Changes to numbers starting 070 from 1 October 2019

Ian011

While numbers starting 071 to 075 and 077 to 079 are mobile numbers and generally count towards inclusive allowances, numbers starting 070 are defined as Personal Numbers and currently attract much higher call charges and do not count towards inclusive allowances. In some cases, calls to 070 numbers are effectively charged at premium rates.

All that is about to change.

From 1 October 2019, Ofcom has directed that the "termination rate" (aka wholesale rate) for numbers starting 070 will be reduced to be the same as that for calls to UK mobile numbers. This means a reduction from around 40p (£0.40) per minute to less than 0.48p (£0.0048) per minute.

The practical effect of this will be to allow retail providers to offer inclusive calls to personal numbers starting 070 on the same basis as calls to UK mobile numbers, or otherwise charge calls to personal numbers at the same rate as calls to UK mobile numbers.

Providers of 070 numbers will have to change their business model. Currently, an 070 number can be used to forward calls onwards to almost anywhere in the world and it is the caller that pays the additional fees for that. From 1 October 2019, it will be the user of the 070 number that will be responsible for paying for the call forwarding, not the caller.

This move should see cheaper calls to personal numbers starting 070 and the eradication of a variety of scams on this number range, not least the Wangiri scam. It will also make identity fraud more difficult.

Currently, 070 numbers are effectively untraceable call-forwarding numbers with no record of who they are registered to other than the telephone number of where the calls are forwarded to. This could be an unregistered mobile number in a far-flung country.

The requirement for the number user to start paying the call-forwarding fees means the user now has a traceable financial path and may need to provide ID to set up those payments.

As these changes are now only six weeks away, announcements should start to appear soon. These will be from two main sources. One will be from providers of 070 numbers detailing the changes as to how these numbers will work and how they will be paid for. The other will be retail landline and mobile providers updating their tariff sheets with new call charge rates as well as changes to the list of prefixes that count towards inclusive allowances.

Landline and mobile providers already offer inclusive calls to UK geographic numbers starting 01 and 02 and to non-geographic numbers starting 03. Many providers also offer inclusive calls to UK mobile numbers starting 071 to 075 and 077 to 079 - BT is now the ONLY major landline provider to not do so. From 1 October 2019, providers should be able to offer inclusive calls to personal numbers starting 070. Deals usually exclude landline and mobile numbers allocated in the Channel Isles or Isle of Man, and that will likely continue to be the case for some considerable time.

Calls to numbers starting 080 and 116 are free-to-caller on landlines and mobiles.

Calls to numbers starting 084, 087, 09 and 118 are premium rate. Callers pay an Access Charge to the benefit of their own phone provider and a Service Charge to the benefit of the called party and their telecoms provider. The premium is the additional Service Charge. Usage of these numbers is now banned for most purposes.

The changes to 070 numbers are another step in Ofcom's long running review of non-geographic call services (NGCS). Previous steps have made multiple changes to numbers starting 03, 080, 084, 087, 09, 116 and 118, among others. Very few anomalies remain. Future steps may include changes to the 055, 056 and 076 number ranges, all of which incur non-standard call charges (but are not premium rate). The 0500 range was discontinued several years ago.

Ian011

In the last few days, Ofcom has made a number of updates and corrections to their call charges page at:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/how-much-does-a-phone-call-really-cost

In particular, the section for 070 numbers now includes the additional wording:
"From 1 October 2019, we will cap wholesale charges for connecting calls to 070 numbers. We expect this will allow phone companies to price calls to these numbers or include them in call allowances in the same way that they do for calls to mobiles."

Ian011

The list below will be updated as announcements are made.


Landline providers

A&A - calls to 070 numbers still disallowed.
BT - from 1 October 2019, (business customers) charged the same as a call to a mobile number but where caller has inclusive calls to mobile numbers charged at 5p per minute.
EE - from 1 October 2019, charged at 5p per minute at all times.
Hyperoptic -
IDNet -
John Lewis -
KC (Kingston) -
Plusnet - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number and included in allowances with a fair-usage policy.
Post Office -
Sky Talk - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a non-inclusive call to a landline number.
SSE -
TalkTalk - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a non-inclusive call to a mobile number.
The Phone Coop -
Utility Warehouse -
Virgin Media -
Vodafone Home Phone - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number and included in allowances
Vonage -
Waitrose -
Zen -


