The latest changes to Ofcom’s Competition and Consumer Enforcement Bulletin were made today and relate to an
1) Update note to closed case CW/00999/09/08 – Dispute about per-customer line transaction charges for Carrier Pre-Selection.
2) Update note for compliance case CW/00998/09/08: Own-initiative investigation into Telephonics Integrated Telephony Limited about sales and marketing and the use of information obtained during the transfer process.
Ofcom published today a statement allowing Openreach to shorten the price notification period to customers for wholesale analogue exchange line connection charges. This will enable Openreach to introduce proposed price changes at the earliest appropriate opportunity to enable consumers to benefit from discounts that are passed on.
The statement can be found at: Ofcom.com
Ofcom confirms proposals to strengthen existing rules to protect consumers from fixed line mis-selling and abuse of ‘Cancel Other’
Following a review of the existing regulations to protect consumers from fixed-line mis-selling and abuse of ‘Cancel Other’, Ofcom has today confirmed proposals to make changes to the regulations which will result in a new General Condition being introduced. The changes are a move away from the current approach of requiring communications providers to establish, and comply with, codes of practice, to an approach of putting in place high level prohibitions on all communications providers not to engage in mis-selling activity. Following a short consultation Ofcom expects the new rules to come into force in early 2010.
This is the first part of a package of measures Ofcom is considering strengthen existing rules to protect consumers from fixed line mis-selling and abuse of ‘Cancel Other’. Ofcom will consult further on providing better information to consumers on the potential consequences of switching and the case for mandatory call recordings in a subsequent consultation later in 2009.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/protecting_consumers_misselling/
If you’re confused by call charges or don’t know your 03 from your 0845 numbers, then we have the perfect guide for you.
There are so many different types of phone number these days that it can be hard keeping tabs on how much they cost to call.
Our guide looks at some of the common numbers in use today, what they are used for and how much it costs to call them from a BT landline.
You can then download the guide, print it off and keep it by your phone so that you’ve always got the facts at your fingertips.
The guide gives you the lowdown on geographic numbers – numbers beginning 01 or 02 – as well as 03 numbers, which many organisations now use as an alternative to more expensive 08 numbers.
There’s also information on 030 numbers –used by not for profit organisations – and 07 mobile numbers and 070 personal numbers.
The guide explains all about 08 numbers, ranging from 0800 numbers – which are free to call from a landline – to 0843, 0844 and 0845 numbers, as well as 0870 numbers.
Finally the guide will tell you how much you can expect to pay if you call the more expensive 0871/2/3 numbers and premium rate 090 numbers.
The prices in the guide are based on the cost of calls from a BT landline and other providers’ prices may vary.
Calls from mobiles will almost always be higher and you should check the costs of calls with your provider
Ofcom today updated the numbering plan in the light of changes to the regulation of 0870 telephone numbers which came into effect on 1 August 2009.
These new rules encourage communications providers:
Communications providers that want to continue charging for 0870 calls at rates above those for geographic numbers are now bound by strict rules about how prices are publicised on websites and in promotional material at point of sale.
Communications providers are responsible for making sure their customers know how much they will be charged for calling an 0870 number and they are not allowed to advertise 0870 numbers as “national rate” unless they are charging at geographic rates.
Ofcom’s statement on Changes to 0870 which was published on 23 April 2009 can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/0870calls/0870statement/
The updated numbering plan can be found at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/numbers/numplan030809.pdf
Ofcom today published research on mobile number portability to accompany its consultation which was published on 3rd August.
Ofcom’s consultation on mobile number portability can be found at:
The time taken to transfer a number when a customer changes mobile provider could fall under Ofcom proposals published today.
Ofcom has already reduced the time it takes to transfer a mobile number from five days to two working days and the UK has shorter porting times than many European countries.
However, Ofcom wants to make the process – known as porting – even faster and easier for consumers.
The two consultations on the porting process and call routing can be found at:
Ofcom has introduced new restrictions on the way that we issue telephone numbers to communications providers to ensure the best use of numbers and to better protect consumers from scams, fraud and other forms of abuse. We have incorporated a test into the process for allocating numbers to communications providers known as the Consumer Protection Test for telephone number allocation (‘the CPT’).
