What are Smartnumbers?

Smartnumbers® (also called phonewords) are 1300 numbers and 1800 numbers that spell words or contain a pattern that makes them easy to remember.

An example of a normal 1300 number or 1800 number format is 1300 XXXXXX

A smartnumber can have between 6 and 10 characters after the intitial 1300 or 1800 section.

If your smartnumber has more that 6 characters, the network is programmed to ignore the extra characters.

Translate your word to numbers:

To convert a word to a phone number or to see what phoneword a number spells, use the PhoneSpell Converter.

Whether you can justify the additional cost of a phoneword number or smartnumber depends on several things:

• the size of your business
• your future business plans (expansion etc.)
• how important "branding" is
• how much you are prepared to pay for one
• how much difference you think it will make compared to a good "numeric" 1300 number or 1800 number
• whether it will provide a substantially better "return on investment" (ROI)

If you can buy a GOOD phoneword number directly for minimal cost via the ACMA smartnumbers web site (details below); then by all means buy it. That way you'll have full control over it and your ongoing costs should be the same as normal 1300 numbers or 1800 numbers.

However, if the only available word number is one that does NOT clearly spell who you are or what you do, buying it could very well be a waste of money.

However, if a phoneword company has already purchased the phoneword that you want, you need to consider it VERY CAREFULLY!

Most of the generic and good phonewords/smartnumbers have have already been purchased by various phoneword companies and investors. If you want one of these numbers, you will have to lease the number and pay (usually much higher) fees to the appropriate phoneword company for the rights to use it.

In many of these lease contracts, your costs increase every year.

Also, the number never belongs to you: it is owned by the phoneword company. You can only lease it or pay for the licence to use it.

If the phoneword number you want is available, BUY IT YOURSELF!

The ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority), an Australian Government department, controls all phone numbers in Australia. Somewhere, someone decided that the government should make money from phone numbers that spell words, so virtually every 1300 number, 1800 number and 13 number that spells a phoneword has been earmarked by ACMA. The licensing right to use these numbers is made available through an auction process at the ACMA smartnumbers web site (details below).

The minimum bid is $250.

How to Get a Smartnumber

After you go to the smartnumbers web site (www.smartnumbers.com.au)

1. Search to see whether the number you want is available.
2. If it is available, you need to do the following to bid on/purchase it:
   1. Register (cost is approx $50).
   2. Apply for the number (minimum bid for most numbers is $250).
   3. Nominate your number to be added to a future auction.
   4. You will be asked to nominate a carrier from the list. This is required only for registration purposes, and does not lock you in to the selected carrier.(Alltel is listed in the drop down list of authorised smartnumber carriers.)
   5. Check the auction lists to make sure your number has been added.
   6. Make sure you are available to monitor your auction on the day, especially during the last hour.
   7. If you are successful, you will need to pay for your number before it can be connected by a carrier.
3. Once you've successfully acquired your smartnumber, you can have it carried by us by downloading and completing the relevant sections on our Account Application.

Go to the smartnumbers web site now.

Good Luck!

WARNING: Enquiring about Phonewords or Smartnumbers

If you

1. call some phoneword companies to ask if a special phonewords 1300 number or 1800 number is available,
2. use the web site of some Australian 1300 number or 1800 number phonewords suppliers to see if a particular phoneword or smartnumber® is available,

your request is recorded or logged. If the smartnumber is available, they will quickly purchase it themselves and then attempt to 'lease' it to you at higher than normal fees.

Unfortunately, this questionable practice is common.

Your advertised phone number is the lifeline of your business, consequently if you do business with that provider, your business will then be at their mercy forever.

If you have a falling out with that provider, they could lease your (previous) 1300 number or 1800 phoneword number/smartnumber to one of your competitors.

We DO NOT lease phoneword numbers and we GUARANTEE that we will help you to get the smartnumbers you want if they are available, and that they will be YOUR phoneword numbers.

Naturally we hope you will then use our services to act as the "carrier" for your smartnumber.