Choose your phone number

There are 6 main types of phone numbers in Australia:

Geographic numbers are mainly for local or landline services. They have 10 digits and start with one of the following:

• 02
• 03
• 07
• 08

Digital mobile numbers are for mobile phone services. They have 10 digits and start with 04.

Local rate numbers have one of the following:

• 10 digits that start with 1300
• 6 digits that start 13

Freephone numbers have one of the following:

• 10 digits that start with 1800
• 7 digits that start with 180

Smartnumbers are catchy numbers that make it easier for people to remember a business. Smartnumbers have one of the following:

• 10 digits that start with 1300 and 1800
• 6 digit numbers that start with 13

Premium rate numbers have one of the following:

• 10 digits, 9 digits or 6 digits that start with 190
• 6 digits or 8 digits that start with 19

Your telco sets the phone call charges for the service connected to your number.

Register for updates from our numbering system to learn about changes to numbers. For example, when we release the new 05 number prefix for mobile phone services.

You can check which telco has numbers at the Numbering System.

Ask your telco if you want:

• a specific number to use straight away
• to reserve a number to use in the future

Your telco does not have to agree to your request.

Your CLI is the number that is shown to the person being called when you make a call. You can make your phone number more private if you don’t want this number to be displayed.

Some businesses want to display a particular number as the CLI when they call customers. This makes make it easy for customers to identify them and call back.  This is called ‘CLI overstamping’, and it is legal in Australia—as long as it is not being used for phone scams. 

Talk to your telco if you want to use your particular number when making outgoing calls to customers.

In December 2020, we registered Industry Code C661:2020 Reducing Scam Calls. It includes new CLI rules for carriers and carriage service providers to help identify, block and reduce scam calls.

Do not use real phone numbers in radio, books, films and television as people often call them.

We have phone numbers you can use for the work you publish or broadcast.

You can use these numbers for fictional purposes. This includes premium rate, geographic, mobile or freephone and local rate numbers.

The following types of numbers are not allocated through the ACMA’s numbering system:

• International signalling point codes (ISPCs)
• Issuer identifier numbers (IINs)
• Mobile network codes (MNCs)
• Network colour codes (NCCs)

Applications for these numbers can be made by completing one of the forms below and submitting to numbering@acma.gov.au

T041 International signalling point codes (Transfer)

T058 Mobile network codes (Application and surrender)

T059 International signalling point codes (Application and

surrender)

The Register of Other Numbers lists the currently allocated and available numbers for each of these types of numbers.

For help with numbers, contact numbering system support or call ZOAK Solutions (ZOAK) on 1300 463 580.

ZOAK manages our numbering system on our behalf.