Designed for public bodies and companies to aid communication,
the 03 numbers must be included as part of bundled calling plans
such as those popular in the mobile phone industry.
”Consumers will be able to dial 03 and will be able to have
confidence about the cost of their call," said Ofcom chief
executive Ed Richards. "We have seen a huge amount of interest in
these numbers. We expect consumers to see the advantages of these
new numbers as they start to be used by more and more public
service organisations."
Another set of phone numbers used by businesses to help
customers contact them at the same cost from across the country are
those beginning with 0871. Premium-rate phone regulator
PhonepayPlus, previously ICSTIS, has issued guidelines on how it
will regulate 0871 numbers when it takes over that job from Ofcom
next year.
The regulator has proposed a code of conduct for companies using
0871 numbers which includes a demand that at busy times customers
are told how long they will have to wait. It also says that
customers must be told of the cost of a call before making it.
Ofcom said it would consult further on the transfer of 0871
regulation to PhonepayPlus.