Mobile providers

1p Mobile -
Asda Mobile - price list suggests that apart from a small number of exceptions most 070 numbers may be treated the same as a call to a mobile number.
BT Mobile - from 1 October 2019, charged at 5p per minute at all times (compared to inclusive or 35p per minute for calls to UK mobile numbers).
EE mobile - from 16 October 2019, charged at 5p per minute at all times.
GiffGaff mobile - from 4 or 5 October 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number and included in allowances in the same way.
iD Mobile -
JOi Telecom -
Lebara mobile -
Lyca Mobile -
O2 mobile - same rate as a non-inclusive call to a UK mobile number?
Plusnet mobile - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number and included in allowances with a fair-usage policy.
Sky Mobile -
Talk Mobile -
TalkTalk mobile - from 1 October 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number?
Tesco Mobile -
The Phone Coop mobile -
Three (3) mobile -
Utility Warehouse mobile -
Vectone mobile -
White Mobile -
Virgin Mobile -
Vodafone mobile - from 1 Oct 2019, treated the same as a call to a mobile number and included in allowances
VOXI -

dialdfordave

Do you honestly think that any network will voluntarily reduce their charges to 070 immediately, when they can spend x months pocketing a pretty penny from anybody calling them?

I know that you know better than that!

Ian011

Ofcom has been very strong in saying what they expect to happen with retail pricing for calls to 070 numbers, with the implication they will intervene in the market if it doesn't happen.

Providers will understand that any such intervention may not just involve calls to 070 numbers but may well include calls to landline numbers starting 01 and 02, non-geographic numbers starting 03, and mobile numbers starting 071 to 075 and 077 to 079.

dialdfordave

I too have read what OfCom "expects" to happen but I did not interpret it at any point to mean that they will intervene.

Anyway, OfCom has a history of appearing to do things for the good of the consumer which actually turn out to be quite the opposite. For example, for the main mobile networks, it's now more expensive to call the cheapest 084 numbers than it used to be to call the most expensive 087 numbers, thanks to them not capping access charges.

OfCom could have handled the issue with personal numbers in a much better way anyway. Remember there was a plan to move 070 to the 06 range? They decided this would cause too much disruption so it didn't go ahead. Same goes for the pre-call price announcements on 070 numbers. Instead, they have chosen to basically destroy the personal number market when they could have taken a much less damaging route.

I could rant for a few hours on Ofcom & BT destroying small and niche business but it would be a waste of time. Ten years ago there were many innovative services but it seems that BT and Ofcom are determined to destroy them all.

MothballsWallet

Ofcom couldn't stop an apple falling off a tree.

Ian011

Ofcom expected DQ prices to be reined in. When they weren't, they intervened and set a cap, commensurate with how these services were priced about five years ago.

Ofcom has also intervened in the mobile market. They have extended the termination rate cap to cover calls to all UK mobile numbers, not just calls to numbers allocated to the big four mobile providers, thus eliminating the reason for premium rate charges for calls made to some UK mobile numbers.

The point about 084 and 087 numbers is that the new call charge system is designed to expose the premium rate nature of these numbers, using the exact same pricing system as 09 numbers, and for organisations that are not providing a genuine premium rate service to stop using them. This has been aided by regulations from BIS and FCA banning the use of 084 and 087 numbers for many purposes and guidance from the Cabinet Office which has seen 100% compliance by central government departments, their agencies and contractors and almost 100% compliance by other public services.

Moving Personal Numbers to the 06 range would not have diminished the amount of scams. Cutting off the revenue stream for them has to be the way forwards. This was the last major number range with stealth premium rate charges and the subject of much abuse. Now that all telephone services have the ability for users to forward calls, the need for a Personal Numbering service is diminishing.

Many of the niche services you refer to relied on pricing anomalies and often caught consumers out. They have contributed a massive amount of confusion in the market.

For the last few years, Ofcom appears to have been much more consumer focussed than before. Given that the Republic of Ireland is very shortly getting rid of their non-geographic number ranges that work much the way that our 084 and 087 numbers used to work before 2015, it can't be long before those number ranges are withdrawn here too.

dialdfordave

Oh how I disagree with you Ian.

Ofcom may well have 'reigned in' the DQ rates but they have done nothing about the extortionate access charges charged by mobile networks. When do you think they will act? £1pm, £1.50pm, £2pm?

Re the mobile market, you say "thus eliminating the reason for premium rate charges for calls made to some UK mobile numbers" and yet, none of these numbers have been included in bundles that I'm aware of and I'm sure that most providers still charge a premium for calling them, compared to other mobile numbers.

Ofcom, as usual, caps the wholesale rates and "expects" the retail rate to fall and are somehow surprised when it doesn't!

Moving PNS services to 06 would absolutely have made a huge dent in scams as they would no longer look like mobile numbers! Also, not all telephone services allow calls to be forwarded. PAYG sims usually do not allow call forwarding (GiffGaff and Three seem to be the exceptions) and fixed line providers usually require you to pay extra for a call forwarding add-on. Also forwarding your mobile or fixed line number to your actual location, does not cover the scenario where you don't want to give out your real number.

Which services relied on pricing anomalies? I can't recall any. Most such services simply took advantage of inclusive bundles or low calling rates, nothing anomalous about it.

Ofcom, I strongly believe, is heavily under the influence of BT for some matters. BT has had 070 as their pet issue for some years now (issuing AIT notices as the transit operator, month after month, sometimes for ALL traffic to an operators ranges and then refusing to acknowledge evidence when supplied to them). It's no surprise to me that Ofcom moved to destroy the PNS market.

I've wondered for a long time what your actual connection to the telecoms industry is.

Ian011

Access Charges are, for the most part, set at the same rate as the rate for calling an 01, 02 or 03 number outside of bundles. The high rate for non-inclusive calls is an incentive for callers to take an inclusive call plan. The high rate for the Access Charge includes provision for Bad Debt. Phone providers have mostly equalised the rates for expediency.

When calling 09 numbers the Access Charge is a minor part of the overall call charge. Usage of 084 and 087 numbers is now banned for most purposes and usage is declining fast. As such there should be no need to ever call such numbers and therefore discussion of the level of Access Charge is moot. In any case, Ofcom is in the early stages of considering removing these two number ranges, thereby leaving just 09 for premium rate services. This would be a welcome simplification.

The number of non-inclusive UK mobile ranges is declining. Providers have been very slow to tidy their lists, some haven't done so for many years. The impending changes to the 070 range may well cause some providers to revisit their lists. The next MTR review will take place next year which will give a good opportunity to raise the issue of any remaining non-inclusive UK mobile ranges.

The issue with 06 is that it would still be a stealth premium rate range, with the additional call-forwarding charges imposed on the caller. Ofcom is trying to reduce the number of premium rate number ranges, not increase them. And, it seems obtuse that a "personal" number range would impose premium rate charges on callers.

Personal numbering is a facility that never took off with the public at large. Nowadays, in that regard, it is all but dead. The major remaining user is Hospedia, a service that continues to receive a flood of complaints. They may need to find a new funding model in a few weeks time.

Call forwarding services on 084 numbers relied on pricing anomalies, in particular the effect of the NTS Retail Condition imposed on BT. This ensured the cost of calling an 084, 087 or 09 number from a BT landline gave no margin to BT on call origination. BT, as the largest provider of 0845 and 0870 numbers, received the largest slice of call termination revenue. This led to the infamous phrase "Calls from BT cost Xp per minute, other providers may charge more" and which led to a whole load of bill shock for many years. Other providers had to charge more for these calls because as well as having to cover their costs they always had to pay out large termination fees (mostly to BT) while having little or no such income themselves.

It was the ending of the NTS Retail Condition that led to the introduction of the Access Charge plus Service Charge pricing model and allowed the industry to move away from everything being based on the termination rates charged by BT Wholesale. The dominance of BT in this regard is waning.

Other services which relied on pricing anomalies were the various automated, interactive and call-forwarding services that operated on various UK mobile number ranges. Long after Ofcom had imposed a low MTR on the big five (now four) mobile operators and told all the others to charge "fair and reasonable rates" a number were still charging upwards of 25p per minute, compared to way less than 4p per minute. It is low termination rates that enabled inclusive calls to happen in the first place and as the termination rate reduced the allowances have increased. Nowadays, the way we pay for all of our ordinary calls is through an inclusive call plan or bundle. Premium Rate calls fall outside this and Ofcom is keen to reduce the number of number ranges where these additional charges can occur. In the end, this may well be 09, 118 and mobile shortcodes. This will require further work with 084 and 087, enforcement within the 07 range, and some tidying up of the 05 range.

Ofcom got a lot of things wrong in their early years. Since about 2010 things appear to have improved considerably. BT has had a lot of influence, but that also appears to be declining. Ofcom does appear more consumer focussed but still has some way to go. Things are not perfect but they could have been a whole lot worse.

The 070 range has stuck out like a sore thumb as a magnet for Wangiri scams, International arbitrage, identity fraudsters able to hide their tracks, and other unwanted activity. All of that will shortly come to an end on that number range.

Consumers should rejoice. Dodgy telecoms providers will have to move on.

dialdfordave

Ian011 wrote: »

The high rate for the Access Charge includes provision for Bad Debt.

I disagree with your view here because pre UK Calling they did not have anywhere near the per minute margin for calls to 08/09/118 as the now very high access charge gives them.

They also introduced the access charge at much lower rates than currently. If I remember correctly, Three, O2 and Vodafone had a significantly lower rate than EE. Once the others saw EE getting away with the higher rate, their's went up too! Since then, they have all been slowly nudging it up

When calling 09 numbers the Access Charge is a minor part of the overall call charge.

