Why are 0800 numbers free on mobiles

The new call charges, which came into force on 1st July , were promoted through an extensive campaign and received wide media coverage on the BBC website and national newspapers such as The Telegraph.

So, you would have thought this amount of media attention would have brought to an end the confusion which has surrounded this topic for years. Google Search Trends data over the last 3 years, shows that far from clarifying the position on costs of calling numbers from mobiles, consumers are just as confused as ever:. This suggests the Ofcom campaign was nowhere near as effective as it should have been.

One idea would be to reactivate the original UKCalling. Millions lost to phone scam. Ofcom plans simplified phone numbers. The Fair Telecoms Campaign. Image source, Thinkstock. They mean:. Mobile phone users will no longer be charged for freephone services The cost of calls to service numbers will be explained as "calls cost x pence per minute, plus your phone company's access charge".

Traditional phones are now far less common than mobiles. Related Topics. Ofcom Personal finance Mobile phones. Published 30 June There are so many different phone numbers around now — numbers , , , … that keeping tabs on how much they cost to call can be confusing.

From 1st July , the cost of calling service numbers was split into two clear parts:. Say your particular phone company charges you 2p per minute for calls to service numbers — that is their access charge.

In that case, you would see information like this:. In this particular example, the call would cost 20p per minute the service charge , plus 2p per minute the access charge. So the call would cost you 22p per minute. These rules will apply to all consumer calls to , , 09 and numbers across the UK, delivering clearer call rates for everyone. As we said earlier, the cost of calling numbers from mobile phones has been a particular bone of contention for some time. Previous studies found that telephone users were sometimes confused about how much it costs to call service numbers, and who receives the money.

This means people lacked confidence in these numbers, and sometimes avoided using them. The good news is that, from 1st July , all calls to these and other Freephone numbers which begin or were made free for consumers to call from all mobile phones, just as they generally were from landlines. The business owner operating the number picks up the cost. They wanted a UK number for their UK prospects to call.

So they rented an number from us and set up a redirect so all calls to that number were forwarded to an Irish mobile number. They then had to pay the cost of the forwarded element of the call from the number to the Irish mobile.

If you want to buy an exclusive Number for your business, you need to consider a number of things. Do you want just a basic number where you can forward calls on to your landline or mobile? Or would you prefer a premium or memorable number to help your business stand out and make it easier for customers to remember?

Also, do you want a pay-as-you-go number, or would you benefit from a bundled package which includes a number of minutes of incoming calls for a set fee? Check them out here. Yes, they apply across the UK. This does not include the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, which have their own structure for these calls. The new rules apply to calls made from residential lines and consumer mobile phones.

Phone companies continue to have flexibility over how they charge for these calls from business phones. The new access and service charges do not apply to calls from payphones, as these are charged differently.

It may not be possible to call all service numbers from payphones — particularly those that have a higher cost per minute, or those with a higher one-off service charge. How does that fit in with the new call regulations? The Government introduced new legislation affecting companies such as airlines, train operators, and major high street and online retailers who offer phone helplines to customers who have purchased their products.

This change is separate from the UK Calling changes, which were led by Ofcom. The new arrangements do not require any telephone numbers to change. None of the companies offering services on service numbers are required to change their number. Of course, businesses and public organisations remain free to move to a new number if they wish.

Companies and public bodies are free to choose which kind of telephone numbers they use to be contacted. Ofcom does not have powers to require organisations to use particular numbers. Ofcom does encourage public bodies to consider using 03 numbers, which cost no more to call than a normal geographic number.