There has been a lot of recent misinformation, rumours and even threats passed about 0870 numbers. One client told me that he was cold called by an unscrupulous company and told him that his 0870 number would stop working plus that he should “purchase” a 0845 number from them for £50 per year. This is not true!

0870 numbers will continue to work and 0845 numbers do not need to cost this much.

This article is to dispel the above and hopefully stop you from having to waste any money.

0870 numbers started out being charged at BT National Call rate of 6.7p per minute. This was the same charge for a national call at the time. With the liberalisation of the telecoms market and the entry of competition, the cost of national calls has significantly dropped but BT maintained the BT National Call rate for 0870 numbers.

0870 numbers hid company’s location and gave them “National” status and protected their investment in the phone number when they moved and provided a rebate against their costs.

For a 0870 number the owner would receive a rebate of 1p per minute once a certain trigger amount had been reached. This proved very popular for call centres and also charities.

1. Yes, 0870 numbers are changing but only the amount paid to call them and the removal of any rebates to owners.
2. From a date, not published, calls to 0870 numbers will no longer cost 6.7p per minute minimum.
3. Calls to 0870 numbers will be charged at the standard rate for a national call as per your package or included in your package.
4. Owners of 0870 numbers will no longer receive rebates for incoming calls. This affects charities as well as businesses.
5. 0870 numbers will continue to work.

0870 calls

As proposed in September 2005, Ofcom will require mobile and fixed-line providers (including payphones) to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for national-rate calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02). If providers wish to charge more for 0870 calls they will have to make a free-to-caller price pre-announcement at the start of the call.

This change is likely to significantly reduce the price of many calls to 0870 numbers. It will also mean that 0870 calls will generally be included in call packages. Currently daytime 0870 calls usually cost around 8 pence per minute from fixed-lines. Typical fixed-line call packages offer calls to geographic numbers at 3 pence per minute or less.

Organisations using 0870 currently have the opportunity to share the revenue generated by per minute call charges. In September 2005 Ofcom proposed changes to NTS call regulation which would effectively combine with lower call charges to end revenue sharing on 0870. Ofcom has decided to implement these proposals.”

Ofcom has announced that the rebate currently paid against 0870 numbers will shortly come to an end.

Please Note: Ofcom has delayed the changes due to issues with their implementation and the impact on some services. At present, no timescale has been announced although the expectation is that a further announcement will be made in Spring 2008.

I hope that this article help dispel the information and provides some reassurance to 0870 number owners.

Terry Downing MBCS CITP MIoD