19/08/09 - Summer 2009

From 1st August, the rules have changed on the charging for 0870 numbers.

These are lower cost Premium Numbers, normally used for Marketing by firms keen to show a “national” identity.

Previously, costs TO these numbers ranged from 8 pence to 12 pence per minute, with a proportion of that higher charge going to the user of the number.

The rules have now changed, and now the users of that number WILL BE CHARGED FOR RECEIVING the calls.

It is being recommended to have your 0870 numbers “ported” to the new 0370 service, which has no cost to receive, and importantly has only a local call charge (as low as 1 penny per minute) to the inbound caller.

Specific and more detailed information on the new rules can be found at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/features/03numbers