[Nick_London]

Quote:

Originally Posted by plymouthbloke1974

Tosh.

0800 will never be blocked from a mobile. They could do it now if they wanted but imagine the PR backlash.

Mobile operators make a minuscule amount for connecting 0800 calls, but nowhere near as much as the standard interconnect fees, which is why they charge.

If 0800 becomes free, expect other charges to rise by 1-2p/min or text to compensate.

If you've got any sense you are either already using 0800Buster or an app on your smartphone that also finds alternatives to 0870/0845/0844 etc

During the 90s Mercury and then its succesor Interphone barred 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers from its payphones, New World payphones now Arqiva did the same until oftel allowed non-BT operators to claim the payphone access charge.

If the changes came in, then mobile networks will do the same. T-Mobile has a habbit of that. Blocking calls to a majority of 118 numbers,3 mobiles,07782 and Lycamobile numbers. They then unblocked them and rather than taking it out of your minutes,they charge you extra without warning. They don't even play the warning message when calling freephone numbers anymore.

3 numbers now come out of your allowances.

Mobile networks and non-BT/Manx Telecom,Kingston,Jersey Telecom and Sure Guernsey landline operators are not obliged to give you access to any type of number apart from 101,111,112,116,195,999,childline and at least one 118 number in English and one 118 number(118404) in Welsh.

BT have already opposed the idea as it will harm payphone revenue. BT will not dip into funds from other parts of the business to fund its payphone business regardless that it has a legal obligation to operate them. Non-advertised funded kiosks will be funded by tax payers.

BT gets its own way with Ofcom, they are not as strong as when it was Oftel.

Since Ofcom was formed:

BT gets its way on ending 3 month contracts
BT gets its way on increasing line rental
They get there way on restricting Broadband in rural areas
BT gets its way on reducing mobile termination rates
They got there way on non-uniform pricing of BT payphones
They can charge what they like for its 118500 service


Therefore council tax will go up plus mobile bills will go up and the threat of loss of access from mobiles, just because some don't like the idea of using a landline or a payphone.

Those on low incomes!!! should not depend on pay as you go phones and rather than getting rid of the landline,take advantage of BT Basic, around £16 per quarter including line rental and a small call allowance and also offers free calls to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers.

0800Buster get payphone access charge too, they would likely be opposing it too.

The current set up is fine, Orange did offer free access to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers before and users abused it by using international calling cards and accessing other service providers and carriers.Trying to charge for individual numbers and identifying them was a complicated process, there are thousands and they had many many people clogging the network for free. Orange was built by private money unlike BT, it would be an insult to give free access to a network that cost billions.

How profitable is the mobile phone?

EE has over 26 million customers yet the parent companies are trying to get rid. Deutsche Telekom has wanted to get rid of its UK operations since 2009, due to the recession, they could not attract a buyer and decided a merge with Orange who have also struggled at keeping up with rivals. The merge together with its low funded brand and logo but with a huge hype for 4G is an attempt to sell off for as much as possible.

O2 the UK's largest single parent owned network have around 22 million mobile subscribers, Telefonica who own an eye watering £57 Billion are selling parts of its business piece by piece, they will be selling there office furniture next!

Doesn't sound very profitable to me.

Especially after they now have to invest in 3G and 4G.

[enapace]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick_London

During the 90s Mercury and then its succesor Interphone barred 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers from its payphones, New World payphones now Arqiva did the same until oftel allowed non-BT operators to claim the payphone access charge.

If the changes came in, then mobile networks will do the same. T-Mobile has a habbit of that. Blocking calls to a majority of 118 numbers,3 mobiles,07782 and Lycamobile numbers. They then unblocked them and rather than taking it out of your minutes,they charge you extra without warning. They don't even play the warning message when calling freephone numbers anymore.

3 numbers now come out of your allowances.

Mobile networks and non-BT/Manx Telecom,Kingston,Jersey Telecom and Sure Guernsey landline operators are not obliged to give you access to any type of number apart from 101,111,112,116,195,999,childline and at least one 118 number in English and one 118 number(118404) in Welsh.

BT have already opposed the idea as it will harm payphone revenue. BT will not dip into funds from other parts of the business to fund its payphone business regardless that it has a legal obligation to operate them. Non-advertised funded kiosks will be funded by tax payers.

BT gets its own way with Ofcom, they are not as strong as when it was Oftel.

Since Ofcom was formed:

BT gets its way on ending 3 month contracts
BT gets its way on increasing line rental
They get there way on restricting Broadband in rural areas
BT gets its way on reducing mobile termination rates
They got there way on non-uniform pricing of BT payphones
They can charge what they like for its 118500 service


Therefore council tax will go up plus mobile bills will go up and the threat of loss of access from mobiles, just because some don't like the idea of using a landline or a payphone.

Those on low incomes!!! should not depend on pay as you go phones and rather than getting rid of the landline,take advantage of BT Basic, around £16 per quarter including line rental and a small call allowance and also offers free calls to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers.

