Each Public Number Customer Data (PNCD) record includes the customer’s phone number, name, service and directory addresses, the type of service, whether the service is listed or unlisted in public number directories (online & printed) and details about the CSP who provides the service.
The types of services recorded in the IPND include:
CSPs (who are Data Providers under the IPND Scheme) are legally required to send a PNCD record to the IPND for each service they provide using a public number, and to swiftly correct any errors in or changes to that record. As of February 2023, the IPND contains 129 million connected and disconnected PNCD records.
Important: It is vital that customers and service users provide their service provider with accurate and up-to-date information about their service, as this information can have serious consequences in an emergency or life threatening situation. CSPs as a Data Provider are required to update the records of their customers in the IPND if they are advised of any inaccuracies or in the event of changes to details of the customers service, including service status, location and directory listing preference.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the IPND Manager share arrangements under which data users are authorised or approved to access data in the IPND. Authorised or approved IPND ‘Data Users’ provide a range of ‘critical’ and ‘non-critical’ services to the community and their customers. Critical data users include: the Emergency Call Services (ECS) for Triple Zero (000 and 112) and 106, Emergency Alert system, Emergency Service Organisations (Police, Fire and Ambulance) and national security and law enforcement agencies.
Non-critical users of IPND information include public number directories publishers (which excludes White Pages® directories), directory and operator assistance providers, location dependent carriage service (LDCS) providers and researchers for electoral, health and government policy research. These data users provide a range of services and products to government organisations and the general public that would not be possible or would be much more difficult without the IPND.
The IPND Scheme is administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The IPND Scheme details the processes by which ACMA may grant authorisation enabling access to and use of information in the IPND. Public Number Directory Publishers (PNDPs) and researchers will have to hold an authorisation from ACMA before they are allowed to access data from the IPND. Please visit the Australian Communications and Media Authority for further information on the IPND Scheme.
The IPND Code protects the interests of Carriage Service Providers, Data Providers, Data Users and the integrity of the IPND. The IPND Code provides a practical guide to how IPND Carriage Service Providers, Data Providers and Data Users interact with the IPND and the IPND Manager. See the Communications Alliance C555 IPND code for more information.
The IPND Industry Guideline is a valuable tool for IPND Data Providers and Data Users. It assists Data Providers in providing consistently accurate data to the IPND. See the Communications Alliance C555 IPND code for more information.
It is a requirement under the Telecommunications Act 1997 that all Carriage Service Providers (CSPs) who supply a carriage service to an end user using a public number must provide the public number and related customer data to the IPND Manager. Failure to comply with this obligation may attract remedial directions, formal warnings of a breach or ultimately invoke civil penalty provisions by the Australian Communication Media Authority (ACMA).
Below is a brief summary of the process involved in connecting to the IPND as a Data Provider:
The IPND Manager will notify the ACMA of any Data Providers who have not commenced providing data to the IPND within two weeks of the Data Provider receiving authorisation to connect to the IPND. More information is available in the IPND User Connection (PDF, 366KB) document.
The IPND Manager does not charge Data Providers for connecting to the IPND for the first time.
The IPND Support Team are available to assist Data Providers as they progress through the User Test to IPND Production milestones. Any changes required by the Data Provider after the first connection may incur costs to support the associated Change Request.
Data Providers are responsible for providing and maintaining their own infrastructure such as computers, servers, firewalls, systems and client applications for performing data transactions with the IPND. This is done at their own cost.
IPND Data Provider Information Pack:
It is essential you read and understand the IPND checklist in the in the ACMA Phone number rules.
Please review the above documentation and feel free to contact the IPND Manager if you have any further questions.
Telstra manages the IPND on behalf of the telecommunications industry. Data is supplied to the IPND by Carriage Service Providers (CSPs) also known as Data Providers. This data is sourced from each CSP Data Providers’ service activation / billing systems.
Data from the IPND can only be used for approved purposes by authorised Data Users. IPND data must not be used for unapproved purposes and publication of reverse search directories. Please refer to the Communications Alliance IPND Code (C555) for the list of approved purposes.
If you intend to use data from the IPND for the purposes of publishing a directory or for research, you must seek authorisation from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to access data from the IPND via the IPND Scheme.
The IPND Scheme is administered by the ACMA. Details on the IPND Scheme are available at www.acma.gov.au
After obtaining authorisation from the ACMA, the prospective Data User is required to complete an Application of Intent to Use the IPND form, which is included in the Data User Information Pack (below). The prospective Data User must sign and return the completed form to the IPND Manager at [email protected].
Prospective Data Users are also required to:
The IPND Manager will consult with the ACMA for all requests to access the IPND without exception.
Data Users are responsible for providing and maintaining their own infrastructure such as computers, servers, firewalls, systems and client applications for performing data transactions with the IPND. This is done at their own cost.
