ACMA moves to clean up telephone numbering rules

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 01 April 2010 10:28

IT Policy - Regulation

The ACMA is planning to change telephone numbering rules to legitimise several practices - widely used especially by VoIP operators - that breach the current regulations.

It is proposing to permit both geographic fixed network numbers (ie standard telephone numbers) and numbers beginning 0550, allocated to 'location independent communications services' (LICS) to be used for lines that support only outgoing calls and to permit telephony service providers to issue geographic numbers for services that are located outside the area for which they are designated (for example to issue a NSW '02' number to a customer in Victoria, '03') so long as the implications of using such numbers are spelt out clearly to the customer.

The proposals and the ACMA's rationale are set out in a discussion paper.

The current prohibition of using geographic and LICS number on outbound only lines appears to have been an oversight. The discussion paper notes "The service description in the numbering plan provides for the use of these numbers only by services that are able to receive calls'¦This restriction was identified relatively recently. It has never been enforced and it would be contrary to general industry practice to enforce it."

As regards out-of-area use of geographic numbers, the ACMA says the numbering plan is unclear and in the absence of such clarity the practice is widespread.

However it can cause problems. Callers to an out-of-area number might believe the call is untimed when in fact it is being charged as a timed, long-distance call. And if the customer seeks to move the service to another provider the new provider may not be willing to provide service the out-of-area number.

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