| |
| |
 |
| |
Telephone numbers are our business. At Team Telecom we have been marketing non-geographic numbers since 1999. In the fast paced, and ever changing, world of telecoms we are now an ‘old’ business. Over the past 8 years we have seen numerous competitors come and go, and in 2008 many more ‘resellers’ will undoubtedly fade into oblivion as far reaching number changes come into effect.
This is a tough industry to be in. Whereas most products or services increase in price as the years roll by, the telecoms industry has experienced a continuing downward pressure on prices despite higher operational costs. Today it is possible to make a 2 minute call to New Zealand for 1p whereas not too many years ago it was over £1 minute (probably more like £2-£3 in today’s money).
In 2008 it will be the turn of 0870 numbers to feel the heat. The cost of calling a 0870 number is to fall dramatically and companies wishing to retain their 0870 number(s) will be required to pay 3p-4p minute (or more) to receive incoming calls. Businesses with high volumes of traffic will suffer most. A company generating a modest 25,000 minutes month in traffic may have previously received £250-£500 a month as revenue share. Now it will have to pay up to £1,000 each month to receive calls if it wishes to keep its 0870 number.
Unlike many of our former competitors we do NOT give numbers away. Firstly, it devalues the product and if the recipient business ceases to trade the phone number invariably disappears with it – meaning that another finite national resource is lost. Then when the reseller goes out of business because it wasn’t earning enough to survive, the remaining clients are the ones who pay the price for when they need service, they can’t get it. At Team Telecom we are proud of our service record and always promptly attend to matters like re-mapping or helping to reposition numbers in the event of client emergencies such as fire, floods or broken landline connections. For confirmation of our approach to service you might like to check
Testimonials.
We lease our phone numbers and in this way we are able to keep track of them. This small charge contributes towards our day to day operating costs enabling us to provide the expected service levels. As already noted, most of the number ‘resellers’ that gave 0870 numbers away, hoping to survive on revenue share, have now gone the way of the dodo. And for those foolhardy enough to give 0844 numbers away (relying on a possible 1p minute revenue share) the chances of their surviving even 6 months are indeed slim! If it was only the resellers that disappeared it wouldn’t be so bad, but their disappearance
often means considerable inconvenience and hardship to organisations that find they’ve effectively lost their phone number when they cannot remap it
as needs be. ‘Caveat Emptor’, to quote an old Latin expression. Let the buyer beware. You get what you pay for. You need to be fairly confident that your supplier is still going to be around if you ever need to remap your non geographic number. So think twice before accepting a ‘free’ number from an anonymous seller operating from a website that doesn’t even give you the opportunity of having a phone conversation should that ever be necessary.
Currently, the UK non-geographic numbering system is in a state of transition. Ofcom (the regulatory body) has decreed that from February 1, 2008 the cost of calling a 0870 number must be no greater than the price for calling a standard geographic number such as 020 (London). BT has said that it will no longer be giving revenue share to the various carriers that hold 0870 numbers. Worse still, it means that carriers, wanting to stay in business, will have to charge their customers by the minute for 0870 calls carried over their networks. This is generally reckoned to be between 3p-4p per minute. BT will be charging its customers 3.5p-4.5p per minute depending on the level of service they require.
For a comprehensive discussion on the upcoming changes and the various options please go to
www.0870changes.info
If you elect to stay with non-geographic numbers (and there are very good reasons for doing so) you have three choices. More detailed information on these can be had by clicking on the appropriate section in the Navigation Menu to the left but in summary:
Your three
options are:
|
0844 |
|
Caller pays 5p minute (inclusive of VAT). You pay a small monthly admin charge and nothing to receive the call. Ofcom has stated that it has
no plans to interfere in the operation of this number range. If you are looking for a non-geographic replacement to your 0870 number, offering stability and low cost to you and the caller, then this is your best option. It’s a long shot but we may even be able to match your 0870 number (if you have one) to the same number in the 0844 / 0845 range. |
|
|
|
|
|
0845 |
|
Caller pays 3.95p daytime, 1p evenings and weekends. Ofcom has said that it
does not plan to look at restructuring this number range for at least another year or so since many ISP’s rely on this range to provide low cost dial up internet access to their clients. The fact that Ofcom has said that it will possibly look at the number range in the near future should raise some cause for concern. As such our advice is to proceed with caution if your new phone number is likely to be crucial to your business in the longer term. If, in due course, 0845 call charges are lowered to current geographic calling rates then you will have to pay a top up fee. |
|
|
|
|
|
0871 |
|
Caller pays between 6p – 10p per minute. We currently offer two ranges, one at 8p minute and the other at 10p. It is important to remember that if you are running a sales organisation and want to attract sales enquiries then unless you have a product or service that your customers are desperate for, then it’s hardly conducive to encouraging sales to charge them up to 10p minute for that initial phone call. Moreover, if there is a big take-up of 0871 numbers then there may well be a public backlash in due course, spurred on by the media. There is clearly a place for 0871 numbers – say in the provision of after sales service, information or help lines. The other caveat is that 0871 numbers will be under the control of ICSTIS, the regulatory body for overseeing premium rate numbers, from February 1, 2008 which inevitably means another layer of bureaucracy to deal with. ICSTIS have not yet given any indication as to how they intend to treat holders of 0871 numbers. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
|
 |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
