It's always been a bit odd that the 1800 toll free numbers that cost nothing to dial from a landline phone are not only charged for when dialled from a mobile, but also don't generally fall within a plan's included call amount.
That's all changing for Telstra customers though, with the telco announcing that as of today, 1800 numbers are also free to call from all mobiles, including the iPhone 6 and the Sony Xperia Z3.
The change makes Telstra the first company to offer free toll-free calls from mobiles, although that's a kind of disappointing way to look at things.
ACCAN welcomes the news
Unsurprisingly, communications consumer group ACCAN are stoked with the announcement, given they have campaigned for the telcos to do that exact thing.
The challenge now, according to ACCAN, is the ubiquity of 13 and 1300 numbers, which are still charged at a wide range of rates across the various mobile networks.
"Consumers should be aware of the costs of calling 13/1300 numbers from mobile phones as these calls can quickly chew through pre-paid mobile plans," said said ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin.
"Those using pre-paid services, which are often favoured by low income consumers, should contact their providers to find out the cost of calling such numbers as this can vary widely from three cents/minute to up to $1.39/minute."
