Communications industry regulator Ofcom have announced plans that should see previously expensive 0870 numbers reduced to the cost of a landline call.
Calls to expensive 0870 numbers could soon be a thing of the past as Ofcom step in with their regulatory powers.
After numerous complaints and queries from customers, the industry regulator has this week announced plans to tighten the rules governing 0870 numbers.
These so called ‘non-geographic’ numbers are frequently used by businesses as contact helplines for their customer services teams and so are in many instances the only means for consumers to get in touch with an organisation.
Until now businesses were able to generate profit by charging what could be sometimes viewed as extortionate rates for calls to their 0870 numbers by sharing the revenue with the relevant communications organisation.
However, once Ofcom’s changes are brought into operation revenue sharing will be banned and 0870 calls will have to be charged at a geographic rate, equivalent to the pricing applied to ‘01’ and ‘02’ calls.
Ofcom also suggest that 0870 numbers should be included in call package price plans in the same way as geographic numbers, again making these calls more affordable for the consumer.
While Ofcom’s proposal does allow communications providers to charge a higher rate for 0870 numbers, those that do will have to adhere to strict rules about how consumers are informed about the cost of their call.
To help enforce these guidelines Ofcom will issue hefty penalties and possible fines to companies that flout the rules.
These plans are part of Ofcom’s wider investigation into both the transparency and cost of calls to non-geographic numbers and will also address the regulations governing expensive 0871 numbers to ensure that the consumer gets a fairer deal.
