The mobile phone service has been in Dubbo for 30 years this week.
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The first Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) was switched on in Dubbo on July 26, 1990. All mobile numbers started with 018 and the Dubbo prefix was 632.
Business owner Mathew Dickerson said he had the honour of connecting the first mobile phone in Dubbo to the prefixes set aside for the Dubbo region.
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"In 1990 the numbering system was different to today. Mobile numbers were only nine digits and all mobiles started with 018. The prefix assigned to numbers from the Dubbo region was 636 so it was initially assumed only 1,000 numbers would be required in the region," he said.
At the time all landline numbers were only six digits long with an area code of three digits. For example, a Dubbo number may have been (068) 84 6880 instead of the current (02) 6884 6880.
"I remember the first number and first phone. It was an NEC P3 handheld mobile. It was actually very rare to sell a handheld mobile with most mobile phones permanently installed in a vehicle or with their own 'bag' and carry case. The NEC P3 had a current equivalent cost of over $10,000. In 1990 it was hard to imagine the mobile world we have today."
The first phone number was 018 63 62 62.
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