Ian01
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Eleven years later, we now have the required clarity to be able to simply and easily compare providers.
This is achieved by looking at the Access Charge declared by each landline and mobile provider.
Previously, comparing prices was not so easy. There were also factors behind the scenes that skewed the pricing. The NTS Retail Condition, imposed by Ofcom solely on BT, ensured that almost all of what the caller paid BT for the call was passed on and paid to the benefit of the called party and their telecoms provider. The rule ensured that BT made zero margin on call origination to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers, and BT therefore usually had the lowest price. Now that the rule has been scrapped, BT's Access Charge is 9.58p per minute, similar to other landline providers.
This is, however, all academic as the vast majority of retailers, traders, passenger transport companies, banks, insurance companies, government departments and other public services including local authorities and most of the NHS no longer uses 084 or 087 numbers. Many have swapped to 03 numbers.
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