Yet the Andrews & Arnold website area about the new 03 number range at
www.aaisp.net/aa/voip/03.html also points to the Ofcom statement about the new 03 number range at:-
www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numbering03/statement/This statement contains the following important commitments by Ofcom:-
Quote:the creation of a new range of numbers - beginning with ‘03’ – which we think many customers will trust to a significant degree. Consumers will pay no more to call 03 numbers than they would to call a geographic number (beginning with ‘01’ or ‘02’). We think that many businesses, public services and voluntary services will want to enable their customers to call them on 03 numbers rather than 08 numbers;
and
Quote:1.13 The new 03 range is designed to provide consumer certainty and confidence to make calls. It will thereby address the key customer concerns about many 08 numbers, and should increase willingness to make calls. The 03 range will deliver benefits in that:
* call tariffs and call discounts will be the same as calls to geographic (01 or 02) numbers. This applies to all call minutes, including ones that are part of the customer’s inclusive minutes;
* revenue sharing is not permitted, so callers can know in advance that they are paying only for the call, not for contributions to the organisation being called; and
* Ofcom has made available a dedicated part of the 03 number range for the exclusive use of public bodies and other not-for-profit organisations, to make it easier for them to offer 03 services using memorable numbers.
and
Quote:1.18 The GC 17 amendment means that all OCPs who have retail relationships with consumers have the following obligations deriving from the Plan amendments made in the February document, and the GC 17 amendment that takes effect today:
* For 03 calls, retail pricing must match that for calls to 01 and 02 numbers, with immediate effect. This includes a requirement to treat calls to 03 numbers like calls to standard 01 and 02 numbers in respect of their inclusion in bundled minutes and whether they qualify for discount packages; and
So all the above suggests all forms of calls to 03 numbers including one off ad-hoc calls on basic tariffs must be charged the same way as 01/02 numbers.
However the only mention I can find of the g21 code in PostOfficeHomePhone's tarriff listings is at
ftp://ftp.royalmail.com/Downloads/public/ctf/po/F9104_Number_Ranges.pdfHere it states an
Operator Connect rate to Voice Services - g21 at a
Connection Price of
419.9p and a
per minute rate of 36p. Now I do know this is the Operator Connect rate that Post Office HomePhone also charges for 01/02 calls from a past bad experience when I was charged for a call misrouting problem to my sister's number and dialled 100 (which is the Post Office HomePhone Operator service provided by BT) to ask about the issue and that this is the charge that BT secretly inflicts on rival WLR carrier customers who use Operator services even though it does not ever impose this discretionary flat rate charge on its own customers.
But in the Post Office HomePhone's main pricing page at
www.postoffice.co.uk/portal/po/content2?catId=19300217&mediaId=19800178 it merely states:-
Call Type Daytime Evening Weekend
Local and National Calls 3p Free (for up to 60 mins) Free (for up to 60 mins)
But does not state the number ranges it considers to be Local and National Calls.
I just called Post Office HomePhone's 24 hour customer service line and they tell me that the Andrews & Arnold numbers come up as Invalid when they enter them in their call charge database but they feel sure if I can get a ringing tone on them then they must be a new form of Premium Rate Number. They suggest calling back Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm..............................
Ofcom, who couldn't organise the proverbial festival for free consumption of alcohol in an establishment for making beer, is once again to be congratulated on making a truly monumental cockup of the launch of the new 03 number range and for failing to give it any publicity whatsoever. And yet because they care so little for their public image they don't even bother to participate in any of the threads on this website to try and ever set the record straight. Whatever you may say about NEG at least some of their employees are prepared to stick their head above the parapet on this discussion board.
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