Australia has a range of phone and internet services available, including public phones, fixed (landline) phones, mobile and internet.
Mobile phones
It is best to purchase a SIM card or Australian mobile number when you arrive in Australia, as using your home phone number will incur high costs. There are two types of mobile phone accounts you can choose from:
Prepaid
A prepaid service gives you flexibility because you control how much you spend and can stop using the service any time. Pre-paid SIM cards are sold in many shops and supermarkets, as well as by mobile phone providers. After an easy set-up process with the provider, you will have a working Australian mobile number which you can top up with credit as needed. You can usually top up your prepaid service online or at a range of retail outlets. Your mobile phone provider can provide details on how you can top up your service.
Contract
If you will be using your mobile a lot, and will be in Australia for a fixed period of time for study, a contract might work out cheaper for you. There are numerous mobile phone operators in Australia, and you can choose from a range of phone plans where you can get the handset with little (if any) up-front cost; you then pay a fixed price per month for a certain amount of calls, text messages and data.
Internet
Many internet providers in Australia are also mobile or fixed phone carriers, and they offer pre-paid or contract internet plans similar to the above. If you choose a contract service, will will receive a modem, and just like a phone service, you pay a monthly rate to get a certain data allowance. Ask the providers you are considering for details of plans that might suit you.
Telephone country and area codes
Area codes
Australia uses 8-digit local phone numbers preceded by a 2-digit STD area code.
- 02 Central east region (New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory)
- 03 South east region (Victoria, Tasmania)
- 04 Mobile telephones (Australia-wide)
- 07 North east region (Queensland)
- 08 Central and west region (Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory)
Parts of regional New South Wales may also use the 08 and 03 area codes. Parts of regional Victoria may use the 02 area code
For example, if you are calling Canberra from interstate, first dial the STD area code 02, then dial the local phone number.
Country code
The Australian country code is 61. When calling from outside Australia, leave out the leading ‘0’ from the STD area code or from the mobile telephone number.
For example, if you are calling Canberra from outside Australia, first dial your country’s international access number, then dial 61, then dial 2, then dial the local phone number.
Emergency calls
000 is the emergency telephone number (fire / police / ambulance) in Australia and can be called from any fixed or mobile phone and certain VoIP services.
112 is a secondary emergency number that can be dialled from mobile phones in Australia. It can be dialled anywhere in the world with Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) coverage and is automatically translated to that country’s emergency number.
It is important to realise that if there is no mobile coverage on any network, you will not be able to reach the emergency call service via a mobile phone, regardless of which number you dialled. The Australian Communications and Media Authority provides further information on calling the emergency call service5 from a mobile phone.
106 is the text-based emergency number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment. This service operates using a textphone (TTY) or a computer with modem access.
Free call, toll free and premium rate numbers
Australia uses the free call prefix of 1800 for calls from land line telephones. Calls to 1800 numbers may incur a charge.
Similarly, 190x is the prefix for premium rate services such as recorded information, competition lines, etc.
There are also 13 and 1300 numbers which are charged at the cost similar to a local call. All these types of telephone numbers are not accessible from outside Australia. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has information about charges for calls6 to 1300 numbers.
Australia-wide alphabetical telephone directory. Search for people and businesses by name.
Australian yellow pages
Australia-wide classified telephone directory. Search for businesses by their products or services.
Internet domain names
Australian internet domain names end in .au. There are several second level domains within the .au domain and each second level domain has a purpose. Some of these include:
- gov.au – for Australian, state, territory and local government bodies
- com.au & net.au – for commercial entities etc
- org.au – for charities and non-profit organisations
- edu.au – for educational institutions registered at Australian or state/territory government level and
- asn.au – for incorporated associations etc
You can read more about telephone, internet and mobile phone services in Australia at: www.dbcde.gov.au (opens in a new window)
Information sourced from: http://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au and http://australia.gov.au
© Commonwealth of Australia 2013 and 2014.