The advantages of using 0871 numbers is that there is a revenue stream available at a level higher then the 0870 revenue share and it is possible to fund advanced services. There are no delivery charges and when the PPP regulations comes into effect consumer confidence will increase in the range as advertising becomes clearer and all adult services on the range are banned.
Ofcom and PPP are currently assessing their proposals for 0871 regulation and are undertaking a more detailed consultation on the proposed regulations and have asked for Industry and Consumer comments. The closing date for responses was the 16th June. PPP will publish a Policy Statement sometime in August 08 which will set out the final decision. There will then be 3 months notice before the regulations come into effect to give businesses time to make preparations.
On this basis PPP expect regulations to come into effect in approximately November 08. It appears that the rules in general will be in place to ensure consumers are clearly informed of the cost of calling 0871 numbers. Written information must be easily legible, horizontal and presented in a way that does not require close examination. Currently, some of our customers have already started to plan ahead and have displayed under their 0871 numbers in small type- face ‘Calls over the BT Network will be charged at up to 10 pence per minute at all times, costs from other providers and mobile networks may vary.’
An 0871 phone number is one of a family of numbers referred to as Non Geographic Numbers (or NGNs). In essence, this means that whereas an 0207 number would be tied to Central London, an 0871 phone number does not have any such association and an 0871 phone number could be diverted to a telephone line in any location in the UK.
As 0871 phone numbers are billed at the same rate, calling an 0871 phone number means you pay the same charge no matter where in the UK the 0871 phone number is called from so someone calling an 0871 phone number from the same town where the number holder was based would pay the same as someone calling an 0871 phone number from the other end of the country. As such, 0871 phone numbers ensure that your organisation has a national rather than local scope and by advertising a 0871 phone number, potential customers will not call a local competitor simply based on the increased cost of the national rate call required if you haven't got an 0871 phone number in place.
An additional benefit of 0871 phone numbers is that although callers to an 0871 phone number pay the same rate, the 0871 phone number holder is able to generate a return for each minute a call to an 0871 phone number is placed with significantly more revenue generated when comparing an 0871 phone number to an 0845 or 0870 phone number. There is a fee to obtain an 0871 phone number, but an 0871 phone number you could earn considerable amounts in call revenue.
By using an 0871 phone number you no longer need a different contact number for each region and once an 0871 phone number has been set up, the same 0871 phone number stays with your company - no matter where in the UK they are based.
Theregister.co.uk - rogue dialing scam spotted using 0871 number
Phonepayplus - code of practice when using 0871 numbers
Ofcom - Tightening the rules on 0871 number practices
Wikipedia - Information when calling 0871 numbers
0871 numbers don’t have to compromise your customer base, fact. Most big corporations in the UK have an 0871 number and generally people accept that ringing one of these is the sign of ringing a credible company.
However, with 0871 comes respectfully a call queuing system – as most customer complaints seem to be centred around the notion that they are kept on hold for the purpose of increasing the price of the call. With effective call queuing, you can prevent this – signalling respect for your customers on a number that gives you cash flow.
As Paul Whiteing, chief executive of PhonepayPlus said; “services offered via 0871 numbers are generally very useful and convenient.”
In this day and age, the numbers have generally become accepted as the standard business line number – used by big corporations alike and integrated into our lives. Statistics show that on average last month one third of us would have dialled an 0871 number.
Sometimes we think that advanced technological minds much prefer to sit and ponder the future of technology rather than actually fuel it. Some tech watchers are now saying that the end for phone numbers is nigh and it’s all thanks to the more convenient juggling of IP based telecoms and social networking.
With predictions declaring that the beloved phone number may have less than five years left in circulation before becoming obsolete, or facing severe decline, Nikhyl Singhal, co-founder and chief executive of voice-application startup SayNow, stated that people have lost the importance of the traditional phonecall, and kids are growing up without ever having to pick up a Yellow Pages.
He blames the wonder of social interaction over the internet, saying that the advantages of such methods far outweigh the traditional phone call, e.g. being able to send out group messages on Facebook.
VoIP services such as Skype are also adding to the vulnerability of the phone number, which offer cheaper calls than landlines.

We don’t believe in the demise of the phone number, as we think they will always be essential for businesses and a company's image, especially with regards to freephone numbers and other non-geographic numbers. However, whether this will soon be adopted by companies via VoIP rather than a traditional phone system is relatively unknown. (But there are lots of predictions).
Singhal says smartphones will be the essential communication device for contacting people however, but instead of punching numbers, users will be able to contact their friends through their social network accounts as accessed via their phones.
What do you think?
The new quarterly report by premium rate services regulator PhonepayPlus (PPP) shows a massive decrease of 40% (from 6,029 to 3,625) in complaints against premium rate services such as 0871 numbers. This shows how consumers are once again beginning to trust premium rate services now that they are being regulated. The vast majority of complaints made to PPP about premium rate phone numbers are in regards to adult chat lines, WAP services and wallpaper and ringtone download services.
Oh You Devils!
I had to laugh, I really did. After all this furore over 08 numbers and ridiculous charges, I decided to just leisurely browse the net and see what kind of sites used 08 numbers. The majority I found didn’t advise customers of the prices of calling one of these numbers, but one in particular really had some nerve!
Now, I won’t name names because really, if you don’t take an interest in current affairs, you’ve only yourself to blame! I will say that it was a travel website though. It told travellers how to be thrifty and in the very same sentence as telling you to call an 0871 number, it also warned you to beware of crafty hidden charges that shuttle buses will try and charge you!
