Telephone Number Changes from 1st July 2015

As many of you will be aware from 1st July 2015 the cost to call non-geographic numbers is changing. Ofcom, the industry regulator, has taken steps to simplify the charges, and clear up public confusion caused by unclear charges.

Ofcom research has found that around £900 million is spent calling non-geo numbers each year in the UK, totalling 250 million hours of calls. The changes will boost public awareness of these numbers and the costs associated with calling, which is great news for both the public and businesses who operate them.

All charges to call 084 & 087 numbers should be clearly advertised alongside the number

Wherever a company advertises their 084 or 087 number they should now clearly advertise the service charge, this is the per minute cost the caller is charged, and stipulate they will be charged a connection fee, this is set by the callers service provider.

For example, if you have an 084 number supplied by Core Telecom you must include the following wording everywhere you advertise your number:

“Calls to this number cost 7p per minute plus your operators access charge”

The per minute cost is now set by your number supplier, so if you’re unaware of the charges to call your number please contact your provider, or you can view current published costs here.

All 0800 numbers are free to call from all phones

Freephone numbers starting 080 are now completely free to call from all phones, including mobiles. Previously mobile networks charged their customers up to 41p per minute, but these calls will now be free.

The flip side is that the costs have now been passed onto to the number providers, such as Core Telecom. If you operate an 0800 number you should keep a careful eye on your next bill as some networks will pass these costs onto their customers.

UK businesses can now earn a rebate from calls to their 0845 number

Now that all 084 numbers have been grouped together, all operators of 0845 numbers can now earn a rebate on their calls. Previously this was only available to companies using an 0844 or 0843 numbers.

This could create an important new revenue stream for your business so if you’re current provider has not yet contacted you to discuss your options, Core Telecom would be delighted to answer any questions.

For more information please either contact a member of our team or see ukcalling.info/industry.