Non-geographical telephone numbers in the UK
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
, non-geographic numbers (NGNs) are telephone number
s available for private sale which, rather than being assigned to a particular telephone line
or circuit, provide callers with a contact number which gives no indication as to the geographical location of the line being called. The owner of the number can retarget the NGN to any other telephone number including mobile, international and even other NGNs at any time therefore enabling them to take their calls on the move or at various locations at different times or simultaneously. NGNs which cost more than 50p (UK
) to call are classed as premium rate numbers and usually begin '09'.
.
Until 2004, 0845 numbers were charged at the same rate as a call within the caller's local call area, and were accordingly described as local rate numbers, or using the BT brand name "Lo-call". With few companies now charging domestic customers different rates for local and long-distance calls, 0845 numbers can no longer reliably be assumed to cost the same as a 'local' phone call and can in some cases cost more.
Some fixed line telephone companies have started to include 0845 numbers in bundled call allowances.
(now Cable & Wireless) had a similar scheme, with its numbers beginning with 0541. Like 0990, they were also renumbered into the 0870 scheme, with the numbers becoming 0870 1xx xxxx. Other operators (such as Vodafone
) also had national rate codes and were renumbered in a similar way.
When originally introduced in 1996, calls to 0845 and 0870 number from BT lines were charged at the same rate as local and national calls respectively. Since that time the telecommunications market in the UK has changed substantially, with BT facing competition from new entrants into the market such as the Post Office and Talk Talk
and increasing usage of mobile phones. As a result of this, and the introduction of monthly price plans which include calls to national numbers but not 0845, 0870 or other non-geographic numbers, it is sometimes considerably more expensive to call a non-geographic number than standard national 01 or 02 numbers. 0871/0872/0873 numbers may only be used with a warning about the cost of calling them. The usage of these numbers is regulated by Phonepay Plus.
in the normal way.
Other routing features include routing by time of day, location of caller, day of week, capacity, etc. For example, calls might be routed to a UK call centre during its hours of operation, but to a call centre in India at other times of day. This would avoid callers having to ring back when the UK call centre was open.
that were announced by UK communications regulator, Ofcom
, in February 2007, with allocation starting in March 2007. They are formally known as UK-wide numbers and have been introduced as an alternative to 08 numbers, such as 087x and 084x numbers.
The practice of revenue sharing (where the dialled party receives a share of the cost of the call) is not permitted with 03 numbers (unlike 08 numbers).
Note 0842, 0843, 0872 and 0873 are now also 'Reserved for Future Use' in the UK telephone number plan.
sent a letter to all Primary Care Trust Chief Executives drawing attention to the Central Office of Information
guidance on telephone numbering, which suggested that healthcare providers consider adopting an 03 telephone number so that people "do not have to pay over the odds to contact their local services".
Since then, there has been much discussion in the media about the use of 0844 numbers in the healthcare sector, mainly due to the costs incurred by people who have to dial these numbers as the primary form of contact with their local healthcare services.
Former Health Secretary Alan Johnson
has also publicly advocated the use of 03 numbers.
launched its new 0300 non-emergency telephone number: 0300 123 1212. The force joins Durham, Essex, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, Staffordshire, Tayside, West Midlands, West Mercia,and Surrey constabularies who also now use 03 numbers.
For example, suppose a large retail chain
has stores throughout the country. It advertises a single phone number (0845). Customers across the country call this one number, but the call could be answered at their local store, according to the origin of the call.
Another use of 0845 is for call-financed services. The owner of the 0845 number in some cases receives income from calls received, with which they can partly or wholly finance their service, or even make a profit. Some dial-up ISP
s receive their income in this way, with no need for separate billing of customers.
Charges paid by the caller for 0845 calls are set by each phone company individually. Charges can vary greatly, especially when the call originates from a UK mobile, payphone or a non-UK number. They can often be prohibitively expensive when called from payphones and mobiles because discounts and bundled minutes seldom apply.
