On 28 November 2011 the ACMA announced its medium to long term vision for numbering in Australia. It will apply a managed evolutionary approach to increase the flexibility and efficiency of numbering arrangements, and make pricing clearer for consumers.
Telephone numbering: Future directions (PDF (778 kb) or Word (.docx 747 kb) formats) identifies 24 specific changes needed for numbering arrangements, and eight overarching future directions. To assist with the evolution of the Numbering Plan, the ACMA has developed design principles to:
- increase the broad-based use of telephone numbers
- reduce the degree to which numbers are specified according to the technology by which services are provided
- provide price transparency to consumers, so that where it is necessary to use numbering to recognise the costs of calls, this is supported
- achieve clarity in the Numbering Plan, so that it is as simple as possible and readily understood.
The ACMA considers that a managed evolutionary approach is an appropriate response to pressures on current arrangements, which are a result of changes in technology, in commercial arrangements and in consumer behaviour.
Submissions
The following submissions have been received in relation to this paper:
- Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) (941 kb)
- Communication Law Centre University Technology Sydney (CLC UTS)
- Communications Alliance
- Corruption and Crime Commission of Western Australia (CCC)
- Industry Number Management Services (INMS)
- National Emergency Communications Work Group - Australia and New Zealand (NECWG-A/NZ)
- NSW Police
- One Smart Star
- Optus
- Research Industry Council of Australia (RICA)
- Telstra
- Vodafone Hutchison Australia
- Von Europe
