In May, Vodafone was the first operator to announce it would make calls to 1800 numbers free of charge to its customers and in a statement today the Astralian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says the “overwhelming majority” of mobile operators will provide free calls.

ACMA says, however, it’s aware that a small number of mobile providers have yet to implement free 1800 calls for their customers, and will continue to work with the Communications Alliance and  the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) to encourage these providers to implement free of charge mobile calls in a timely manner.

And, in the interim, ACMA says if making mobile calls to 1800 numbers is important to consumers, and their provider has not yet announced that it has, or will, make calls to these numbers free of charge, they should consider the “large range of providers and mobile plans which do offer calls to 1800 numbers free of charge.”

In its statement today, ACMA points out that Vodafone had made its announcement in May “notwithstanding its concerns that providing free of charge mobile calls to 1800 numbers unfairly disadvantages mobile providers because of the way interconnect charges are calculated.”

The authority says it understands this is an area of continuing negotiation within industry.

On a positive note, ACMA says it considers the ongoing reform of charging arrangements for mobile calls to 13/1300 and 1800 numbers over the last several years, without the need for direct regulatory intervention, to be a significant achievement and acknowledges industry’s leadership role in delivering this reform and its associated consumer benefits.

ACMA acknowledge the “positive advocacy” role played by ACCAN, particularly on behalf of organisations that represent vulnerable consumers.