What's a Local Call?

These are calls that originate from within the same; or from an adjacent standard charging zone / area. Local call access may also be designated to calls travelling to non-adjacent zones, where those zones may have a mutual local interest. Local calls are usually untimed.

A list of adjacent charging zones can be found in the Fixed Line Phone Standard Form of Agreement (SFOA).

What's a Community Call?

These are calls that would otherwise be charged at full national (STD) call rates as the standard charging zone / area in which the call originates is not next to the standard charging zone in which the call is received. 

However, we (Optus) have designated that these 2 areas have a mutual community interest and therefore we charge a reduced national (STD) call rate between the 2 zones / areas. To separate them we've named these reduced rate national (STD) calls, "Community Calls".

Further information about Community Calls is available in the Fixed Line Phone Standard Form of Agreement (SFOA)

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What are 13 / 1300 numbers?

These calls are usually to companies and services. e.g. insurance, banks, government and community services, telephone or internet providers, utility companies etc.

The 13 / 1300 prefix when called from your phone enables the call to travel a national or international distance for only a flagfall cost (these calls are usually un-timed).

What else uses 13 / 1300 numbers?

Examples of other services that may use 13 / 1300 numbers are:

1. Voicemail services

When you dial *96 to retrieve your messages from your Optus Telephony service this can appear on your bill as a call to 1300 721 896. Please see www.optus.com.au/standardagreements for the costs involved with voicemail

2. Home / Office security alert and monitoring systems

Many of these systems can call 'back-to-base' automatically via a 13 / 1300 or Local call number to confirm their status or to electronically report on events, failures or to alert the company of an incident

3. Medical alert and / or 'in home' health monitoring systems

Does anyone in your premises have a wearable medical alert or uses a hard-wired medical alert system? These systems can use local call or 13 / 1300 numbers to automatically report on status, events or failures

4. International card services

13 / 1300 numbers are often used to access international calling card services

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What are 19 / 1900 Numbers?

19 / 1900 numbers were typically assigned to information, competition or voting lines for example, reality / talent TV or radio shows and are sometimes called Premium services.

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What are 019 Local Calls?

019 Local call numbers are commonly provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to Dial-Up Internet users, to ensure they're not charged more than a local call when logging in to the internet.

What could be the cause?

1. Using a Dial-up modem

Compare the calls with your login times. If you find there’s a major discrepancy your dial up modem may be timing out and automatically re-dialling to maintain an open internet connection or 'session'.

Note. You may be able to talk to your ISP about changing your computer's settings (i.e. increasing session time-out lengths etc.), to minimise the number of dial-up calls your modem is making.

2. Do not have a Dial-up modem

Check there is not a phone line is still connected to an internal or external dial up modem

3. Medical alert and / or ‘In home’ health Monitoring system

A wearable medical alert or a hard-wired medical alert system may use local call numbers to automatically report on status, events or failures

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Before disputing a charge on your bill, check the time and date of the unrecognised call / message and ask yourself or others at the premises:

• Has anyone else had access to your premises and could have used your service (e.g. family member, friend, trades-person, business associate, neighbour, etc)?
  
  
• Do you have a 'back to base' alarm?
  
  
• Do you have a medical alert / alarm system?
  
  
• Did you have call forwarding or a call diversion active?
  
  
• Do you have a fax machine, EftPOS or other pay terminal / POS connected to the phone line?
  
  
• Is there a dial up modem (still) connected to a phone line?
  
  
• Do you have Pay TV?
  
  
• Do you have any other appliances connected to your phone line (e.g. 'Smart' appliances that could be reporting back the manufacturer, etc.)?
  
  
• Was anyone staying or visiting you on the day(s) of the call?
  
  
• Did anyone message / call a 19 / 190X number to enter a competition, vote or call an information line?
  
  
• Has the number / call appeared on your bills before?
  
  
• Does the time / date of the call show a consistent pattern / interval between calls?
  
  
• Has anyone used a phone card or international calling card?

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