- *Depending on calling plan.
originally announced that from February 2008, revenue sharing on the 0870 number range would no longer be allowed, but that a new range of non-geographic numbers would be made available to service providers in the 03 numbers range, known as UK-wide numbers, for organisations that require a national presence, but do not wish to charge premiums to consumers to contact them. Ofcom would permit the higher charges for 0870 numbers to continue provided that there was an announcement before the call (Pre-Call Announcement, or PCA). However, since that announcement Ofcom has changed its decision, because of Health and Safety implications and more importantly due to strong lobbying and pressure from the Telecoms industry, who stood to lose significant revenue from the change. Ofcom has now postponed any changes to the 0870 number range, apparently because they now intend to move 0870 numbers to the same regime as 0871 (PhonepayPlus) as Premium numbers with call queuing permitted. Originally Ofcom had announced that call tariffs for 0870 were going to be the same as for geographic numbers, unless there was a PCA, but now this will not be so for the foreseeable future. The call tariffs and call discounts for 03 numbers will be the same for geographic (01 or 02) numbers. The new 03 numbers code was chosen because it is numerically adjacent to the 01 and 02 numbers.
It remains to be seen which organisations will move to the new 03 numbers and how many will move to 0844, 0845 or 0871 numbers, as some have already done, to continue to receive premiums with call queuing permitted. Any such move is likely to be delayed until Ofcom have announced their decision on 0870 numbers.
On 30 April 2010, Ofcom announced a new, wide-ranging review of all non-geographic call services.
, CommuniTel, and
SkypeOutcharge the call as a "Premium Rate Service" or "Mobile call". This means that a call to a non-geographic number from outside the UK is usually significantly more expensive than a call to a UK geographic number plus a non-geographic call within the UK. The extra charge is paid to the UK partner by the non-UK operator and recouped from the caller.
With many pre-paid phonecards
, calls to non-geographic numbers are blocked. Either the UK partner does not connect the inbound call or the phonecard provider does not accept the charge levied by the UK operator.
about how much money the UK government is receiving from call queuing on non-geographic numbers.
There is increasing consumer opposition to non-geographic numbers due to this revenue sharing, most of all because consumers are increasingly aware that they are being charged for time spent waiting for their call to be answered. (Even more of the public is aware of the huge costs of 09 Premium rate numbers, where prices have to be clearly indicated, and on which call queuing is specifically prohibited.) There has been increasing media coverage which has raised awareness of this.
During debates in the House of Commons, a number of Members of Parliament
have criticised the use of 0845 numbers to provide access to government services, such as at the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP). It is objected that taxpayers are already financing government services via taxation, and in the specific case of DWP that many callers are benefit claimants without much money. The DWP is in the process of migrating from 0845 numbers to 0800 or 03 numbers. In addition the Department of Health
is currently undertaking a public consultation on banning 084 numbers in NHS services.
Some consumers have tried to avoid calling non-geographic numbers by instead calling a non-advertised geographic number. Local-rate alternatives to non-geographic numbers can often be found through extensive online searches.
Some people and businesses support the use of non-geographic numbers because they believe they are cheaper to call (from all networks). For example, 0500 and 080x numbers are sometimes free for the caller, but the receiver has to pay for the call, and for some callers is much more expensive. The new 03 numbers range is usually the same cost as landline calls, although an intermediate rate maybe charged where the caller is on a tariff that still has local and national rates.
These numbers are most useful in connection with enhanced routing call handling services, and also to enable the same number to be kept if a business's geographical location changes. This can also be achieved using normal geographic numbers, but the initial cost of equipment and ongoing service costs to do this can be higher, and no revenue is returned (unlike 084x and 087x numbers).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, non-geographic numbers (NGNs) are telephone number
Telephone number
A telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
s available for private sale which, rather than being assigned to a particular telephone line
Telephone line
A telephone line or telephone circuit is a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system...
or circuit, provide callers with a contact number which gives no indication as to the geographical location of the line being called. The owner of the number can retarget the NGN to any other telephone number including mobile, international and even other NGNs at any time therefore enabling them to take their calls on the move or at various locations at different times or simultaneously. NGNs which cost more than 50p (UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) to call are classed as premium rate numbers and usually begin '09'.