IPND Data User Information Pack
It is essential you read and understand the IPND checklist included in the ACMA Phone number rules.
Please review the above documentation and feel free to contact the IPND Manager if you have any further questions.
This section is to assist Data Providers and Data Users in obtaining support.
IPND Help Centre
The IPND Help Centre has been established to provide Data Providers access to tools which assist them with:
There is a daily maintenance window of two hours between 12pm – 2pm (12:00 to 14:00). During this time the IPND will be unavailable for file transmission activity (upload or download files).
Any data uploads that have not completed by 12pm may be terminated, and an error message will be written to the File Transfer Log.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, users will be given two weeks’ notice of any maintenance that may occur outside of the daily maintenance window.
If you’re experiencing technical difficulty accessing the IPND, the IPND Support team can assist you with:
Important: Before raising a request through the online IPND Helpdesk Portal or by email, check all internal systems and processes to ensure that the issue is not internal.
To obtain assistance from the IPND Support team, you can Raise a request through the IPND Helpdesk Portal or by sending an email. More details for each are below.
To access the IPND Helpdesk Portal you’ll need to sign in with a valid email address and a password.
A task will be raised for the IPND Support team who will carry out troubleshooting and contact you as required.
Important: This option should only be used for lower severity issues (P3 or P4). See Issue Severity Guidelines table below.
| Priority/ Severity | Description | Support team access & availability |
P1 Critical |
Data Provider cannot upload file or Critical Data User (ES/LA/EW) cannot download file |
24/7 support |
|---|---|---|
P2 High |
Data Provider cannot download .err file or non-critical Data User (DI/LD/RS) cannot download file. |
24/7 support |
P3 Medium |
Business hours support or email to: [email protected] |
|
| P4 Low | Request for information | Business hours support or email to: [email protected] |
| Critical Data Users | |
|---|---|
| LA | Law Enforcement |
| ES | Emergency Services |
| EW | Early Warning users |
The IPND Manager is available to assist you with any questions you may have about the IPND.
Activity/Request Type |
Action |
Resolved |
Comments/Control/Parameter |
General enquiry: Customer enquiry or request for information |
Same day |
Timings may vary |
General enquiry submitted to the IPND Manager for information or assistance. |
Notification to IPND Manager: Incident impacting Public Number Customer Data (PNCD) belonging to another CSP/Data Provider(s) (accidental record over-write etc.) Refer Section 5.2.5 of the IPND Code (C555:2020) (PDF,560KB) |
Same day |
Timings may vary |
100+ records / impacting 6+ Data Providers / CSPs |
Notification to IPND Manager: Breach of IPND Security / PNCD Privacy. Refer Section 8.1.7 or 8.1.8 of the IPND Code (C555:2020) (PDF,560KB) |
Same day |
Timings may vary |
Incident impacting multiple customers (e.g. systemic or process issue; incorrect listing flag used etc.) Where it was identified IPND Data / PNCD has been exposed to unauthorised parties |
Notification to IPND Manager: Bulk refresh / bulk PNCD remediation activity. Refer Section 5.4.1 & 5.4.2 of the IPND Code (C555:2020) (PDF,560KB) |
Same day |
One day |
Notification required if number of daily records uploaded to the IPND exceeds 1 million records |
Notification to IPND Manager: Cancellation of IPND User Access |
Same day |
One day |
|
Other |
Same day |
Timings may vary | Details to be provided on submit. |
Request information: History report (0- 1k) |
One day |
One day |
0 – 1k numbers (often same day) |
Request information: History report (1k – 10k) |
One day |
Up to Two days |
1k – 10k numbers |
Request information: History report (10k - 30k limit) |
One day |
Up to three days |
10k – 30k numbers[WP1] [WP2] |
Request information/Inquiry: Simplex |
One day |
One day |
Simplex (often same day) |
Request information/Inquiry: Complex |
|
Up to 15 |
Complex (may require further consultation) |
Request assistance: · Data extract · Data Provider snapshot · Data User bulk refresh |
One day |
Within 5 days of agreed date |
Request assistance process: 1. Submit request for extract to be run. 2. IPND Manager acknowledges and responds with availability 3. Data Provider / Data User replies to select / confirm extract run date 4. IPND Manager provides extract details within 1 day of run |
Request assistance: Update company/contact details New IPND Codes (file source / CSP/Data Provider) |
Two days |
Up to 10 days |
New codes requires Data Provider to complete an Application of Intent to Provide data to the IPND (DOCX, 123KB) |
Registration enquiry: Data Provider or Data User |
One day |
Timings may vary |
Details to be provided on submit. |
Before contacting the IPND Manager please ensure you are aware of the following:
It is essential you read and understand the IPND checklist included in the ACMA Phone number rules.
Please review the above documentation and feel free to contact the IPND Manager if you have any further questions.
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