Ofcom Changes

Relationship to the proposals in the Numbering Strategy Review

One of the issues being considered in the Numbering Review is which number ranges should be opened up to accommodate future demand for revenue-sharing services. The conclusions reached on this issue will provide useful information for SPs who wish to move off from the 0870 range in order to continue revenue sharing. For this reason, the 18-month interim period for 0870 calls will not begin until the Numbering Review statement has been published.

In addition, the Numbering Review proposal to open up the 03 range for use by organisations not requiring a revenue share should help to address consumer concerns over the use made of NTS numbers by public bodies. The Numbering Review will also consider whether the pricing designations for 0844 and 0871 should apply to CPs other than BT, and whether a new revenue-sharing range should be opened up for use by not-for-profit organisations.

The Numbering Review consultation proposed that the 08 range should generally be used for revenue sharing services. Ofcom recognises that the measures proposed in this document for 0870 calls, which would almost certainly put an end to revenue sharing on this range, are not consistent with the broader Numbering Review vision. If similar measures were to be introduced for 0845 calls, they too would be out of step with that broader vision.

Ofcom does not consider that these inconsistencies undermine either the conclusions reached in relation to 0870 or the validity of the proposals set out in the Numbering Review consultation. In Ofcom's view, the measures proposed for 0870 are a balanced response to a specific set of issues, which have developed over the past decade. They are designed to address current problems on a legacy range, and can readily (if not neatly) sit alongside the broader vision of the Numbering Review.