0800Buster get payphone access charge too, they would likely be opposing it too.

The current set up is fine, Orange did offer free access to 0500,0800 and 0808 numbers before and users abused it by using international calling cards and accessing other service providers and carriers.Trying to charge for individual numbers and identifying them was a complicated process, there are thousands and they had many many people clogging the network for free. Orange was built by private money unlike BT, it would be an insult to give free access to a network that cost billions.

How profitable is the mobile phone?

EE has over 26 million customers yet the parent companies are trying to get rid. Deutsche Telekom has wanted to get rid of its UK operations since 2009, due to the recession, they could not attract a buyer and decided a merge with Orange who have also struggled at keeping up with rivals. The merge together with its low funded brand and logo but with a huge hype for 4G is an attempt to sell off for as much as possible.

O2 the UK's largest single parent owned network have around 22 million mobile subscribers, Telefonica who own an eye watering £57 Billion are selling parts of its business piece by piece, they will be selling there office furniture next!

Doesn't sound very profitable to me.

Especially after they now have to invest in 3G and 4G.

Yeah I wonder if they can actually find a good buyer for EE because honestly as a company that certainly has a lot of potential they have a massive customer base, and are doing a fast roll out of 4G to the country possess a lot of spectrum if they work out good tariff prices they will be on a winner. Where as O2 is going to have brilliant coverage but not the best speeds even Three own more 4G spectrum then O2.

I would love to hear that 0800 becomes free but honestly i can't see it likely to happen.

Thanks for the breakdown on how the pricing have become as they now.

[Nick_London]

The mobile phone companies have made efforts at making these calls free however thousands of users a day were misusing the free access to gain access to pre-paid calling cards, it is not easy to go around blocking or charging individual access number which is why Orange withdrew it.

Orange Pay Monthly: Free until 2006
Virgin Mobile: Free until 2000
One2one: Free on limited pay monthly plans
Mercury Payphones(Replaced by IPM 1995): Barred
New World and IPM Interphone payphone: Barred until 1997,now free to the caller.

With payphones,BT Wholesale charges rivals such as Arqiva(New World) a fee per month and collects the Payphone Access charge for them. IPM acquired all Mercury sites and replaced them with the Orange Interphone kiosks, some sites used Cable and Wireless and Telewest lines and 0800 remained barred.

Strangely there are new kiosks which run off mobiles NOT landlines and have an aerial on top. 0800 is not free from them.

These mobile networks have spent billions to give us internet on the go,access to phone service in the middle of no-where and then people expect free service. BT was built by public money and even though now privatised they have a duty to give free access to freephone numbers. The mobile networks were built by private money.

[Everything Goes]

0800 & 116 to be free from mobiles on 26th June 2015

Ofcom have finaly made up their mind

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/con...inal-statement

[KesterK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

0800 & 116 to be free from mobiles on 26th June 2015

Ofcom have finaly made up their mind

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/con...inal-statement

All it will mean is that companies will close their 0800 numbers and move to 0845 etc. and why 2015? If they are going to do it, should be much quicker than that.

[alan1302]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KesterK

All it will mean is that companies will close their 0800 numbers and move to 0845 etc. and why 2015? If they are going to do it, should be much quicker than that.

Some companies will close them but others won't.

It's 2015 so comapnaies have time to implement it and decide what to do.

[Stiggles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

0800 & 116 to be free from mobiles on 26th June 2015

Ofcom have finaly made up their mind

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/con...inal-statement

Jesus! They are never quick in doing things are they?!

[Jair_Sharp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wavejockglw

Not before time Ofcom have decided to act to ensure that Freephone numbers will be free from both landlines and mobiles. Common sense re this issue has eventually arrived at the regulator almost 30 years after mobile operators chose to charge customers for calls to Freephone numbers!

"Ofcom is also proposing freephone 080 numbers will actually be free to call from a mobile phone.

The consultation will close on 28 May and Ofcom will publish its decision by the summer. It said any changes to how telephone numbers are charged are a 'fundamental restructuring' of the current model and would take around 18 months to implement."

http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/News/24...m_numbers.aspx

ornage and 121 and bt cell net and vodafone used to have 0800 for free untill calling cards and cheap dail numbers back in the late 90's where around then they decided to bar but 0800 numbers for the AA and the RAC and childline and a few others its not been exactly 30 years

[jchamier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jair_Sharp

ornage and 121 and bt cell net and vodafone used to have 0800 for free untill calling cards and cheap dail numbers back in the late 90's where around then they decided to bar but 0800 numbers for the AA and the RAC and childline and a few others its not been exactly 30 years

Orange and 121 were free for 0800, but Cellnet and Voda certainly weren't.

Back in 1994 I used an Orange Nokia with a PCMCIA data card and an 0800 ISP to access the internet when travelling for work (9600bps). The phone call was free, but the ISP charged 1p per minute for access on a credit card.

[qasdfdsaq]

I just used the endless AOL trial CDs...