. I've noticed, though (on old advertisements, e.g. on trove) that sometimes there's numbers that begin with 'C'/'CA'. An example would be in this page from the Adelaide Advertiser (bottom Right - John Martins C4400, Miller anderson C7900 - in fact it seems all of the Adelaide City centre was C-prefixed). Just wondering whether anyone knows how the C would be dialed (or whether SA had different letter prefixes to the rest of the country? or ....)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.6.69.2 (talk • contribs) 22:21, 14 April 2020 (UTC)

+672
I'm wondering if it's worth mentioning in this article since Norfolk Island uses it. As Norfolk is an Australian possession, it probably should be included. SHB2000 (talk) 04:33, 18 January 2022 (UTC)