This is taken from Brand Republic - a marketing news site:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[begins]

Ofcom plans shake-up for non-geographic phone numbers

by Daniel Farey-Jones Brand Republic 29 Sep 2005

LONDON - Ofcom has unveiled a number of new proposals for changes to non-geographic and premium-rate phone numbers such as 0870, which it says will introduce greater clarity for consumers.

The regulator's initial proposals for Number Translation Services, as they are formally known, were published last October and met with disagreement in responses from industry and consumers.

The new proposals include changing the cost of calls to 0870 numbers to the same as national rate calls. Providers would have up to 12 months for implementation, after which those wishing to charge more than national rate would have to provide a pre-announcement informing the consumer of the cost of the call.

"This price reduction would effectively end revenue sharing on 0870 when combined with other proposed changes to Number Translation Services call regulation," Ofcom said.

Other changes include reclassifying 0871 as premium rate and requiring adult services on the 08 number range to move to the 0908 or 0909 ranges.
Ofcom also criticised public bodies for using NTS numbers without giving equal prominence to a geographic alternative when dealing with people on low incomes, and said it would like to see greater compliance with the Central Office of Information's guidelines.

In addition, it said 0845 rates should not be charged for two years because it is cost effective for the more than 5m UK dial-up internet users. Neither would 0844 rates be changed, although it proposed that providers should be monitored and required to publish more comprehensive and accurate pricing information.

The deadline for responses to Ofcom's consultation on the new proposals is December 6. [ends]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Perhaps this is a 'victory?' Call price announcements will certinaly help make people aware of the true costs of NGN calls...

Just wish now that something could be done about 0845!

Since these numbers were intended to be a cheaper way of calling a company/organisation - long distance call for the price of a local call - why can't these numbers be changed at 'true' local rates available to the low cost providers like Call18866 at their normal rates?

Just a thought - in essence these 0845 numbers weren't meant to be exploitative.

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2005 at 4:36pm:

Just a thought - in essence these 0845 numbers weren't meant to be exploitative.

Exactly; as was the case way back in the days when 0990/0541 and 0345/0645 were invented. When they became 087X and 084X the scams did not become available until the operators managed to get their own costs lower - leaving a margin for exploitation.
All the statistics and services are available on geographic numbers and most of the larger users (for which read worst offenders) have IP and/or private networks to handle the routeing.

wrote on Sep 29^th, 2005 at 4:36pm:

Perhaps this is a 'victory?' Call price announcements will certinaly help make people aware of the true costs of NGN calls... Just wish now that something could be done about 0845!

No victory here I am afraid.  Instead Ofcom and its predecessor OFTEL have managed to give us the runaround by constantly avoiding ending this scamming which began (in terms of these NGN numbers costing those of use the cheapest telcos more to call than ordinary geographic uk numbers) in about 1997.

Ofcom are playing various games with words to suggest they are ending 0870 exploitation but they are not as it can continue as long as the perpetrators add a call price announcement of the amount they are charging per minute.  So in fact many 0870 calls will cost as much as now whilst some may be priced as geographic calls and be included in your inclusive calling allowances.

Also Ofcom first launched a consultation at the end of 2003 but because they failed to tell anyone about it no one responded so they said no one cared and it didn't matter.  Then when everyone said that was cheating on Ofcom's part they grudgingly published a new consultation in Oct 2004 and when interviewed on BBC Radio 4 their Communications Director Matt Peacock said Ofcom would have a whole new regulatory setup in place for 084/7 by Spring 2005.

Then Ofcom in fact takes until end Sept 2005 to propose changes on 0870 that will be a joke and also proposes to leave 0845 as premium rate for the foreseeable future so as not to upset any of the big and powerful ISPs like AOL where, by what is obviously a pure and unrelated coincidence, Communications Director, Mr Matt Peacock previously worked. ::)

Yet it would in fact have been perfectly possible to abolish all revenue share on voice 0845 and 0870 numbers immediately but to allow legitimate legacy 0845 ISPs to go on charging revenue share at the old NGN 0845 rates.

And the new Ofcom consultation will probably take another 9 months after it closes in December after which Ofcom may or there agin may not impose some new regulations.

At this rate expect no change until 2009 by which time 70% of uk call traffic will be via voice over ip.

Ofcom have shown their total contempt for uk telecoms consumers in this latest mickey mouse 250 page so called consultation document.