True Reviewer

This week’s breaking news that British Telecom is to be the first UK telephone business to make calls to 0870 numbers and 0845 numbers are without charge, is expected to be seen in with delightful applause from users and campaigner organisations alike.

0870 numbers particularly, have been the subject of much off-putting press over recent years and this is mainly because of the high cost to call them the reality that some organisations make money from phone calls to these numbers (specifically annoying for clients calling] help numbers and after-sales help).

The use of these phone numbers in the public sector has also under gone a great deal of scrutiny and the Department of Health has at this point begun a consultation in a bid to look at the use of the numbers in the NHS.

There are some groups that have been particularly organised to campaign against these phone numbers, for example saynoto0870.com.

When they were introduced, 0845 numbers used to be charged at local rate, alternatively 0870 numbers used to be national rate to ring. This is not the fact anymore with the bringing in of free quota minutes and call deals provided by mobile and landline companies and is possibly the main reason for BT’s new charging scheme for its residential clients.

BT currently has about a 60% market share so it appears likely that the other main players in the telecoms arena will go the same way – including Sky, Virgin Media, Talk Talk and Tiscali, who currently bill between 26 pence and £1.07 for a ten minute call to an 0870/0845 number (as of 8th January 2009).

Now, although this massive leap is in the right direction for British Telecom’s residential clients, it’s important to note that 40% of all United Kingdom phone calls made in 2007 were from mobile phones (Ofcom 2008). This means that, while some of British Telecom’s landline users look set for a great bargain, mobile callers will still pay between 20-30 pence per minute to call 0870/0845 numbers.

Businesses that would prefer to offer their landline and mobile callers an fantastic deal, 03 numbers are still the clear answer.

03 numbers cost callers the same to call as standard landline numbers- even from a mobile phone – at any point. They are also included in the free minutes packages that are optional with all major mobile and landline providers.

The 03 number category is divided into 3 parts:

-0303/0300 numbers entirely for charities and public sector bodies.
-0330 / 0333 numbers for any business or organisation.
-03 comparable numbers for businesses that already have an 08 number and would like to swap it for 03.

Many organisations are now enjoying the enormous potential of 03 numbers, including the BBC, the Metropolitan Police, Pioneer, Oxfam and the RSPCA.

03 numbers are also being advocated by the Department of Health as the best alternative to 08 numbers for NHS services that want to benefit from the additional functions that 08 numbers can provide (like caller options and call queuing etc.) and at the same time providing their callers a improved deal.

In all, British Telecom’s newest decision will save its residential clients an estimated £24m a year. This new business plan not only shows up the importance and reputation of non-geographic telephone numbers, it also strengthens the case for providing clients a better deal at all times. In this instance, 03 numbers still reign supreme.

http://bullswood.com/plus