Articles

New Rulings for 0870 Services

Ofcom have recently announced that following a strategic review, there are going to be significant changes to 0870 services. Normally used by prestigious organisations and large companies, such as government departments and the BBC, up until now 0870 numbers have provided a way for businesses to increase revenue or offset some of the processing costs as they provide the owner with out-payments for calls received on the number. Ofcom have stated that these out-payments will stop on 0870 numbers, and they are even considering withdrawing these numbers in the future. If the numbers continue to be used, they may start to work in a similar way to 0800 numbers, whereby the Network Provider charges for calls received on 0870 numbers.

The decision has come about due to the concerns raised by some individuals over the past eight years, who have complained that companies should not be receiving money from receiving phone calls. Therefore Ofcom have decided to address this issue directly, thus bringing about the current changes to 0870 services. The changes, however, propose some problems to businesses that are reliant on the rebates received from their 0870 number. Knowing they will now have to organise an alternative, Global Telecom offers the following advice.

There are several options available for the current users of 0870 numbers. Customers can migrate to either an 0871, 0844 or 0845 number as these services also provide rebates. 0871 numbers provide the most generous rebates with call costs between 6 and 10 PPM, but these numbers cannot be called from outside the UK , and from 2008 may need registering with ICSTIS as they are set to become a new type of premium rate number. 0844 numbers are another alternative if businesses are willing to accept a slight reduction in call rebates. These numbers are a brilliant, flexible option as daytime call rates are similar to those of 0845 numbers but with much higher out-payments. We would recommend this as the best option, although only if your company is not called from abroad, as 0844 numbers cannot receive calls from outside the UK . The third option is an 0845 number, which can be called from abroad and comes at a small price to the caller at only 4 ppm. 0845 numbers are a very popular option, but businesses should be prepared for a reduction in the rebates they are used to.

Global Telecom Ltd.
http://www.global-telecom.co.uk