Prefixes
| Prefix | Cost info | Typical usage |
|---|---|---|
| 03xx | Geographic call rate | 03 numbers must (by law) cost the same as landline calls for all operators (including inclusion in any 'free minutes'). These have been assigned by Ofcom Ofcom Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003... to replace old 084x and 087x services which are not considered appropriate for revenue share. 030 numbers are for use by Government, Councils, public services, non-profit organisations, and charities. 033 numbers are for use by any organisation. 034 and 037 numbers are for organisations wishing to migrate from the equivalent 084 and 087 number ranges. |
| 0500 Toll-free telephone number A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call... |
Free from landline Varies from mobile |
These are older Mercury (now Cable & Wireless) freephone numbers, and are being deprecated in favour of 0800 or 0808 numbers. |
| 055, 056 Direct Inward Dialing Direct inward dialing , also called direct dial-in in Europe and Oceania, is a feature offered by telephone companies for use with their customers' private branch exchange systems... |
The rates of calling these numbers are generally unknown, although they are charged by BT at around 5p/min. | These numbers are generally used by companies that use a VoIP telephony service. |
| 070 Personal Numbering Personal numbering is the name for virtual telephone number services in a number of countries including the UK and Spain. Typically the national destination code used for this service is 70 service. This service has historically been poorly defined by Oftel and also Ofcom... |
Varies | These are premium rate numbers known as 'follow-me' or 'personal' numbers; formally, Personal Numbering Personal Numbering Personal numbering is the name for virtual telephone number services in a number of countries including the UK and Spain. Typically the national destination code used for this service is 70 service. This service has historically been poorly defined by Oftel and also Ofcom... Service (PNS). They are considered to be controversial as they can be confused for mobile numbers, and therefore the cost of calls to them may not be apparent to callers until they receive their bills. Ofcom Ofcom Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003... is looking at moving this range to the 06x range to avoid such confusion. |
| 076xx Pager A pager is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then requested to call... |
Varies | These are pager or vodafone landline numbers. They are two types: Fixed call cost pagers (CPP - calling party pays) where the subscriber pays a fixed rate for their service and thus the caller pays a premium fixed rate (some operators charge a fixed rate plus a rate per minute). Subscription pagers which are cheaper to call and charged at 'regional' rates (their landline equivalents no longer exist). These usually cost slightly more than an equivalent landline call. These can also be vodafone landline calls, which are charged at local rate. |
| 074, 075, 07624, 077, 078, 079 | Varies | These are mobile phone numbers. While the exact price to call these from landlines is not generally known, people understand that they will have to pay a slight premium to call these numbers. Calls to Jersey, Guernsey, and Isle of Man mobile telephone numbers may cost more than calls to standard UK mobiles. |
| 080x Toll-free telephone number A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call... |
Free from landline Varies from mobile |
These are freephone numbers that are free to call from a landline. However, they may be charged at a premium rate if phoned from a mobile. |
| 0842, 0843, 0844, 0845, 0870, 0871, 0872, 0873 | Varies – from 0.49p/min (0845) up to 10p/min (0871) from a BT BT Group BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of... landline. Some 0845 and 0870 calls may be inclusive depending on calling plan, so aren't charged to call. |
Companies, other entities, government departments. |
| 09xx Premium-rate telephone number Premium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls... |
Premium rate (varies) | These numbers are premium rate and have many uses - competition lines, chat lines, technical support helplines and order lines. |
0845 prefix
0845 numbers replaced the previous range of 0345 numbers operated by BT and 0645 numbers provided by Cable and Wireless. The older 0345 and 0645 numbers were converted to 0845 numbers as part of the Big Number ChangeBig Number Change
The Big Number Change was an update of telephone dialling codes in the UK in response to the rapid late-1990s growth of telecommunications and impending exhaustion of numbers. The change greatly expanded the pool of available numbers while helping to retain 'local dialling'...
.
Until 2004, 0845 numbers were charged at the same rate as a call within the caller's local call area, and were accordingly described as local rate numbers, or using the BT brand name "Lo-call". With few companies now charging domestic customers different rates for local and long-distance calls, 0845 numbers can no longer reliably be assumed to cost the same as a 'local' phone call and can in some cases cost more.
Some fixed line telephone companies have started to include 0845 numbers in bundled call allowances.
0870 prefix
The 0870 code was originally introduced as 0990, the code formerly used for Ascot, when it was subsumed into 0344 (Bracknell). 0990 numbers were originally six-digit, and when 0870 was brought in to replace 0990, the six-digit numbers were prefixed with a 5 to make 0870 5xx xxxx. Mercury CommunicationsMercury Communications
Mercury Communications was a national telephone company in the United Kingdom. The company was formed in 1981 as a subsidiary of Cable & Wireless to challenge the monopoly of British Telecom which was privatised in 1984...
(now Cable & Wireless) had a similar scheme, with its numbers beginning with 0541. Like 0990, they were also renumbered into the 0870 scheme, with the numbers becoming 0870 1xx xxxx. Other operators (such as Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
) also had national rate codes and were renumbered in a similar way.
Revenue sharing
When calling 0844 and 0871 numbers, part of the cost of the call is paid to the recipient; this is known as “revenue sharing”.When originally introduced in 1996, calls to 0845 and 0870 number from BT lines were charged at the same rate as local and national calls respectively. Since that time the telecommunications market in the UK has changed substantially, with BT facing competition from new entrants into the market such as the Post Office and Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
and increasing usage of mobile phones. As a result of this, and the introduction of monthly price plans which include calls to national numbers but not 0845, 0870 or other non-geographic numbers, it is sometimes considerably more expensive to call a non-geographic number than standard national 01 or 02 numbers. 0871/0872/0873 numbers may only be used with a warning about the cost of calling them. The usage of these numbers is regulated by Phonepay Plus.
Handling of NGN calls
In the simplest case, the NGN is translated into a regular geographic number. This number is then routed by the exchangeTelephone exchange
In the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
in the normal way.
Other routing features include routing by time of day, location of caller, day of week, capacity, etc. For example, calls might be routed to a UK call centre during its hours of operation, but to a call centre in India at other times of day. This would avoid callers having to ring back when the UK call centre was open.
03 prefix information
03 numbers are non-geographic telephone numbersNon-geographical telephone numbers in the UK
In the United Kingdom, non-geographic numbers are telephone numbers available for private sale which, rather than being assigned to a particular telephone line or circuit, provide callers with a contact number which gives no indication as to the geographical location of the line being called...
that were announced by UK communications regulator, Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
, in February 2007, with allocation starting in March 2007. They are formally known as UK-wide numbers and have been introduced as an alternative to 08 numbers, such as 087x and 084x numbers.
Call costs
Unlike 08 numbers, 03 numbers cost the same to call as geographic landline numbers (starting 01 and 02), even from a mobile phone. They are also included as part of inclusive call minutes and discount schemes from all major mobile phone and landline operators.The practice of revenue sharing (where the dialled party receives a share of the cost of the call) is not permitted with 03 numbers (unlike 08 numbers).
Cost comparisons
| Number range | Mobile call cost |
|---|---|
| 03 | Inclusive or at geographic rate |
| 0800 | 10-25p/min |
| 0844 | 20-55p/min |
| 0845 | 20-30p/min |
| 0870 | 20-29p/min |
| 0871 | 35-50p/min |
Note 0842, 0843, 0872 and 0873 are now also 'Reserved for Future Use' in the UK telephone number plan.
Number ranges
There are a range of numbers available for use by specific people or organisations:- 030 numbers (0300 - 0309) - specifically designated for public bodies and not-for-profit organisations.
- 033 numbers (0330 - 0339) - available for any person, business or organisation.
- 03 migration numbers (034x, 037x) - only available for migration from an existing 08 number or range (084x and 087x).
Healthcare
In December 2006, Lord Norman WarnerNorman Warner
Norman Melvin Warner was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was an insurance broker by career....
sent a letter to all Primary Care Trust Chief Executives drawing attention to the Central Office of Information
Central Office of Information
The Central Office of Information is the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive, currently Mark Lund, reports to the Minister for the Cabinet Office...
guidance on telephone numbering, which suggested that healthcare providers consider adopting an 03 telephone number so that people "do not have to pay over the odds to contact their local services".
