070 Number changes - Rules to combat fraud & unexpected call costs
Last year, Ofcom announced that from the 1st of October 2019, the cost to call an 070 Number would be the same cost as calling a UK Mobile Number.
This is a significant change to the UK Numbering Plan, and we just wanted to remind our customers about the changes and outline what you need to do if you are using an 070 Number.
Summary & Background
Created by Ofcom in 1995, the 070 Number range was designed to be used as a ‘Personal’ or ‘Follow-me’ number so people or businesses could offer a single contact number and divert it to a fixed or mobile number. Back then, Mobile roaming wasn’t available, so these Numbers were quite useful to people that travelled abroad or around the UK.
In May 2017, Ofcom announced a Call Cost Review for 070 Numbers to ensure callers are protected from high call charges and unfair practices. Following this review, Ofcom published its proposal on the 6th of December 2017, which was finalised in October 2018.
Ofcom believes there are two main issues with 070 Numbers; Firstly, the cost to call an 070 Number is considerably higher than the cost to call other Numbers such as Mobile or Geographic Numbers. Secondly, consumers are generally unable to distinguish 070 Numbers from 07x Mobile Numbers, and they are not aware that calls to 070 Numbers cost much more than calls to 07x Mobile Numbers.
|
Call charges to 070 Numbers cost 45p to £1.10 Per minute. |
Calls made to 070 Numbers 2.6 Million Calls in 2018. |
Fraud using 070 Numbers 20% Per Year. |
What changes is TTNC making?
Currently, we provide free call forwarding on 070 Numbers. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to do that, and from the 1st of September 2019, you will need to pay for call forwarding if you are using an 070 Numbers.
Our call forwarding rates will match the call forwarding rates we use on 01, 02 and 03 Numbers:
| Call Credit Payment Method | Forwarding to UK Landline | Forwarding to UK Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Pay as You Go | 2p per minute | 10p per minute |
| Monthly 10 | 2p per minute | 6.5p per minute |
| Monthly 15 | 1.9p per minute | 5.5p per minute |
| Monthly 25 | 1.8p per minute | 5p per minute |
| Monthly 45 | 1.6p per minute | 4.5p per minute |
| Monthly 60 | 1.5p per minute | 4p per minute |
We will also be making our 070 Numbers available to buy from our website and from within myTTNC, we stopped offering them some years ago due to the problems associated with 070 Numbers. Since these problems have been addressed, we envisage 070 Numbers becoming quite popular and in high demand. They will use the same pricing structure as our other number ranges.
|
070 Number type (Standard & Memorable) |
Connection charge (once off charge) |
Annual charge (after first 12 months) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Number | £20 per number | £20 per number |
| Bronze Number | £95 per number | £20 per number |
| Silver Number | £195 per number | £20 per number |
| Gold Number | £295 per number | £20 per number |
| Platinum Number | £395 per number | £20 per number |
| Diamond Number | £595 per number | £20 per number |
What do I need to do?
From the 1st of September, we will be introducing two major changes to 070 Numbers; the introduction of an annual service charge for a number, and the introduction of call forwarding charges.
If you are a TTNC customer and using our 070 Numbers, these changes will affect you, so please read the information below:
You will need to ensure you have call credit in your account on or before the 1st of September 2019. Please note that if you do not have call credit in your account, call forwarding will not work.
We will issue an invoice for any 070 Number in your account on the 1st of September 2019. Please ensure you make payment for any 070 Number you wish to continue using. If you want to cancel any Numbers, please go to Manage Renewals in your myTTNC account. You can read more here: https://help.ttnc.co.uk/docs/managing-renewals
Is there anything I need to know about 070 Numbers?
As 070 Numbers become more similar to 07x Mobile Numbers, it would seem natural for them to be able to accept SMS, sadly this is not the case at the moment.
Although we took steps to enable SMS on our number ranges years ago, the main mobile operators do not currently allow SMS to be sent to 070 Numbers, despite them being enabled to accept SMS from other networks.
We are in talks with carriers to get this issue resolved, but right now we have no idea of when or even if this issue will be resolved, we will of course keep everyone posted on our progress.
Do you have any questions?
We appreciate that this is a significant change to the UK Numbering Plan and to how TTNC treats 070 Numbers. If you have any concerns, comments or questions, please get in touch with your account manager or our customer services team.