Pot. Kettle. Black.
Elite are working very closely with PhonePayPlus (PPP) to ensure all our Customers receive the best advice and information regarding 0871 compliance. From the 1st August 09 PhonePayPlus will regulate 0871/2/3 numbers and we believe that this will provide our customers and their consumers with full confidence in the 0871 range. PPP regulates phone-paid services in the UK and their vision is to bring increased benefit to the industry where people can use such services with confidence.
All 0871, 0872, 0873 costing 5ppm+ will from the 1st August 09 be subject to PhonepayPlus’ 11th Code of Practice. The information below will help you ensure that your business is fully compliant with the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice.
Failure to act on the information below will result in PhonepayPlus regarding your business as being in breach of their Code and may result in sanctions by PhonepayPlus, so it is important that you complete the required actions.
The key compliance areas which you need to adhere to are:
Pricing Information
Information on pricing must be included wherever you publish your 087 (0871, 0872 or 0873) number. For example, advertisements, websites, brochures, van liveries, listings and on promotional material.
However, PPP recognizes that it will not be possible to amend existing material already published such as brochures which have already been printed and/or issued, Yellow Pages entries or vehicle livery in the short term. Consequently, where it is possible or likely that callers will not have seen pricing information in advance of making the call, a short recorded message can be played at the beginning of the call. PPP do expect that promotional material will be amended to include pricing information as it is replaced or updated.
We strongly recommend our Customers display the following Pricing Notification requirement:
· Calls cost 10 pence per minute from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks and mobiles may cost more.
· Pricing Information must be clear and in close proximity to the number. For example, the notice must be directly alongside the number or directly below it. It is not sufficient for the disclaimer to be in separate terms and conditions, or for the consumer to have to scroll down to view it.
· PPP will accept a spoken message at the beginning of each call as an alternative, though they expect everyone to change their collateral as soon as is practically possible.
If any of our customers would like to double-check their promotional material, please send it to acliffe@elitetele.com and we will be happy to liaise with PPP on your behalf to gain their opinion.
Undue Delay
PPP will not take a view in absolute terms of what is a “reasonable” or “acceptable” wait time as they recognise that this will depend on context and circumstances. Elite foresee no issue with this regarding our own Customers as all our Customers want to answer their calls as efficiently as possible, to generate sales and provide exceptional customer service.
The key issue is that callers must be provided with information on current wait times, be this a queue position announcement, an updatable on-hold message or real time monitoring of call queue times by the ACD. This requirement is in place in order to provide an accurate indication of any delay which will enable the caller to decide whether they wish to hold or call back later. Elite can provide such announcements in the network and on systems we provide. Customers need to be aware if they are holding callers in their own ACD queue (which is not from Elite) they will need to arrange this announcement themselves.
The key here is to ensure the caller is able to make an informed decision as to whether they are prepared to wait the required time and incur the associated costs.
Summary
Anyone using a 0871/2/3 number must:
Ensure that the content and promotion of the service using the number complies with the PPP Code of Practice.
Consider your call waiting times as services must not be unreasonably prolonged or delayed.
Publish Pricing Information wherever the number is published in printed form or on the Internet.
Ensure that services on these numbers comply with the law, do not cause harm or offence and are fair.
All the information you need to know is available at:
http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/output/087-Number-Range.aspx
The Code of Practice can be found at:
http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/pdfs_code/PhonepayPlus11CoP_Apr08v3.pdf
http://www.opalcampaignarea.co.uk/link.php?M=49310&N=183&L=205&F=H
PhonepayPlus Support team:
compliance@phonepayplus.org.uk or 0845 026 1060
We want to ensure your business is prepared for the impending change, so please let me know if you require support or further advice. We will assist you with further help if required. Please note that this regulatory change does not affect any other number range.
Ofcom has now announced that PhonePayPlus will be taking over the day to day regulation of 0871 numbers on 1 August 2009.
There will be a six month transition period, during which providers of 0871 services will be able to ensure they comply with the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice.
PhonepayPlus has announced an implementation plan which will ensure everyone is fully aware of the changes; any responsibilities they may have under PhonepayPlus' Code of Practice; actions they may need to take in order to become compliant; and which parts of the Code apply to them. For consumers, the plan will provide greater clarity regarding the cost of calls placed to 0871 numbers, and their options should they have questions about the promotion or operation of 0871 services. This will ensure consumer confidence in the 0871 number range and so Elite Telecom are working closely with PhonePay Plus in relation to their 6 month implementation plan, which will include:
Elite attended the 0871 Workshop organised by PhonepayPlus in Manchester and London this month. We believe that PPP will provide our customers and their consumers with full confidence in the 0871 range and that they will actually prove to be of great benefit to the industry in this area.
The key compliance areas on which the PPP workshop focused were as follows:
Pricing Information
Information on pricing must be included whenever a 087 (0871, 0872 or 0873) number is featured in an advert, on a website or promotional materials. However, PPP recognizes that it will not be possible to amend existing material already published such as brochures which have already been printed and/or issued, Yellow Pages entries or vehicle livery in the short term. Consequently, where it is possible or likely that callers will not have seen pricing information in advance of making the call, a short recorded message can be played at the beginning of the call. PPP do expect that promotional material will be amended to include pricing information as it is replaced or updated. These requirements do not apply to collateral which is not “published” (e.g. business cards).
We strongly recommend our Customers display the following Pricing Notification requirement: