Vodaphone VOIP telephone numbers

rogcal

I've signed up with Vodaphone for a fibre broadband connection that come with a VOIP phone facility.

Before I agreed to signing up I asked the agent would the phone number allocated relate to the location I lived at and he confirmed that it would.

Imagine my frustration when I receive a notification advising me that instead of the number beginning 01507 (Horncastle in Lincolnshire) it will be 01205 (Boston in Lincolnshire)


If I were to ring the emergency services using the VOIP phone with the number allocated to me, my call would be directed to the emergency services in Boston.  Not good!

A phone call to Vodaphone resulted in my being given two options. The first was to cancel the contract and set up a new one or second, wait until the service goes live next week and contact them to request a change of number which may take up to a week.

When I signed up yesterday I specifically asked the agent "would the allocated VOIP number be relative to my location" and he said it would be.

It's worrying that Vodaphone are not taking their responsibilities seriously when it comes to allocating regional numbers to VOIP phones, given the implications in respect of making calls to the emergency services being misdirected if numbers are incorrectly allocated. 

I wonder how many people who use VOIP phones realise how important it is to have a number that relates to where they live.

So, what am I going to do.  Most probably kick Vodaphone into touch!

P.s. I have edited this post due to my belief that 01205 was Basildon and I have since been advised it is Boston however, the issue is still the same, the emergency services use your dialing code to help identify your location and a town almost 25 miles from my location is not helpful.

EssexExile

01205 is Boston, Lincolnshire. Basildon is 01268.

QrizB

rogcal said:

Imagine my frustration when I receive a notification advising me that instead of the number beginning 01507 (Horncastle in Lincolnshire) it will be 01205 (Boston in Lincolnshire)

You live in Lincolnshire, they've given you a Lincolnshire number. That clearly related to your location.

rogcal said:

If I were to ring the emergency services using the VOIP phone with the number allocated to me, my call would be directed to the emergency services in Boston.  Not good!

Lincolnshire police seem to only have one control room, in Nettlesham:
https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/inside-lincolnshire-police-control-room-7446987

Lincolnshire ambulance service appear to only have one control room, too:
https://www.emas.nhs.uk/your-service/patient-transport-service/lincolnshire

I think Lincolnshire FRS share the police control room.

EnPointe

Lincolnhire Police   Have one control room at FHQ Nettleham 
Lincolnshire FRS have one Control room
EMAS have 2 EOCs , One in Bracebridge Heath ( just into NK , less than  a mile from the City of Lincoln boundary) which mainly / normally  serves Lincolnshire, North Lincs and NE Lincs and one at  Nottingham which normally Services Nottinghham City, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire , Leciester City, Leicestershire, Rutland, and Northants 

I'm unsure why you  think  having a 01205  number vs an 01507   number will make any  difference   with a 999 , 101  or 111  call ... 

Chickereeeee

Having just moved to VOIP, and ported my old number, I was asked to complete a form that informed the Emergency Services of the UK address associated with that number. I imagine the call is routed to the appropriate centre according to that form, rather than using the area  code.

littleboo

Indeed, I don't think its relying solely on the area code, with VOIP providers you can often select any area code you like, or a non geographic number. Potentially, area codes will become less relevant with the PSTN switch off and exchange closures

iniltous

There was always considered to be a value in keeping ‘landline numbers’ geographically based and historically the linked number scheme was  integral to the way ‘ step by step’ telephone routing worked , each digit dialled progressed the call towards its destination.
 From the STD code , generally the town or  is identified, for example , 01325  Darlington , and the next digits the individual exchange , for example 01325 33**** is  Dinsdale , a village just outside Darlington…with common control , digital exchange and IP telephony , there is no need for numbers to be geographically linked to the area ,  but it’s useful in its own right , for example if looking for a local tradesman , then one with a number within the same exchange is most likely to be local rather than potentially much further away ( although there are ways around that ) , similarly if the police get a non 999 call and know the number the call was made from they have a general idea from where that call was made .
Ultimately it’s Ofcom that are responsible for allocating number ranges to Communication Providers, if they insist that VoIP providers have to offer geographic numbers as well as none geographic numbers , then the STD code should be match the historical STD code for the area , but TBH , as an example if someone from Dinsdale moved to VoIP and got a ‘new’ 01325 33 ,from them , and  then moved hundreds of miles away to a different part of the country , they could still use the Dinsdale VoIP number from the new location.