Since then, there has been much discussion in the media about the use of 0844 numbers in the healthcare sector, mainly due to the costs incurred by people who have to dial these numbers as the primary form of contact with their local healthcare services.
Former Health Secretary Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
has also publicly advocated the use of 03 numbers.
Public sector
On 14 October 2008, the Metropolitan Police ServiceMetropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
launched its new 0300 non-emergency telephone number: 0300 123 1212. The force joins Durham, Essex, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, Staffordshire, Tayside, West Midlands, West Mercia,and Surrey constabularies who also now use 03 numbers.
Usage
0845 numbers are typically used by the service departments of businesses and public sector organisations.For example, suppose a large retail chain
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
has stores throughout the country. It advertises a single phone number (0845). Customers across the country call this one number, but the call could be answered at their local store, according to the origin of the call.
Another use of 0845 is for call-financed services. The owner of the 0845 number in some cases receives income from calls received, with which they can partly or wholly finance their service, or even make a profit. Some dial-up ISP
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s receive their income in this way, with no need for separate billing of customers.
Charges paid by the caller for 0845 calls are set by each phone company individually. Charges can vary greatly, especially when the call originates from a UK mobile, payphone or a non-UK number. They can often be prohibitively expensive when called from payphones and mobiles because discounts and bundled minutes seldom apply.
From UK landlines (does not include payphones, which cost considerably more)
- The cost of calling an 0845 number is sometimes less than for a geographic 01 or 02 number. However, as 0845 is not generally included in call plans offering inclusive calls (BT is an exception), the 0845 call often ends up costing more.
- Prices include VATValue added taxA value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
.
| Operator | Connection Charge | Daytime / per min | Evening / per min | Weekend / per min | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT BT Group BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of... |
3.864p | 0.978p | 0.978p | June 2009 * | |
| SkypeOut | 3.3p | 9.2p | 9.2p | 9.2p | 04 May 2011 |
| Virgin Media Virgin Media Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom... |
11p | 10p | 10p | 10p | 10 May 2010 |
| Vonage Vonage Vonage is a publicly held commercial voice over IP network and SIP company that provides telephone service via a broadband connection. The company's name is a play on their motto "Voice-Over-Net-AGE".... |
4p | 4p | 2p | 1p | 30 Aug 2010 |
From UK mobiles
- The charges shown generally apply to calls from pre-paid mobile plans ("pay-as-you-go") with VATVatVat or VAT may refer to:* A type of container such as a barrel, storage tank, or tub, often constructed of welded sheet stainless steel, and used for holding, storing, and processing liquids such as milk, wine, and beer...
included. - The charges may be lower on post-pay ("pay monthly") plans, but can be more expensive on other mobile providers.
- The monthly minutes (sometimes called free minutes) included in price plans generally do not apply to 0845 numbers, which are charged separately.
| Operator | Cost/min | Date checked |
|---|---|---|
| BT BT Mobile BT Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator in the UK, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands which uses the Vodafone UK, Vodafone Spain, Vodafone Italy and 6Gmobile network. It is part of the BT Group.... |
20p | 30 December 2007 |
| 3 | 35p | 04 May 2011 |
| O2 O2 plc Telefónica Europe plc is a European broadband and telecommunications company that trades as O2 . The company originated as a collection of worldwide telecommunications companies, known in the later half of the 1990s as BT Wireless, and a global mobile data business known then as Genie Internet,... |
20-25p | 10 May 2010 |
| Orange | 40p | 12 April 2010 |
| TalkTalk | 35p | 30 December 2007 |
| Tesco Tesco Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits... |
20p | 30 December 2007 |
| T-Mobile T-Mobile T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands... |
40p | 26 March 2009 |
| Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations... |
41p | 21 July 2010 |
| Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... 0844 0845 |
25p / 20p | 30 July 2010 |
| Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... 0870 |
25p / 20p | 30 July 2010 |
| Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... 0871 |
35p / 25p | 30 July 2010 |
From UK landlines (does not include payphones, which cost considerably more)
- The cost of calling an 0870 number is usually higher than calling a geographic 01 or 02 number. 0870 is not generally included in call plans offering "free national calls". BT however do allow free calls to 0870 numbers at the same times as customers get inclusive calls under their calling plan.
