The list of "Premium NGN Number" prefixes simply indicates where it that prefix has been found to be charged at a premium by at least one originating operator. It would perhaps be helpful to know which are consistently higher and with which providers and which aren't.

It would also be useful to know what the termination charges are like. The BT Wholesale Carrier Price List gives rates BT pays for termination:



continued…

I don't think that the fact that quite a few of these have dropped to around 3ppm, followed by 1.5ppm and then 0.84ppm is a coincidence. There was a consultation a few years back on reductions to mobile termination rates and it is maybe worth looking back at it. It looks to me as if the outcome of that has been the reigning in of the operators' charges for termination, as I think the above suggests.

One question: are all of these numbers intended for private users? What made me wonder about this is the presence of "SSE Energy Supply Limited" prefixes. Might these be use for SIMs that are used for data purposes in smart meters? There are other applications where mobile data is required (no voice calls) such as road signs.

In such cases an originating communications provider could perhaps list the prefix as not being covered by a bundle simply because it isn't (but voice calls are never made to it either).

It would be helpful if someone in the know could indicate as to whether this is a possible explanation for the existance of some of these prefixes or not.

Dave wrote on Mar 1^st, 2014 at 11:42pm:
Some OCPs have found the distinction between these type of numbers but looking at your list, calls to 07405 have the same termination rate as an actual mobile so at least in this situation, it's mostly OCP's imposing higher retail rates especially for the larger OCP's.  Yes, the smaller OCPs may have to pay other third parties to carry the call but surely then if this is true these smaller OCPs also have to pay the same amount to carry call to actual "non-premium" mobile numbers surely?

SSE Energy Supply are their phone wing
See: http://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/compare.htm?xid=67410&idx=ra&operator=9367

Possibly were going to start their own MVNO.

Dave wrote on Mar 2^nd, 2014 at 6:13pm:
That is an idea and would provide consistency for all "mobile" numbers.

The problem, I can imagine will be, that OCPs will moan.  I remember when Ofcom thought about 03x numbers and linking them to geographical numbers (price wise) and OCPs moaned about Ofcom setting prices.  Ofcom managed to get away with that by stating they were just insisting 03x numbers get treated same price as geographical.

The new Ofcom numberplan that comes into effect in June 2015 has in the allocations table an extra column headed 'tariff principles'. So far only the 030, 033, 034, 037, 080, 084, 087, 090, 091, 098, 116 and 118 entries are filled in. It's possible that new tariff rules covering calls to 07 numbers will eventually be introduced. Ofcom have already indicated they intend to review 070 and 076 numbers.

The many current pricing exceptions for various mobile and other 07 numbers make these as much a minefield as the current pricing policies for calling 084 and 087 numbers. Ofcom have moved (albeit very slowly) to fix many of the issues with 08 and 09 numbers. Here's hoping that robust measures will be considered for dealing with the retail pricing of calls to 07 numbers. Simplification is needed.

We must remember that when mobile phones came in off-net calls (that's calls to other networks) cost more than on-net calls (calls to the same network). Now the distinction is pretty much unheard of.

In respect of the Mobile Service numbers which some retailers impose a premium for calling, they are off-net calls.

The issues discussed in this thread have been largely addressed by Ofcom in the intervening years, though the work is not yet entirely completed.


Ofcom has for many years imposed a cap on mobile termination rates and reduced it on an annual basis, usually on 1 April. The cap used to apply only to calls terminating on the main mobile networks. Other mobile providers were told to charge "fair and reasonable rates" but not all did so. Some of these were call-forwarding services where the high termination charge paid for provision of the service. Others were small mobile providers where imposing a high termination charge on incoming calls allowed that mobile provider to charge their own customers a lower rate for outgoing calls. The price to pay was that calls to these smaller providers were excluded from inclusive allowances when called from elsewhere.

Many years ago, LycaMobile was one of those with high termination rates. Calls to their numbers were non-inclusive from almost all providers. Even after they dropped their termination rates, other providers continued to treat their numbers as non-inclusive. Years later, some still do.


When the termination rate cap set by Ofcom dropped again in 2015 (this time unusually on 1 May) the cap was extended to cover all UK mobile numbers starting 071-075 and 077-079. In theory, from this point on, inclusive allowances should be covering all UK mobile numbers starting 071-075 and 077-079 but in practice this did not happen. There are a number of reasons for this.

UK landline and mobile providers have not, in general, updated their lists of excluded number ranges. In fact, some have lists that have remained largely unaltered for almost a decade. In some cases this indicates non-compliance with the termination rate cap by various mobile number rangeholders. In other cases, the termination rate has dropped but some providers have failed to notice the change and adjust their retail call charges, or have noticed it and are now profiteering on these calls.

In April 2017, Ofcom opened an investigation into a small number of mobile providers not complying with the cap on mobile termination rates.


The various MTR reductions mean that since 1 April 2016 the rates for calls to mobile numbers have been slightly lower than for calls to 03 numbers. The result of this is that most landline providers now routinely offer inclusive calls to mobile numbers in their "anytime" call plans. BT is the only major landline provider to not offer this. As noted above, not all UK mobile numbers are included in allowances. There are numerous exceptions detailed in the list of included number ranges.


Due to high termination rates, calls to mobile numbers in CI and IoM have been excluded from inclusive allowances when called from the UK. Authorities in each of those places have been reducing the maximum allowed termination rates, but lagging the UK changes.

The most recent work has seen the mandated reductions in CI and IoM termination rates being set on an accelerated path. These reductions mean that the CI and IoM termination rates are expected to be commensurate with UK termination rates in 2018.

Ofcom now proposes that from April 2018 onwards, the CI and IoM termination rates will be set by Ofcom and be set at the same rate as the UK termination rates.

By next year, we should reach the point where all numbers starting 071-075 and 077-079 are inclusive in call allowances from almost all landline and mobile providers.


Almost a decade ago, Ofcom started reviewing non-geographic numbers starting 03, 05, 070, 076, 08, 09, 116 and 118.

The largest chunk of work looked at 08, 09, 116 and 118 numbers and resulted in 080 and 116 numbers becoming free-to-caller from all landlines and mobiles and introduction of the "unbundled tariff" for calls to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers.

Another strand confirmed and reinforced that the rules for 03 numbers do not permit revenue sharing of any type, either with the called party or with the caller.

The 0500 range also came into focus, and was withdrawn from use on 5 June 2017. Existing users were offered the matching number starting 0808 5 and had been given three years to make the change.

The final piece of work covering numbers starting 055, 056, 070 and 076 is yet to be started. Hopefully, it will lead to getting rid of the 070 range. The fact that pagers are disappearing will free up the 076 range in the not too distant future. These factors should mean that eventually all numbers starting 07 are mobile numbers and all are included in allowances.

Finally, with very low usage a case could be made for removal of the 055 and 056 ranges - perhaps migrated to and merged with the 03 range.


The end result could be a very simple number plan and call charge regime.

Inclusive in allowances: 01, 02, 03, 07 ... thereafter a "standard" rate.

Free-to-caller: 080, 116.

Premium rate: 084, 087, 090, 091, 098, 118 ... with an additional "Service Charge".

This is perhaps still at least a couple of years away.


Some final tidying up might see the old 0908 and 0909 'adult' entertainment services ranges migrated to somewhere in the newer 098 allocation.

For a number of reasons it might make sense to migrate Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey mobile numbers to the 0761x, 0762x and 0763x ranges and condense the various mobile porting codes into the 0760xx ranges.

With declining usage, the final step might be closure of the 084 and 087 ranges.