Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble
Why should BT bear the cost for other telecoms providers customers??
|
Hmmm, seems like my original reply got lost somewhere, so here's what I recall saying.
The numbers are virtual, behind them there is a real number, usually begining 01 or 02. A bit like a mail PO Box or re-direction service.
BT have a monopoly on controling these numbers. They lease them in blocks to 're-sellers' in return for guaranteed minimum, upfront payment. A %age of the fees for any calls over the guaranteed minimum are also payable to BT.
(That's why the rates for these numbers carry the disclaimer 'from a BT landline. Rates from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably dearer', or words to that effect.)
The re-seller in turn leases them in smaller blocks, even as low as singularly to anyone, even an individual.
The fee paid by the caller is shared between BT, the re-seller and sometimes the lessee if there are sufficient calls or the contract allows.
So if BT are not going to charge thier customers for calls to these numbers, are they going to compensate the re-seller - not that I'm bothered
I'm on Talk Talk, who have gone down the route of installing thier own equipment in the BT exchanges - the so called unbundling of the local loop. They give me free (well upto an hour) local, national and most international calls, so by using saynoto0870 to find the real number behind an 0870 or 0845 number I can get free calls to them anyway.
Presumably, if you are still on dial up Internet access to an 0845 number, and a BT customer, you will now have no cost access!!
Here's another issue, TT say they guarantee to cost less than the equivalent BT Tarrif, so if BT are giving calls to these numbers away, does that mean TT will pay me for calling them? I doubt it, and somewhere in thier T&C's it'll probably say 'except non-geographical numbers'.
I suppose I really ought to go and read the announcement before spouting off
