Trunk Prefix - Example

Example

Further information: Local conventions for writing telephone numbers

Assume a call is to be made to someone in the Australian state of Queensland with the number 3333 3333.

A caller from outside Australia would dial the international access international call prefix of the originating country, then dial the country code (in this case 61), then dial the area code (in this case 7), and then the local number. A caller in the UK dials 00 61 7 3333 3333, while a caller in the USA dials 011 61 7 3333 3333.

Calling interstate (e.g. from Western Australia), a caller does not dial an international access number or country code, but dial the trunk prefix 0 then the area code, followed by the telephone number: 0 7 3333 3333 Calling from within Queensland one simply dials the telephone number: 3333 3333.

When conducting business (e.g., on business cards or stationery, etc.), the number should be written as +61 7 3333 3333 and include only the digits that must be dialed from abroad. The plus sign is used to indicate the country code is following. It has become common practice to write the number with the trunk prefix in parentheses, for example: +61 (0) 7 3333 3333. However, someone calling this number from the USA may mistake the trunk code for a single-digit area code, as NANP area codes are often written in parentheses, dial all the digits and result in a failed call. ITU-T Recommendation E.123 states that parentheses should not be used in the international notation.