News - 2007

Ofcom today published an update explaining the withdrawal of a requirement for calls to 070 numbers priced at more than 20 pence per minute to carry a free pre-call announcement which informs consumers about the cost of the call.

Ofcom continues to investigate how the use of free pre-call announcements may disrupt important services, used for protecting human life and property, running on such numbers.

See Ofcom's letter to industry dated 14th November 2007 at:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numbering03/

070 prefixed numbers offer a "find me anywhere" service whereby individuals can arrange to receive their calls at different locations at different times of the day. Ofcom is concerned that such services can be used to scam consumers, based on the risk of confusion with mobile numbers and the higher cost of calling 070 numbers.

Ofcom wants to ensure that consumers get stronger protection in this area. Last year, Ofcom announced its decision to end the 070 personal numbering range by the end of July 2009. It will now be considering whether this timetable can be brought forward. Separately Ofcom will continue to take enforcement action where we find evidence of abuse.

Full details of Ofcom's approach to 070 and today's update can be found at

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numbering03/070precall/

Earlier this year, Ofcom announced that the 0871 number range is planned to come under the regulation of PhonePay Plus (formerly ICSTIS) on the 1st February 2008. However, due to a delay in the publication of the Code of Practice that will apply to this number range, the implementation of this regulation has also been delayed to later in 2008.

Some of the proposed changes to 0871 number range include;

0871 numbers will be treated as Premium Rate 09 numbers and therefore be regulated by PhonePay Plus Wherever 0871 numbers are displayed, the cost of the call (in pence per minute) must also be displayed In addition, for broadcast material, where calls will exceed 50p, the pence per minute rate would also need to be spoken as well as visually displayed Some services will require authorisation from PhonePay Plus, such as gambling lines and consumer credit services

TTNC has kept all customers informed about these proposed changes for the last 18 months and will continue to do so via emails and the News page and 0871 page in the TTNC main Web site - www.ttnc.co.uk

For more information about 0871 numbers please see;

0871 Numbers

Ofcom

PhonePay Plus

Earlier this year, Ofcom announced some major changes to the 0870 Number Range which were due to be implemented by the 1st February, 2008

There will no longer be any Call Revenue on 0870 numbers Mobile and Fixed-Line providers have to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for National Rate Calls to UK Geographic Numbers (01 or 02).

Following an industry meeting last week, Ofcom have now advised TTNC and all other Operators that the date to implement these changes has slipped to later in 2008.

At the moment, it is unclear how long this delay may be, but it is likely to be in the region of 3 to 6 months.

The delay is linked to Health & Safety issues that have been identified in relation to the pre-call announcements which some Communication Providers were planning to provide to callers.

Mark Burcher of TTNC commented "We agree with Ofcom to delay the implementation of the proposed changes to 0870 numbers ranges, but in our view the proposed changes are not welcomed anyway, there are technical, financial and practical issues which we believe have still not been considered properly."

Ofcom has written to TTNC and other Operators informing us that a critical development means that there will be a delay in implementing the changes to the regulation of calls to 0870 numbers, previously intended to take effect on 1st of February 2008.

Operators and Ofcom have recently identified certain 0870 services, many of which protect human life and property, where the option to use pre-call announcements causes them to fail.

This potentially endangers the life and security of people who depend on the reliability of such services.

The problem relates to important alarm and security services which use automatic dialling systems and are often used to communicate directly with the Police and fire stations.

Industry estimates that there are hundreds of thousands of these services in use in the UK.

These systems eventually "time out" if a recognised phone signal is not heard. Use of a preannouncement may cause these safety services to fail with potentially catastrophic and life threatening consequences.

ICSTIS, the phone-paid services regulator, has today become PhonePayPlus and has set itself the task of boosting public awareness about how to use services safely and how it can help people who encounter problems.

Phone-paid services - the goods and services that we can buy by charging the cost to our phone bills and mobile pre-pay accounts - have moved from a niche market to become a mainstream part of everyday life.

The list of services available is as long as the range of information and entertainment on offer is wide, with the public spending a staggering £1 billion a year on services such as help lines, voting, competitions, downloads, news alerts, charitable giving and interactive games.