- Prices include VATValue added taxA value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
.
| Operator | Connect Charge | Day per min | Eve per min | Weekend per min | Date checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BT BT Group BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of... |
5.88p/Free | 1.47p/Free | 5.88p/1.47p/Free | 18 Feb 2009 * | |
| SkypeOut | 3.3p | 12.7p | 12.7p | 12.7p | 04 May 2011 |
| Virgin Media Virgin Media Virgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom... |
Free | Free | Free | Free | 26 Sep 2011 |
| Vonage Vonage Vonage is a publicly held commercial voice over IP network and SIP company that provides telephone service via a broadband connection. The company's name is a play on their motto "Voice-Over-Net-AGE".... |
2p | 1p | 1p | 20 Aug 2010 |
- *Depending on calling plan.
From UK mobiles
- The charges shown generally apply to calls from pre-paid mobile plans ("pay-as-you-go") with VATVatVat or VAT may refer to:* A type of container such as a barrel, storage tank, or tub, often constructed of welded sheet stainless steel, and used for holding, storing, and processing liquids such as milk, wine, and beer...
included. - The charges may be lower on post-pay ("pay monthly") plans, but can be more expensive on other mobile providers.
- The monthly minutes (sometimes called free minutes) included in price plans generally do not apply to 0870 numbers, which are charged separately.
| Operator | Cost/min | Date checked |
|---|---|---|
| BT BT Mobile BT Mobile is a mobile virtual network operator in the UK, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands which uses the Vodafone UK, Vodafone Spain, Vodafone Italy and 6Gmobile network. It is part of the BT Group.... |
tba | 30 December 2007 |
| 3 | 35p | 04 May 2011 |
| O2 O2 plc Telefónica Europe plc is a European broadband and telecommunications company that trades as O2 . The company originated as a collection of worldwide telecommunications companies, known in the later half of the 1990s as BT Wireless, and a global mobile data business known then as Genie Internet,... |
20-25p | 10 May 2010 |
| Orange | 40p | 12 April 2010 |
| TalkTalk | 35p | 30 December 2007 |
| Tesco Tesco Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits... |
20p | 30 December 2007 |
| T-Mobile T-Mobile T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands... |
40p | 7 January 2011 |
| Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations... |
41p | 21 July 2010 |
| Vodafone Vodafone Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of... |
25p /20p | 30 July 2010 |
Future
OfcomOfcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
originally announced that from February 2008, revenue sharing on the 0870 number range would no longer be allowed, but that a new range of non-geographic numbers would be made available to service providers in the 03 numbers range, known as UK-wide numbers, for organisations that require a national presence, but do not wish to charge premiums to consumers to contact them. Ofcom would permit the higher charges for 0870 numbers to continue provided that there was an announcement before the call (Pre-Call Announcement, or PCA). However, since that announcement Ofcom has changed its decision, because of Health and Safety implications and more importantly due to strong lobbying and pressure from the Telecoms industry, who stood to lose significant revenue from the change. Ofcom has now postponed any changes to the 0870 number range, apparently because they now intend to move 0870 numbers to the same regime as 0871 (PhonepayPlus) as Premium numbers with call queuing permitted. Originally Ofcom had announced that call tariffs for 0870 were going to be the same as for geographic numbers, unless there was a PCA, but now this will not be so for the foreseeable future. The call tariffs and call discounts for 03 numbers will be the same for geographic (01 or 02) numbers. The new 03 numbers code was chosen because it is numerically adjacent to the 01 and 02 numbers.
It remains to be seen which organisations will move to the new 03 numbers and how many will move to 0844, 0845 or 0871 numbers, as some have already done, to continue to receive premiums with call queuing permitted. Any such move is likely to be delayed until Ofcom have announced their decision on 0870 numbers.
On 30 April 2010, Ofcom announced a new, wide-ranging review of all non-geographic call services.
