Changes to BT 1280

Jennifer

dzug1 wrote: »

.......It took something like 6 weeks to switch back to BT.

Why so long? Did you have line rental through them?
J

Heinz

Jennifer wrote: »

Did you have line rental through them?

If so, charging for calls prefixed with 1280 is understandable and logical.

The issue with this is CPS customers* being prevented from using the 1280 prefix to make calls via their line provider (BT) if/when they want to.

* If dzug1 merely used Talk Talk is a CPS calls provider, the switch back to BT or to any other CPS calls provider should take no more than 10 working days.

garygumps

It seems that AOL Talk have also moved from CPS to Wholesale. After noticing the last few attempts to route calls through BT vis 1280 were unsuccessful and reading through this thread, I have contacted both AOL & BT and am in the middle of the "runaround" each blaming the other.

I have emailed AOL asking catagorically if they have moved my service from CPS to Wholesale and am awaiting a reply.

Bit !!!!ed off with this to be honest as it looks as though I will be charged by BT for 1571 in my next bill in December ( I cancelled caller display last quarter).

i suppose if push comes to shove I can just ditch 1571 (which is a waste of time anyway) from next quarter.

kevrex

Firstly let me thank all of the contributors to this thread. it was good to know i was not the only one being misled/lied to. I had my line rental with bt and sky anytime. I used 1280 to avoid sky's extortionate 0870 costs which also gave me caller display free from bt.
after many telephone calls to sky and bt they agreed that 1280 was a thing of the past for sky customers. sky's solution was to transfer my line to sky as well and then i could have caller display for nothing.
I told them that i would not be pressured in this underhand way and that I will move to BT's anytime service. it does seem that they can do what they like, when they like and the only way we can make a point is to vote with our feet!

Heinz

kevrex wrote: »

Firstly let me thank all of the contributors to this thread. it was good to know i was not the only one being misled/lied to. I had my line rental with bt and sky anytime. I used 1280 to avoid sky's extortionate 0870 costs which also gave me caller display free from bt.
after many telephone calls to sky and bt they agreed that 1280 was a thing of the past for sky customers. sky's solution was to transfer my line to sky as well and then i could have caller display for nothing.
I told them that i would not be pressured in this underhand way and that I will move to BT's anytime service. it does seem that they can do what they like, when they like and the only way we can make a point is to vote with our feet!

Agreed kevrex.

I am currently in a protracted email exchange with someone quite high up in BT Retail on this matter and, at last, have got them to realise that it's BT Wholesale that needs to be answering my questions - but, as a BT Retail residential customer, I can't talk to BT Wholesale!

Dog with bone approach continues.

JustPassingBy

YoungNick wrote: »

I believe that BT Retail instructs BT Wholesale to disable 1280 (but not other IACs).

It fits what is observed when 1280 is used but it is probably a mistaken belief.

Certainly, when a Skytalk customer asks BT Retail to remove the CPS (implemented via WCLI) . . . . .

Installation of WCLI removes the CPS product from the line.

http://www.btwholesale.com/pages/downloads/Products/Voice/Product%20Handbook%20v2.9%20-%20October%202008.pdf

JustPassingBy

Heinz wrote: »

Dog with bone approach continues.

Do you fancy chewing on this or letting BT Wholesale share it if you get anywhere close to them?

With CPS

1280 pre-fix used: Call gets to exchange. Accepted and put onto BT network because it is comes from a BT Retail customer. BT billing system sees source of call and bills to customer's BT account.

With WCLI

Number dialled without 1280: Exchange sees call as coming from a TalkTalk customer and allowed onto BT network. TalkTalk billing system told about the call.

1280 pre-fix used: Exchange is puzzled why a call which is going to traverse the BT network anyway is preceded by a code asking for the call to go over that network. Throws away the 1280 and processes the number as previously.

JustPassingBy

JustPassingBy wrote: »

With WCLI

Number dialled without 1280: Exchange sees call as coming from a TalkTalk customer and allowed onto BT network. TalkTalk billing system told about the call.

1280 pre-fix used: Exchange is puzzled why a call which is going to traverse the BT network anyway is preceded by a code asking for the call to go over that network. Throws away the 1280 and processes the number as previously.

While I'm in the mood I'll restructure the second part. And correct my spelling at the same time.

1280 prefix used: Call put onto BT network. System sees it is from a TalkTalk customer so the TalkTalk billing system bills the call.

Why?

Well, without the 1280 CPS would put the call through the TalkTalk network. Enter Equivalence. WCLI must do the same. Why should BT Retail get the money just because it is going over the BT network?

Heinz

Thanks for your 7.09pm post JustPassingBy.

The latest I have received is:

Calls providers can provide their end customers with calls either via Carrier Pre-Selection (CPS) or Wholesale Calls (WCLI).

In the case of CPS, BT Wholesale sell CPS to the network provider, who, in turn, sell on to the end communications provider (e.g. Sky).

In the case of WCLI BT Wholesale sell WCLI direct to the end communications provider. It is the communications provider's decision as to how they deliver calls to their end customer.

However, CPS and WCLI are different products, and work in a completely different way (CPS routes the calls off the BT network, whereas calls made via WCLI route across the BT network - the former is a "switch" product and the latter is a "billing" product).

The code 1280, when dialled before a number by a CPS user, re-routes the call across the BT network to be billed by BT.

In the case of WCLI, re-routing can't take place as the call is already on the BT network.

Hence, BT Wholesale is not preventing calls being made using 1280 or permitting Sky to ignore the pre-fix - the WCLI product is simply not compatible with the 1280 code due to it being a "billing" product.

So, it's not down to BT being able to state whether a communications provider supports 1280 or not, it's down to how the communications provider has chosen to provide calls to their end customer.

That appears very similar to what you are saying.

I still regard it as unacceptable for someone paying BT Retail for a line AND a calls package to be prevented from making calls via that calls package and that is, IMHO, something which Ofcom should be investigating.

JustPassingBy

Heinz wrote: »

That appears very similar to what you are saying.

I think it is. The "switch" and "billing" distinctions are a good way of putting it. Except it took me three days to work out what was going on.

I still regard it as unacceptable for someone paying BT Retail for a line AND a calls package to be prevented from making calls via that calls package and that is, IMHO, something which Ofcom should be investigating.

Equivalence claims its first victim. It is a principle dear to Ofcom's heart. They will not relinquish it easily.