Although the vast majority of services are run responsibly and enjoyed by thousands of people, consumer confidence in the industry has taken a knock following this year's high profile problems involving TV phone-in competitions.

According to research published by PhonePayPlus today, almost two-thirds of the UK population have a distinct distrust of phone-in competitions, while 60% admit to having little faith in chat and entertainment services. The research also showed that 76% of people would not consider using a phone-paid service in the next 12 months.

Commenting on the findings, Sir Alistair Graham, Chairman of PhonePayPlus, said: "After the headlines of recent months, there is no doubt that the public's trust in phone-paid services has been dented."

"While we don't underestimate the size of the task ahead, we are confident that confidence in phone-paid services can be restored. As well as knowing that there is an organisation out there making sure services are being operated fairly, consumers need to know where to go if they need advice or have a specific problem."

"The first step in this process for us has been to change our name. Changes in the services we regulate and the way in which we do it brought us to the point where re-branding was essential."

"ICSTIS was no longer an accurate description of our organisation. As our research showed, the name had low awareness among the public and was a significant barrier in terms of people knowing who we were and what we did. We needed a name that gives a real sense of what we do. PhonePayPlus - coupled with our 'Regulating to build consumer trust in phone-paid services' strap line - is much more meaningful and memorable for consumers."

www.phonepayplus.org.uk

www.phonebrain.org.uk (PhonePayPlus' successful, interactive children's website)

TTNC is pleased to announce that their entire range of 03 numbers became live on UK's Public network on the 1st of October, 2007. TTNC has more than 260,000 numbers live and ready to be used by businesses, charities and government bodies including a wide range of 'Memorable' numbers.

Mark Burcher, MD for TTNC said "We are very pleased to have launched our 03 numbers as scheduled, as far as we know, we are the very first operator to launch their 03 number ranges and we have had a huge demand for them, particularly memorable numbers."

About 03 Numbers

03 UK Wide Phone Numbers were introduced by Ofcom as an alternative to chargeable 08 Phone Numbers such as 0871, 0870, 0844 and 0845 Numbers.

03 Numbers will allow organisations to have a National presence whilst their customers will only be charged Standard Call Rates.

Calls to 03 Numbers will cost the same as Calls made to Geographic 01 and 02 Numbers Calls to 03 Numbers will be included as part of any Inclusive Call Minutes or Discount packages offered by Landline or Mobile phone Operators, such as BT's "Friends and Family" packages. Call Share Revenue will not be permitted on calls to 03 Numbers.

All of TTNC's 03 numbers will come with access to The Novero Platform™, the advanced web based control panel which gives customers total control over Numbers and Call Services as well as Comprehensive Real-Time Call Statistics.

More Information

If you would like more information about 03 numbers or would like to purchase a 03 number, then please click below.

03 Numbers

About TTNC

TTNC Limited is an Ofcom registered PECN Operator (Public Electronic Communications Network) providing Inbound Telephone Numbers and Intelligent Call services to UK and International customers through both retail and wholesale channels.

From the 1st of September 2007, originating operators such as BT and Mobile Network Operators are required to provide a Pre Call Announcements to any calls made to 070 Personal Numbers that are charged above 20 pence per minute (ppm) or 20 pence per call (ppc).

On 13th February 2007 Ofcom issued a statement and consultation entitled "Raising Confidence in Telephone Numbers". This statement places a requirement on all Call Originators to provide the free to caller pre call announcement.

Ofcom is doing this to increase consumer protection from abuses on some existing 070 personal numbering services. Consumers often confuse personal numbers with mobile numbers and are often unaware of the potential charges involved in making calls to PNs.

The announcement will advise the caller of the maximum cost of a call of this type and will last approximately 20 seconds.

The pre call announcement will contain the following, or similar, wording: "You have dialled a Personal Number, which starts 070. This is not a Mobile Number. 070 calls from XXX (Operators name) cost up to 50 pence per minute or a fixed fee of up to 51 pence. Charges from other service providers, payphones and via the operator may vary. You have not been charged for this message. Please hold to be connected." This will be followed by a 2 to 3 second pause before connecting the call.

