Today’s landmark news that BT is to become the first UK telephone company to make calls to 0870 numbers and 0845 numbers free, is likely to be welcomed with rapturous applause from consumers and campaigner groups alike.

0870 numbers in particular, have been the subject of much negative press over recent years and this is predominantly due to the high cost to call them the fact that some organisations make money from calls to these numbers (specifically grating for customers calling help lines and after-sales services).

The use of these numbers in the public sector has also faced a great deal of scrutiny and the Department of Health has recently launched a consultation in a bid to review the use of them in the NHS.

There are even groups that have been specifically set-up to campaign against these numbers, like saynoto0870.com.

When they were introduced, 0845 numbers used to be charged at local rate, whereas 0870 numbers used to be national rate to call. This is not the case anymore with the introduction of inclusive minutes and call packages offered by mobile and landline companies and is likely to be the main reason for BT’s new charging structure for its residential customers.

BT currently has around a 60% market share so it seems likely that the other main players in the telecoms arena will follow suit – including Sky, Virgin Media, Talk Talk and Tiscali, who currently charge between 26 pence and £1.07 for a 10 minute call to an 0870/0845 number (as of 8th January 2009).

Now, although this gigantic step in the right direction for BT’s residential customers, it’s important to note that 40% of all UK calls made in 2007 were from mobile phones (Ofcom 2008). So, while some of BT’s landline callers look set for a great deal, mobile callers will still pay between  20-30 pence per minute to call 0870/0845 numbers.

For organisations that would like to offer their landline AND mobile callers an exceptional deal, 03 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/03-numbers.php) are still the obvious solution.

03 numbers cost callers the same to dial as standard landline numbers–even from a mobile phone – at any time. They are also included in the free minutes bundles that are offered by all major mobile and landline providers.

The 03 number range is split into 3 segments:

-0303/0300 numbers exclusively for charities and public sector bodies.
-0330 / 0333 numbers for any business or organisation.
-03 equivalent numbers for organisations that already have an 08 number and want to exchange it for 03.

Many organisations are now taking advantage of the enormous potential of 03 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/03-numbers.php), including the BBC, the Metropolitan Police, Pioneer, Oxfam and the RSPCA.

03 numbers are also being advocated by the Department of Health as the perfect alternative to 08 numbers for NHS services that want to benefit from the additional functions that 08 numbers offer (like caller options and call queuing etc.) whilst offering their callers a better deal.

In all, BT’s latest move will save its residential customers an estimated £24m a year. This development not only underlines the importance and popularity of non-geographic telephone numbers, it also strengthens the case for offering consumers a fairer deal at all times. And for this,03 numbers (http://www.windsor-telecom.co.uk/03-numbers.php) still reign supreme.