Ofcom changes to call charges

Ofcom are making changes to provide more clarity on how much it costs to call Non Geographic Numbers.

The Ofcom changes come into effect on 1st July this year (2015) and will affect any organisation that uses 084x, 087x, 09 or 118 services. 

Calls to 080 and 116 numbers will be free from both landline and mobile phones. As mobile operators are no longer able to charge their customers for calling 0800 numbers, we expect the cost of receiving calls on 0800 numbers to increase accordingly. 

The cost of calling 084x, 087x, 09 and 118 numbers will be split into two clear parts:

1) An ACCESS CHARGE: This part of the call charge will be set by the phone company that the person/business calling you uses to make outbound calls and is a per minute charge

2) A SERVICE CHARGE: This is the remaining part of the call charge which is set by the Network Range Holder on a per minute basis depending upon the Non Geographic number type you are using

From the summer of 2015 you will be required to advertise the cost of calling your non-geographic number in accordance with the regulations set out by Ofcom, PhonePayPlus and the Advertising Standards Agency. This should take the form, “Calls cost 10p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge.”

To find out the service charges for 08 numbers used by your business enter them into our number checker below.

Simply enter the 5 digits of your number that follow 08 and select ‘Search’. You can then add more numbers and export the results.

Contact our team today if you’d like to discuss how these changes will affect the phone numbers used by your business.

[see-mobile]