Calling from abroad
When calling from outside the UK, many operators, such as AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, CommuniTel, and
SkypeOutcharge the call as a "Premium Rate Service" or "Mobile call". This means that a call to a non-geographic number from outside the UK is usually significantly more expensive than a call to a UK geographic number plus a non-geographic call within the UK. The extra charge is paid to the UK partner by the non-UK operator and recouped from the caller.
With many pre-paid phonecards
Telephone card
A telephone card, calling card or phone card for short, is a small plastic card, sized and shaped like a credit card, used to pay for telephone services. It is not necessary to have the physical card except with a stored-value system; knowledge of the access telephone number to dial and the PIN is...
, calls to non-geographic numbers are blocked. Either the UK partner does not connect the inbound call or the phonecard provider does not accept the charge levied by the UK operator.
Opposition
Clients are attracted to these numbers because per minute revenue is generated for them from each call, and call queuing is permitted. Call centres may generate very high revenue from high call volumes. Questions have been asked in the British House of CommonsBritish House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
about how much money the UK government is receiving from call queuing on non-geographic numbers.
There is increasing consumer opposition to non-geographic numbers due to this revenue sharing, most of all because consumers are increasingly aware that they are being charged for time spent waiting for their call to be answered. (Even more of the public is aware of the huge costs of 09 Premium rate numbers, where prices have to be clearly indicated, and on which call queuing is specifically prohibited.) There has been increasing media coverage which has raised awareness of this.
During debates in the House of Commons, a number of Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
have criticised the use of 0845 numbers to provide access to government services, such as at the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DWP). It is objected that taxpayers are already financing government services via taxation, and in the specific case of DWP that many callers are benefit claimants without much money. The DWP is in the process of migrating from 0845 numbers to 0800 or 03 numbers. In addition the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
is currently undertaking a public consultation on banning 084 numbers in NHS services.
Some consumers have tried to avoid calling non-geographic numbers by instead calling a non-advertised geographic number. Local-rate alternatives to non-geographic numbers can often be found through extensive online searches.
Support
An organisation may prefer a non-geographic number over a geographic number for several reasons.- Communication. The organisation can advertise a single national phone number rather than having different numbers for different regions or times of day. Materials showing the number can be used across the country. Changes to these numbers are rarer than changes in a range of geographic numbers.
- Revenue. The charge paid by the caller finances the forwarding of the call to the appropriate destination. Additionally, if sufficient volume is attained, the organisation receives a share of the call charge. Thus a charge is made to the customer, who may not be aware of it.
- Call volumes and/or revenue would decrease if the true costs were known to callers, so strategies have been developed to hide them.
- Misleading descriptions such as "Local Rate" "Lo-call" and "National Rate" are sometimes used, which falsely imply that call costs are the same as local/national calls to 01 or 02 numbers.
- Numerical association can be applied: 0843 and 0844 numbers look similar to 0845, and most people would assume that they cost no more than 0845 ("local rate") numbers, which is not the case. (Similarly for 0871, 0872, and 0873 numbers, compared to the better known 0870 code.)
- Call volumes and/or revenue would decrease if the true costs were known to callers, so strategies have been developed to hide them.
- Routing. The operator can provide tools for managing large volumes of incoming calls. Calls can be routed to call centreCall centreA call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
s in different parts of the country depending on e.g. the origin of the call, the available capacity or the time of day. The caller is less likely to encounter a busy signalBusy signalA busy signal in telephony is an audible or visual signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection of that particular telephone call....
and have to re-dial.
Some people and businesses support the use of non-geographic numbers because they believe they are cheaper to call (from all networks). For example, 0500 and 080x numbers are sometimes free for the caller, but the receiver has to pay for the call, and for some callers is much more expensive. The new 03 numbers range is usually the same cost as landline calls, although an intermediate rate maybe charged where the caller is on a tariff that still has local and national rates.
These numbers are most useful in connection with enhanced routing call handling services, and also to enable the same number to be kept if a business's geographical location changes. This can also be achieved using normal geographic numbers, but the initial cost of equipment and ongoing service costs to do this can be higher, and no revenue is returned (unlike 084x and 087x numbers).