Did you know Telstra has opened up the line straight to the North Pole, so children can chat to Santa this festive season?
This year Aussie children are lining up at Telstra public phones to have a chance to chat to the big man in red.
The Telstra public phones have now been recognised as one of the most popular for Santa HQ calls across Australia.
From Saturday, 13 December, right through to Christmas Eve, Aussies can dial #HOHOHO (#464646) for free from any of Telstra’s 14,000+ public phones nationwide to chat directly to the team at the North Pole and share their Christmas wishes.
Telstra reports that in one quick dial, children can chat about everything from the ideal reindeer snacks to leave out, to how things are tracking in the lead up to Christmas at the North Pole.
Taking advantage of the free calls to Santa is not just a bit of festive fun, but it is also a chance for children to learn how to find and use a public phone in case of an emergency.
The free calls to Santa are a fun way to show your children what a payphone is and how it all works.
Some families could not wait for the main line to open this year, with nearly 100,000 children dialing Santa’s out-of-office line since last Christmas, eagerly awaiting the hotline’s return.
Since launching in 2021, Free Calls to Santa has now become a modern Aussie holiday ritual, with more than 1.5 million calls placed to Santa HQ.
According to the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, Telstra’s free Santa hotline is available from any of Telstra’s more than 14,300 public phones across the country.
In total, around 25 million calls are made every years using payphones. The Department of Communications stated that as local and national calls from payphones are free, this allows people to stay in contact with friends and family, or to seek assistance from government or support services, especially if they have no other access to a means of communication.
Australia’s payphones are supported by $40 million in annual funding from the Australian Government and industry.
