Dialing internationally with 011 doesn't work?

[Linkmeister]

We're trying to call Australia, but when we do using 011+country code+city code+local number we constantly get a "code 48" error saying we've reached a vacant number. Is there something going on here I don't know about?

Help!

[CranBeree]

i think the area code changed...


the 011 works still...i have had to call Fiji and Australia and noticed the country codes? are different.

[Linkmeister]

011 is the exit code for calls from the US. The phone book says 61 and nearly every reference on the net says 61 for Australia's country code.

It's very strange.

[CranBeree]

011 61 (1 digit area code) then the rest of the numbers?

sorry i think im helping :P

[Linkmeister]

011 61 (1 digit area code) then the rest of the numbers?

sorry i think im helping :P

Well, you're trying, anyway.:D

We dial 011 61 2 xxxx xxxx and get this screwy error. We've verified that the local number is right with another friend, so unless it's changed in the past two weeks we should be correct. It's frustrating.

[CranBeree]

yes i know! i was dialing the damn same thing but on an outgoing call to FIJI and well i needed an answer and someone to provide me documentation and all i got was some weird tone! :P blah!

can you check with a phone operator and ask?

[Linkmeister]

Even when I dial 01+ (all the rest of it), which should get me an international operator in Australia, I get the "code 48" error. I'm beginning to wonder if Hawtel has programmed its system to automatically go to that error message if it finds a leading zero at the start of a call.

[CranBeree]

try omitting the first 0?

i think also if you're using your cell phone you are supposed to omit the 0.

[Linkmeister]

try omitting the first 0?

Hmm. If that worked it would go a long way toward proving my thesis about leading zeros, wouldn't it? Okay, I'll give that a shot. The US code has been 011 forever, so I can't believe HawTel would be that dumb, but stranger things have been done by them.

Edited: Nope. Just more errors.

[CranBeree]

ok i just called the phone people and they said no changes and it IS 011. did they change their phone# maybe or maybe its on australia's end? :confused:

[Linkmeister]

ok i just called the phone people and they said no changes and it IS 011. did they change their phone# maybe or maybe its on australia's end? :confused:

Well, like I said, we verified the number with a friend. Maybe we'll e-mail the prospective callee and ask what the correct number and sequence is.

Argh. This shouldn't be this hard.

[CranBeree]

sorry i absolutely did NOTHING for you :o

maybe i'll find out tomorrow when i have to call international again!

[GeckoGeek]

Silly question - are you sure you have international service on your phone line? :o What long distance service do you have for international? Given that many subscribers have no need to call internationally and it's quite frequently used for fraud (and not to mention that some companies charge for "ability" even if you never make a call) - maybe it's just not turned on.

Edit: I think "00" gets you the operator for your long distance carrier.

[Peshkwe]

I found this site for international country codes:

http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/results.php?FromCode=United+States&ToCode=Austria&Submit.x=380&Submit.y=309&Submit=Submit

Maybe it'll help with the right sequence...maybe there's more than one area code for the place you're calling?

[Miulang]

Are you calling from your home or office? Cell or landline? Have you ever been successful at calling the Australia number on the phone that's giving you problems now?

If you're using an office phone, companies do sometimes block international area codes so their employees can't call aunty in Tanzania. And phone companies may block certain world dialing codes for their own reasons (toll fraud being the most common).

Your best bet is to call your phone carrier and ask them what code 48 really means. Sounds like you either are being blocked from calling Australia or there's some kind of syntax error in the dial string.

Miulang

[Linkmeister]

It's Mom's home phone (landline). We've called Oz before (I think). I've checked MCI's site for international call instructions and it has no special instructions, just the basic 011+country code+city code+local number.

We haven't tried yet today, what with other things going on, but we will.

[Linkmeister]

Answers to why we couldn't call Oz using Mom's phone here:

http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/002492.html

I'm annoyed.