Ofcom are delaying implementing the proposed changes in 0870 beyond 1/2/08. The reason for this is because Ofcom are worried about the knock on effects of applying a pre call announcement to calls to  0870 numbers. It appears that the pre call announcements applied to 070 numbers have caused safety of life issues with critical (emergency type) services that use 070 numbers. Ofcom have decided to delay the current 0870 policy implementation and undertake an assessment.

This may mean that 0870 call charges remain unchanged as it is difficult to distinguish between tariffs without a pre call announcement notifying the caller of the call charge.

Customers who wish to change the tariff that their caller pays can convert to 0370, alternatively, take on one of the new 030 or 033 numbers. The best deal that I can find is with Windsor Telecom, who offer an 030 (not for profit organisations only) or 033 (any organisation) numbers for just £24.99 per month, which includes no less than 10,000 free minutes. Inbound calls thereafter are charged at 0.5p per minute ex VAT. If anyone is interested their website address is http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/03-numbers.php

Edited:

This surely begs the question - Why are organisations who are supply life critical emergency services using 07 or 0870 numbers in the first place. They should be using an 0800 AND Geo Number surely.

dave1463 wrote on Oct 26^th, 2007 at 8:35pm:
Windsor Telecom should be avoided. A major player in the NGN scam with a seemingly cosy relationship with the regulators and public bodies, I suspect its sales tactics are not dissimilar to those of NEG, ie based on lies and deciet. Just look at WT's responses to various Ofcom consultations and you'll see just how odious this organization is!

Yes, but is the substance of the first post in this thread true?   I am in the middle of disputes with at least two organisations, a large part of the basis of these being the change in the status of 0870 nos from Feb 2008 (and I expect many other forum members are in similar situations).  Hence, forum users need to know the truth before we make idiots of ourselves and give a moral victory to those we are fighting.   I am waiting for a response from Clive Hillier at OFCOM regarding the (mis)use of outdated terms which might help answer this but I don't know when I will receive this so, in the meantime, maybe one of the most knowledgeable forum members can investigate this & provide some sort of answer?  While waiting, I will refrain from making any further complaints which involve the future charges/status of 0870 nos.

Barbara wrote on Oct 29^th, 2007 at 9:21am:
I sugest you also ask, in a seperate email, Clive Hillier whether Ofcom are postponing (or even thinking about it) the changes to 0870 and if so, why?

Bear in mind that everyone has had a year (I believe) to get themselves prepared for this change.

Heinz wrote on Oct 27^th, 2007 at 10:10am:

I apologise.  Clearly, the OP had insider information (although the manner of presentation was clearly self-serving).

http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1193931593

If the reason for a suspension of the long overdue demise of the 0870 scandal is as suggested in the article referred to above, then it makes no sense in the context of my understanding of the situation ....


The UKCTA was aware in January 2005 that certain equipment could not be used to make calls that featured pre-announcements. The implications of Ofcom's decision were therefore clear to its members from the day it was announced.

If its members (the OCPs who compete with BT) made the decision to take advantage of the special opt-out to the general tariff requirement for 0870 numbers, this would prevent some customers from making some calls to 0870 numbers. They knew this, as it was they who made that very point to Ofcom!

Having made a decision to take this exceptional action and implement use of cost pre-announcements, despite having expressed serious concerns about their feasibility, it is they who must accept responsibility for the consequences, not Ofcom.


Have they provided warnings to their customers announcing that they will be deviating from the preferred simple Ofcom suggestion for transparent pricing and will therefore be introducing pre-announcements from 1 February 2008?

Have these warnings been provided with a sufficient period of notice so that customers who make 0870 calls using equipment that cannot deal with pre-announcments could make alternative arrangements?


Ofcom made its intentions very clear. It had decided to SAY "NO" TO 0870.

0871, with appropriate "premium rate" regulation, was available for those who wished to benefit from the terms currently associated with 0870. 0870 would return to its original charging basis (which was still dishonestly being claimed by many) as no more than the cost of a call to any UK geographic number. With the 08xx ranges still in something of a mess, a degree of clarity and transparency would be provided by the entire 03xx range being exclusively for non-geographic numbers charged on the same basis as geographic numbers.

The option of pre-announcements was not generally seen as desireable from any side. It seems that Ofcom was perhaps reluctant (or unable) to compel either a mass number change or a price reduction. If so, a pre-announcement offered the only secure way to ensure transparency by those who wished to deviate from the plan by retaining the present charging basis for calls to 0870. Given the suggestions of technical difficulties and cost associated with meeting the explicit pre-announcement requirements imposed by Ofcom, it may have been hoped and expected that few would take this option.

Ofcom was not quite saying "NO", more like "PROBABLY NOT, BUT MAYBE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO".


The reaction to this apparent sudden revelation about alarm systems seems like a great victory for some clever ****er who saw how the Met Police had been caught on a Health and Safety issue and decided to try a similar approach with Ofcom.

It is of interest to note that Ofcom now has more time in which to resolve the current competition case that may be more relevant to this decision than anything to do with alarms - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/bulletins/comp_bull_index/comp_bull_ocases/open_all/cw_9...
(the detail of this is way above my head so I could not offer any serious comment about how relevant it could be.)


So Ofcom is now saying "WELL OK THEN", with no conditions, for the time being. We cannot call this a delay until Ofcom provides a new date and confirms that it will not be making any revisions to the regulations. It has made no definitive statement about what is happening, it has simply advised, through an indirect source, that what was to happen will not now go ahead.

The least we can ask Ofcom for in the meantime is some serious help in promoting and encouraging public sector migration to 03. If this is not forthcoming, we may be forced to conclude that it has now lost all its resolve and is ready to say "YES" to any smooth-talking telco representative.

David

Keith wrote on Oct 27^th, 2007 at 9:25am:

Apparently its because they are permanent. So if the geographic number is changed they just switch the 0870 or 070 number to point to the new exchange or office number. It was a good idea until Ofcom planned to accidentally break it! 

They hardly ever make calls (hopefully none), so call cost isn't a problem, but the number being permanent, means that you do not have to rush all over the UK and reprogram over 1 million alarm systems.