The CPT focuses on companies and individuals that have used telephone numbers to cause serious or repeated harm to consumers. We will identify and publish lists of such individuals and companies and we will not allocate telephone numbers in the following number ranges to applicants who are on those lists:
We strongly encourage all providers that assign telephone numbers to others to take best use of numbers and consumer protection into account when making assignment decisions and to refer to the following two lists that we are publishing for that purpose.
The under assessment list is a list of individuals and companies that we are assessing to determine whether they have used telephone numbers in a way that has caused serious or repeated harm to consumers.
Consumer Protection Test Under Assessment List
The number refusal list is a list of individuals and companies that, following assessment, we are satisfied have used telephone numbers in a way that has caused serious or repeated harm to consumers in the past and to whom further 070, 087 (excluding 0870) and 09 numbers should not be allocated. Inclusion on the list, and for how long, depends on factors including the seriousness of the behaviour and the individual or company’s past history of using numbers to cause detriment to consumers.
Consumer Protection Test Number Refusal List
There is also a free e-mail subscription list for people interested in receiving notification of updates to the numbering web pages and documents, including updates to the under assessment list and the number refusal list.
1.1 NTS Retail Uplift and the associated PRS Bad Debt Surcharge are wholesale charge elements of BT’s charges for Number Translation Services (‘NTS’) call origination. NTS calls are calls to 08 numbers (-1-) and 09 numbers (09 numbers are also known as Premium Rate Services (‘PRS’)). These numbers provide individuals and organisations with a combination of call routing services and a mechanism to charge callers small sums. This allows them to provide a wide range of services to callers, including sales lines, customer service/enquiries, information and entertainment services.
1.2 We require BT to originate and to retail NTS calls on behalf of other communications providers (‘CPs’). Through the existing controls we allow BT, when it originates NTS calls, to retain an amount to cover its costs including an element of its own retailing costs. These specific retailing costs are referred to as the NTS Retail Uplift. For the higher priced PRS calls we allow BT to retain a percentage of revenue to recover the higher level of bad debt encountered on these calls via the PRS Bad Debt Surcharge.
1.3 In our recent market review consultation "Review of the Fixed Narrowband Services Wholesale Markets" published on 19 March 2009 (-2-) (the ’2009 Wholesale Market Review’), the key findings and proposals relevant to this consultation are that:
1.4 In this consultation therefore we consider the details of the NTS Retail Uplift charge control remedy flowing from the market analysis in the 2009 Wholesale Market Review. We are seeking views on the form and the level of these charge controls which we propose should take effect on 1 October 2009 and apply for a period of 4 years. We are also seeking views on the methodology used to calculate the charges. In addition we are seeking views on a proposed increase in the PRS Bad Debt Surcharge.
Footnotes:
1.- As explained later in the document not all 08 numbers are classified as NTS.
2.-http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/review_wholesale/
3.- See section 6 of the 2009 Wholesale Market Review, in particular paragraphs 6.76 – 6.81.
4.- See section 6 of the 2009 Wholesale Market Review, in particular paragraphs 6.93 to 6.96.
5.- See section 15 of the 2009 Wholesale Market Review, in particular paragraph 15.9.
Ofcom today set out new rules to provide clarity about the price of calls to 0870 numbers.
These new rules will encourage communication providers:
To stop charging higher prices for calls to 0870 numbers from fixed lines and mobiles than calls to “geographic rate” numbers (01, 02 or 03 numbers); and
To include 0870 calls in call packages on the same basis as geographic calls.
These measures may significantly reduce the cost of calling these numbers whilst increasing consumers’ awareness about the costs of calling them.
Under these new rules, communications providers that want to continue charging for 0870 calls at rates above those for geographic numbers will now be bound by strict rules about how prices are publicised on websites and in promotional material at point of sale.
Communications providers will be responsible for making sure their customers know how much they will be charged for calling an 0870 number and they will not be allowed to advertise 0870 numbers as “national rate” unless they are charging at geographic rates. If they do not comply with these rules, they could be subject to enforcement action including possible fines.
0870 numbers are used by many businesses and organisations to provide a wide range of information and advice including many customer service lines. Currently 0870 calls are priced at levels that enable businesses and organisations to share the revenue generated by per-minute call charges. Ofcom’s new rules should effectively end revenue sharing on 0870 numbers.
Ofcom welcomes steps that some fixed line companies have already taken to include calls to 0870 numbers in call packages and reduce their prices.
The new regulations will come into effect on 1 August 2009.
The statement can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/0870calls/0870statement/
