<P> Until the early 1960s, the first one or two digits of telephone numbers in metropolitan areas were alphabetical, with each letter representing a distinct number on the telephone dial . Each one - letter or two - letter code signified an exchange within an urban area . Rural and regional areas typically relied on manual exchanges, or only one automatic exchange for the whole town, so rural and regional numbers did not feature these letter prefixes . </P> <P> This alphanumeric scheme was significantly different from the current system used for SMS messages . </P> <P> The former alphanumeric scheme was: </P> <Ul> <Li> A = 1; </Li> <Li> B = 2; </Li> <Li> F = 3; </Li> <Li> J = 4; </Li> <Li> L = 5; </Li> <Li> M = 6; </Li> <Li> U = 7; </Li> <Li> W = 8; </Li> <Li> X = 9; </Li> <Li> Y = 0 </Li> </Ul>

How to write australian mobile number in international format