Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) The ACMA must, by legislative instrument, make a plan for:
(a) the numbering of carriage services in Australia; and
(b) the use of numbers in connection with the supply of such services.
(2) The plan is called the numbering plan .
(3) The numbering plan must specify the numbers that are for use in connection with the supply of carriage services to the public in Australia.
Note: Specification is the "first tier" concept. It operates at the level of a general specification of numbers.
(4) Different numbers may be specified for use in connection with the supply of different types of carriage services.
(5) The numbering plan may set out rules about:
(a) the allocation of numbers to carriage service providers; and
(b) the transfer of allocated numbers between carriage service providers; and
(c) the surrender or withdrawal of allocated numbers; and
(d) the portability of allocated numbers (including rules about the maintenance of, and access to, databases that facilitate portability); and
(e) the use of allocated numbers in connection with the supply of carriage services to the public in Australia (including rules about the issue of allocated numbers by carriage service providers to customers for use in connection with the supply of carriage services).
Note 1: Allocation is the "second tier" concept. It operates at the level of particular carriage service providers.
Note 2: Issue is the "third tier" concept. It operates at the level of particular customers of carriage service providers. The issue of an allocated number to a customer does not affect the allocation of the number to the carriage service provider concerned.
(6) Rules made for the purposes of paragraph (5)(a) may authorise the allocation of specified numbers:
(a) in accordance with an allocation system determined under section 463; or
(b) otherwise than in accordance with such a system.
(7) The numbering plan may make provision for, or in relation to, a matter by empowering the ACMA to make decisions of an administrative character.
(8) Subsections (3) to (7) (inclusive) do not, by implication, limit the matters that may be dealt with by the numbering plan.
(9) The renumbering of a number in accordance with the numbering plan does not affect the continuity of:
(a) the allocation of the number; or
(b) the issue of the number.
(10) In making or varying the numbering plan, the ACMA must have regard to:
(a) the obligations imposed on carriage service providers by Part 4 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 ; and
(b) recognised international standards.
This subsection does not, by implication, limit the matters to which regard may be had.
(12) Despite subsection (1), the ACMA is not required to make a numbering plan before 1 January 1998.