We are a telecoms company that provides businesses with unique local telephone numbers for their adverts (in the likes of Yellow Pages and local newspapers) to monitor responses and to calculate return's on investment.  Even if a company is based in a different geographical location we can still advertise the local number.

For example, if your business was in Liverpool and you advertised a local 0151 number (or even an 08 number) in Manchester, the response would be far lower than if you advertised a local 0161 number and the call was still terminated in Liverpool.

Am I making sense?

Let me know if you're interested - gj@concertnetworks.co.uk.

Thanks,
Graeme.

In this instance, there is a distinction between local numbers and others. The issue isn't cost, but identity. As the OP says, if an advertiser in Manchester uses an 0161 numbers, people are more likely to feel they are giving business to a local firm. It also means it can be dialled without the code. There is no local rate, but there are local numbers.