BT to make 0845/0870 free from 16 January

altis · 08-01-2009, 10:10

...for some tariffs!

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article....&in_page_id=34

Quote:

Telecoms giant BT today announced it was scrapping charges for 0870 and 0845 numbers, used by millions of customers, in a move which will cost the company Ã‚Â£24 million.

Charges will be free from January 16, depending on which package customers are on, ranging from weekend, evening and any time calls.

arefem · 08-01-2009, 11:58

And I bet it's only thier own customers!!

Charlie_Bubble · 08-01-2009, 12:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by arefem

And I bet it's only thier own customers!!

Why should BT bear the cost for other telecoms providers customers??

MadGamer · 08-01-2009, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie_Bubble

Why should BT bear the cost for other telecoms providers customers??

For the people that are with other providers like Sky for their phone service, Sky dont actually own the line, BT do.

Charlie_Bubble · 08-01-2009, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadGamer

For the people that are with other providers like Sky for their phone service, Sky dont actually own the line, BT do.

Yes, but Sky (or whoever) pay BT for the line and you pay Sky for all the calls/line rental. You are effectively a Sky customer using BTs network infrastructure. So, why should BT pay for other telecoms providers customers to access these numbers?

These numbers are taken by businesses/organisations to make money from people calling them. These numbers are nothing to do with BT. BT have announced that they will pay for THEIR customers to call them. If you don't pay your bill to BT, why should they pay for you to call them? They're a business not a charity.

arefem · 08-01-2009, 16:53

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

Ignitionnet · 09-01-2009, 11:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadGamer

For the people that are with other providers like Sky for their phone service, Sky dont actually own the line, BT do.

It's being done by BT Retail, who buy the lines from BT Wholesale same as everyone else does and set their own call rates.

The provision of the numbers is done by BT Wholesale, not retail, so the two are not connected with one another, the deal from Retail and the provisioning and charging of the numbers at the other side.

Any operator could do this so long as they are prepared to take the hit, which Retail and in turn the rest of BT are.

Retail will continue to pay Wholesale for these calls as normal, they just won't charge their end user for them. Same for other people using the numbers, they'll get their cash as per normal.

arefem · 09-01-2009, 11:30

Thanks for clearing that up, Broadbandings. The whole BT set up is so fragmented, supposedly to improve competition from other providers.

BenMcr · 10-01-2009, 10:54

Don't suppose it is worth pointing out that Virgin have had phone plans that cover 0845 and 0870 numbers for all their customers since October 2007?

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...ct.do?id=10533

Ignitionnet · 10-01-2009, 12:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Don't suppose it is worth pointing out that Virgin have had phone plans that cover 0845 and 0870 numbers for all their customers since October 2007?

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...ct.do?id=10533

Not in the slightest Ben, shoo

Charlie_Bubble · 10-01-2009, 13:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Don't suppose it is worth pointing out that Virgin have had phone plans that cover 0845 and 0870 numbers for all their customers since October 2007?

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...ct.do?id=10533

Yes, but if I'm reading it right, that's an additional Ã‚Â£9 charge on top of your package to possibly negate 0845/0870 charges, whereas the BT one is free.

BenMcr · 10-01-2009, 15:37

Will be free. It's not free yet whereas Virgin customers could have been getting a better deal for the last 15 months

Charlie_Bubble · 10-01-2009, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Will be free. It's not free yet whereas Virgin customers could have been getting a better deal for the last 15 months

I don't see where you can make a comparison between the two as they are completely different things. You are pointing out an additional, pay-up-front tariff that happens to include these numbers as numbers that the minutes can count against. The BT announcement means you just don't have to pay for them any more, no payment up front, no counting against minutes. BT also have free calling to various kinds of numbers, many at no additional costs, so to try and make a comparison is not sensible in my opinion.

BenMcr · 10-01-2009, 21:13

Yet how much have BT customers paid over the last 15 months compared with those Virgin customers that have been on the Talk Anywhere plans?

I wasn't at all trying to make a comparison going forward, and personally I hope Virgin follow suit.

What I was trying to show that Virgin could have been better value than BT for at least a year

Quote:

BT also have free calling to various kinds of numbers, many at no additional costs, so to try and make a comparison is not sensible in my opinion.

The only way you can get a phone plan 'at no additional cost' with BT is to get tied into a rolling 18 month contract

Charlie_Bubble · 11-01-2009, 01:30

Well, I'm a BT customer and I use an 0845 and an 0870 number once a month, so maybe a few pence a month.