loddon wrote on Jul 6^th, 2013 at 7:45pm:

This is obviously off-topic, *ahem*. 

The purpose of the brackets is to indicate that the bit inside is optional for those calling from a phone line with the same code. Thus it is correct for geographic area codes, with a few exceptions due to local dialling having been closed, but it has never been available to 0844 non-geographic numbers, just as it has never been available with mobile numbers, for example.

Dave wrote on Jul 6^th, 2013 at 9:11pm:

Although Father Christmas, as we know him, probably originated in Germany, he is unlikely to serve the telecoms market, so someone will have to be paying for the use of the line during the period when the caller is on hold - and someone will be paying for the technology and administrative cost of splitting the charge for the call.

Given that the use of a Special Service number is justified, this additional cost would have to be taken into account in choosing the charge band applicable to the number. A justified Service Charge meets the costs incurred in providing the service.

There's a long process to go through to re-organise and consolidate similar Service Charges, but the levels are likely to be a penny or two above and then rounded up from the present BT retail price.

e.g. call currently advertised by BT as 5.1p/min plus 15p connection fee (with no profit made by BT due to the "NTS Condition"), might become 7p/min Service Charge on the new system.

Don't forget that the Service Charge hasn't changed in all the time these numbers have been in use, and that they first came into service in 2000. There's several other possibilities for the levels that are set, as there are many issues to resolve.

I am sure the Service Charge list will be published somewhere so that people can look these up when they need to do so.

The Access Charge will be interesting. Providers will obviously compete in some way as it will be much easier to compare them. I would hope for around 0p to 5p/min from landlines and 0p to 10p/min from mobiles. I suspect mobiles will be substantially higher than that, but I doubt that Ofcom will tolerate the current 30p/min and above levels that are currently charged by some networks... especially as the levels currently embedded within the call price charged by Tesco Mobile for 0844 numbers are around the ~3p/min mark - less than the equivalent charged by Virgin Media on calls made from landlines.

Connection fees on calls (to 084, 087 and 09 numbers) made from landlines are to be scrapped, replaced by a per-minute rate Access Charge.

On a call that costs 5p/min plus 15p connection fee on BT, Virgin Media currently charges 12p/min plus 16p connection fee. The Service Charge is ~7p/min on both calls.

Virgin may decide to set a ~5p/min Access Charge. I suspect BT will be less, and as you say, they may choose to make the Access Charge "inclusive" in call plans. For those callers without an inclusive call plan, it's anyone's guess what the level of Access Charge will be.

Most people should be on inclusive call plans. That will become ever more obvious as the use of 03 numbers continues to rise. It doesn't take many minutes of 01/02/03 calls per week at 9p/min plus 15p connection to justify swapping to an inclusive callplan for well under a tenner per month.

In the same way that BT used to have two versions of Anytime, one with cheap calls to mobiles and one without, I suspect there will be one version with the Access Charge inclusive for 084, 087 and 09 numbers and one where the Access Charge is a small pence-per-minute rate within each call.

Disclaimer: All of the above is speculation.

OFCOM have at last published their long awaited Press Release incorporating a STATEMENT on NON-GEOGRAPHIC NUMBERS following the three consultations which began in 2010 !!!

Telephone call charges to be made simpler
December 12, 2013

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2013/12/12/telephone-call-charges/

The Statement starts with the following introduction :---
"
● Clearer pricing for all numbers starting 08, 09 and 118

● 080 to be free from mobiles as well as landlines

The cost of calling businesses and services will become clearer for consumers under major changes to telephone charging, Ofcom announced today.

"The measures are designed to tackle consumer confusion1 about how much it costs to call companies, public bodies and other organisations on numbers starting 08, 09 and 118. These ‘non-geographic’ service numbers have a range of uses, from finding out information to banking, directory enquiry and entertainment services."

The press release which I referred to in posting #96   above contains an OFCOM error.   The link in that release goes to a consultation document on the future of 0500 numbers  NOT to the Statement which is actually here:-


http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/consultations/non-geo-statement-final.pdf

kasg wrote on Dec 12^th, 2013 at 1:41pm:



Indeed.. and I doubt the consumers have "no faith" in using them.. they just seriously disliked being bled dry by having to call them!

The maximum Service Charge will be 7p/min for 084 numbers and 13p/min for 087 numbers. This is to the benefit of the called party. This will be either a per-minute or a per-call rate.

Each phone company will set a single Access Charge per tariff that covers all 084, 087 and 09 numbers. This will be a per-minute rate. The Access Charge is allowed to be 0p/min (i.e. "inclusive").

The call price is the sum of the Access Charge and the Service Charge.

Call connection fees will be scrapped on 084, 087 and 09 numbers.

Calls may be subject to a minimum charge, perhaps equivalent to a one minute call. The precise details are down to each network to decide.

I have to be honest I am now EVEN more confused!