Freephone Calls With Mobiles Phones To Be Free
- Free means free
- Consultation will take some time
- Reduction in red tape
The ACMA is putting a proposal that is to vary the Numbering Plan so that calls from mobile phones to freephone (1800) numbers are free of charge to the caller – free means free – and that calls from mobile to local rate (13/1300) numbers are limited to the amount a consumer would pay for a local call made from a fixed telephone.
This proposal, titled Numbering: Calls to Freephone and Local Rate Numbers – The Way Forward, is the first release in a wider package which seeks formal consultation on amendments to the Numbering Plan that will:
- increase flexibility and efficiency in the use of geographic numbers by removing sector boundaries from the capital cities
- plan for the future by consulting on options to increase mobile number capacity to cater for Australia’s growing demand for mobile phone services
- reduce red tape by removing service types that are no longer in use and by removing redundant historical information from the Numbering Plan.
Since the Numbering Plan commenced in 1997, consumers have changed the way they use communications services. The Numbering Plan will be updated to better reflect these changes in use, and the new services and technologies that are now available, says the ACMA.
The Directions Paper outlining the ACMA’s preferred approach to numbering in the medium and long term will be released later in 2011.
Brought to you by CyberShack.com.au
