A quick Google reveals that 0870 Advice who actually has to deal with selling these new number ranges and make his living from them (unlike us) is taking his comments from none other than the table on Page 130 of Ofcom's own Consultation document - Safeguarding The Future of Numbers:-

www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numberingreview/statement/statement.pdf

This can be summarised as:-

0300  Reserved for the public sector for brand new 03 NGN numbers or services with no historic legacy 0844, 0845 or 0870 related preceding services.

0303  Reserved for everyone else apart from the public sector wanting an NGN but with no historic legacy connection with 0844, 0845 or 0870

0344/0345  Reserved for existing users of 0844 and 0845 numbers who want to migrate to an NGN numbers only charged at geographic rates and included in inclusive call packages fro 01/02 numbers

0870/0871 Reserved for existing users of 0870 and 0871 numbers who want to migrate to NGN numbers only charged at geographic rates and included in inclusive call packages to 01/02 numbers.

Well, well I don't know how we missed this.  No doubt it was our failing to read the full 175 pages worth.

This new plan is quite clearly designed to completely confuse the public so they won't have a clue what they are paying.  Just what the call centre industy ordered in other words.

So 0300 will be for the public sector except that most public sector operators will be migrating and 0844, 0845 or 0870 number so would end up on 0344, 0345 or 0370 where they are entitled to the exact equivalent to their old 08 NGN with just the new prefix.  So hardly anyone will have 0300 and 0300 due to the 03 designation will be confused with 0500 and 0800 calls.  Just brilliant Ofcom.  An email spoofer or spammer couldn't have done better to devise such a devious plan.

Then 0303 will gradually increase in size as new people wanting NGNs with call redirection with no legacy number want them. No problem here and surely the public sector should also just have got these for new services since most will in fact be migrating 0844 and 0845 numbers where they will be mixed up with the private sector.  But hang on doesn't 0303 look like 0808 and wrongly imply its Freephone again.  Oh dear Ofcom - what a tangled web of deviousness you weave to protect the bank balances of your Telco chums.

0370 - Ummmm clearly I have missed something obvious but as 0870 will be changed to geographic rate (unless there is an announcement by your OCP that they want to scam you for more despite there no longer being a revenue share that justifies them doing so) why would anyone want to migrate an 0870 number to 0370 with all the marketing confusion that involves.  Only reason I can think is because 0870 will continue to be tarred in some minds with the brush of not being part of inclusive call packages especially due to Ofcom allowing the OCP scam loophole with call price announcement

0871 - Apparently for migrating 0871 numbers that will no longer be premium rate.  Yeah sure I bet there will be loads of them migrating to 03 won't there?   And if they do they will really want to go on ending the number with 71 which implies it is expensive.
So in other words some clown at Ofcom spent about five minutes thrashing out with their telco chums what would best further confuse the public about what they are paying for NGN calls and came up with this.  Just brilliant Ofcom.  Now that's what I call really protecting the UK citizen consumer and being fully compliant with the EU Misleading Advertisng Directive.  What a shame Ofcom never asked consumers rather than the telcos what new NGN structure they might find most helpful.

What a pity I couldn't muster the strength to respond to this consultation so soon after NTS Way Forward and all the other Ofcom consultations I had written pages to respond to only to be ignored.  Still if I had responded no doubt I would have ignored anyway and Ofcom would have still proceeded anyway with their Masterplan previously agreed with their telco chums who attend their NTS Focus Groups sessions.

Why carnt BT or other operators allow me to transfer my 0151 number at no additional cost to anyarea that i might move to? I would not need to have an 0845 number then.

And why couldn't you just have written to all your customers and have paid for an announcement for a year of the new 01/02 number as you would have done before 0845 numbers came along rather than falling for the 0845 scam.

Anyhow soon you will be able to get a new 0345 number which will be the same as your 0845 apart from the prefix and allegedly is portable (until phone numbers themselves vanish which must happen in the next 10 years) but won't cost your callers anything more than an 01/02 number.

Of course you rather than your cusomers will be required to pay a small service fee per call for this convenience but it will be less than 0800 although more than 0845 unless you were being ripped off on your 0845 deal.

And what's the betting that your outfit was calling its 0845 "local rate" or "lo-call"  And that you don't publish your 01/02 number anywhere?

Convenience in case you move is a poor excuse for using 0845.  Just publicising your number change would have been an adequate alternative.

There should be no reason why we  carnt have full number portability, just BT dragging their feet as usual.

There are some telco's who wont let you bar 09 numbers. But then this is asking them to do the right thing for the consumer which is something that is not going to happen anytime soon.