Rubbish! IIRC 09 service charges start at 15ppm. How is 55p a minor part of a 70ppm total charge?

Usage of 084 and 087 numbers is now banned for most purposes and usage is declining fast. As such there should be no need to ever call such numbers and therefore discussion of the level of Access Charge is moot.

This argument is moot because while there might be a reduced need to call 084/087 numbers now, what happened in the meantime was that providers pocketed a lot of coin from access charges.

In any case, Ofcom is in the early stages of considering removing these two number ranges, thereby leaving just 09 for premium rate services. This would be a welcome simplification.

Welcome to you perhaps but it is yet another example of pushing out the little guy. Unless they are going to introduce the current 084/087 service charges into new 09 prefixes, then those service charge bands will be lost, along with any service offered on them.

The number of non-inclusive UK mobile ranges is declining. Providers have been very slow to tidy their lists, some haven't done so for many years.

You make it sound like they have just neglected to maintain their price lists. This is total nonsense as they have managed to update other aspects of their pricing, to their favour mostly of course.

The impending changes to the 070 range may well cause some providers to revisit their lists.

I bet you by 1st October 2020 very little has changed.

The next MTR review will take place next year which will give a good opportunity to raise the issue of any remaining non-inclusive UK mobile ranges.

Yes perhaps, though you might wonder whether there is any logic to reducing the MTR even further. It's extremely low as it is and there is a very healthy market for mobile rates. Lowering it further will only lead to increased profits for the ONO's that have customers without inclusive minutes to mobiles, IMO.

The issue with 06 is that it would still be a stealth premium rate range, with the additional call-forwarding charges imposed on the caller.

That would surely have depended on the requirements Ofcom would have put on it?

Ofcom is trying to reduce the number of premium rate number ranges, not increase them. And, it seems obtuse that a "personal" number range would impose premium rate charges on callers.

They wouldn't be increasing them, they would just be moving 070 to 06.

Personal numbering is a facility that never took off with the public at large. Nowadays, in that regard, it is all but dead.

The fact that it's "all but dead" could be as much Ofcom's fault as anything else. Look at the horrendous rates some networks charge for calls to 070, which in some cases give a 100%+ margin!

The major remaining user is Hospedia, a service that continues to receive a flood of complaints. They may need to find a new funding model in a few weeks time.

Again, Ofcom had years to deal with the issue around personal numbers, without totally destroying the market.

I've always been surprised that Hospedia is a legitimate use of the 070 range anyway, as to the best of my understanding (having never used it) you can only receive the call at your bedside, whereas it is a requirement for services in the 070 range for the recipient of the call to be able to determine where it is forwarded to.

Call forwarding services on 084 numbers relied on pricing anomalies, in particular the effect of the NTS Retail Condition imposed on BT.

It's hardly an anomaly when BT was the dominant provider for many years (and probably still is, I'm not sure of the figures). You might consider the higher rates which were charged by the other providers as the anomaly in fact.

Other providers had to charge more for these calls because as well as having to cover their costs they always had to pay out large termination fees (mostly to BT) while having little or no such income themselves.

Why did they have little or no income themselves?

Other services which relied on pricing anomalies were the various automated, interactive and call-forwarding services that operated on various UK mobile number ranges.
Long after Ofcom had imposed a low MTR on the big five (now four) mobile operators and told all the others to charge "fair and reasonable rates" a number were still charging upwards of 25p per minute, compared to way less than 4p per minute.

Yes and then Ofcom forced a ridiculously low MTR on all of them, which I find particularly interesting, as the MTR originally existed so as to provide funds for operators to expand their services. How is an emerging operator of innovative services supposed to grow their business when their income is decimated by the regulator?

Nowadays, the way we pay for all of our ordinary calls is through an inclusive call plan or bundle.

You'll possibly see this as nit-picking but while this is common, it is not universal.

The 070 range has stuck out like a sore thumb as a magnet for Wangiri scams, International arbitrage, identity fraudsters able to hide their tracks, and other unwanted activity. All of that will shortly come to an end on that number range.

Wangiri scams would not be viable if the range was moved to 06 and didn't look like mobile numbers

International arbitrage will continue because Ofcom has no power to enforce their rate cap on carriers operating outside the UK, so they can continue to collect calls to 4470 at higher rates (not all incoming international termination to 070 numbers happens via BT or other UK operators and even sometimes occurs without the knowledge of the range holder!).

Identity fraudsters have many ways to hide their tracks, from a PAYG sim to a VOIP number bought with a dodgy card and many others.

Consumers should rejoice. Dodgy telecoms providers will have to move on.

The definition of 'dodgy' would be the key point. BT see anybody who challenges their revenue model as dodgy, not matter whether it's done in a dodgy way or totally legally. Ofcom generally seems to have their back too.