<Tr> <Td> 1971 - 1996 </Td> <Td> STD codes introduced </Td> <Td> 02 - 660 2114 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1996--present </Td> <Td> Area code restructuring </Td> <Td> (02) 9660 2114 </Td> </Tr> <P> In Australia, as in other countries, due to the increase in subscriber uptake of services such as extra telephone lines in homes, mobile phones and other services, the previous numbering plan was being stretched to its limit . It was decided to reduce the number of area codes and lengthen all subscriber numbers by one or two digits . This occurred between 1994 and 1998, and was done progressively to ensure as little inconvenience and confusion as possible . The gradual change was also to avoid number clashes, a situation where two subscribers in two completely different locations have technically the same telephone number if dialled in their entirety . The first numbers to be converted to eight digits were numbers in the 99x xxxx and 99 xxxx ranges in the suburb of Mona Vale in Sydney, which all became 999x xxxx or 9999 xxxx on 25 July 1994 . The final codes changed to eight digits were the Queensland (070), (071), (076), (077) and (079) codes, which all changed to (07) 4yxx xxxx on 10 November 1997 . </P> <P> In almost all cases, the former area code was incorporated into the new subscriber number: Canberra numbers went from (06) 2xx xxxx to (02) 62xx xxxx, numbers in the Northern Territory went from (089) xx xxxx to (08) 89xx xxxx, and so on . The four major exceptions were the two cities of Sydney and Melbourne, which added a 9 to the beginning of subscriber numbers; Tasmania, which became part of the (03) 6xxx xxxx range; and Queensland, which spread its area codes across a wide number range so that (07) 3...covers Brisbane, (07) 5...covers the surrounds including Esk and the Gold and Sunshine coasts, and (07) 4...covers the rest of the state . In Melbourne and Sydney, new non-geographic 90xx xxxx and 91xx xxxx ranges became available . Canberra also got a new 61xx xxxx range . Mobile telephone numbers in the 01x range had a 4 inserted into the area code (i.e. 012 345 678 became 0412 345 678). Until November 1998, the only mobile numbers available were in the 040x and 041x ranges, to allow time for the existing 04x area codes (then New South Welsh regional codes) to be converted to (02) 4xxx xxxx numbers . </P>

When did australia change to 8 digit phone numbers