TTNC has introduced 3D Secure Authentication for all Online Orders made on its Web site.

3D Secure is the latest online fraud prevention initiative launched by the card schemes as a more secure method for authenticating the cardholder at the time of the online transaction.

Mark Burcher, Managing Director for TTNC said "We are very pleased to be able to offer the latest fraud prevention on our Web site, we take security very seriously and to the best of my knowledge, TTNC is the very first Telecom's company in Europe and maybe even the World, to offer 3D Secure on a Web site which people can order and provision Telephone Numbers and Call Services in Real-Time."

TTNC worked in conjunction with Protx (one of the UK's leading Credit/Debit Card payment gateways), Visa, MasterCard and Barclays Bank to integrated 3D Secure Authentication with their Online ordering system, the project took 10 days in total to complete.

TTNC has broken another milestone today by being the very first Operator in the UK to release the new 03 UK Wide Phone Numbers.

03 Numbers will not become live until September 2007, but TTNC is helping organisations to prepare for the change by giving them the opportunity to purchase 03 Numbers now. This will allow organisations to secure Memorable 03 Numbers, and also allow organisations who currently use 084 or 087 Numbers to purchase the 03 Numbers equivalent.

About 03 Numbers
03 UK Wide Phone Numbers have been introduced by Ofcom as an alternative to chargeable 08 Phone Numbers such as 0871, 0870, 0844 and 0845 Numbers.

03 Numbers will allow organisations to have a National presence whilst their customers will only be charged Standard Call Rates.

Calls to 03 Numbers will cost the same as Calls made to Geographic 01 and 02 Numbers Calls to 03 Numbers will be included as part of any Inclusive Call Minutes or Discount packages offered by Landline or Mobile phone Operators, such as BT’s "Friends and Family" packages. Call Share Revenue will not be permitted on calls to 03 Numbers.

More Information
If you would like more information or would like to purchase a 03 UK Wide Number, please click here;

About TTNC Limited
TTNC Limited is one of the UK's leading Communications Network Operators that provides Businesses and Individuals with Telephone Numbering Services, Inbound Call Management Services, Low Cost Outbound Call Solutions and Voice over IP Services.

TTNC is helping its customers to get noticed by offering them a chance to be listed in every 118 Directory Services database in the UK.

For a once of charge of just £15, TTNC will submit customers details to BT's OSIS (Operator Services Information System), which is a centrally administered database containing over 27 million Telephone Numbers for Businesses and Individuals in the UK.

OSIS is the most up-to-date and accurate source of Telephone Number information available, with up to 80,000 updates each day.

Every 118 Directory Enquiry Service Provider in the UK uses OSIS, as well as the various Printed and Online Directories.

About TTNC Limited
TTNC Limited is one of the UK's leading Communications Network Operators that provides Businesses and Individuals with Telephone Numbering Services, Inbound Call Management Services, Low Cost Outbound Call Solutions and Voice over IP Services.

Ofcom has issued TTNC Limited with 24 different blocks 03 UK Wide Number Ranges, this means that TTNC has 240,000 UK Wide Numbers in total, which is currently the largest allocation of 03 Numbers given to any operator in the UK.

TTNC will make the 03 Numbers available to Charities, Government, Businesses and the General Public at the end of May, 2007. A large amount of businesses will be changing their existing 0870 Numbers to 033, 034 and 037 Numbers, and a large amount of Charities and Government bodies will also want to change their existing Non Geographic Numbers to 030 Numbers as soon as possible.

The big advantage about using an 03 Numbers is that Callers to 03 Numbers will be charged at standard UK landline rates, and 03 Numbers can be included in 'Inclusive Minutes' for Mobile Telephones or in Landline Call Packages such as BT's 'Friends and Family'. They will be considered more 'customer friendly' 0870, 0845, 0871 and 0844 Numbers.

The owner of an 03 UK Wide Number will have to pay Call Costs for their Inbound Calls, TTNC expects to charge about 2 Pence per Minute when an 03 Number is Routing to a UK landline, and about 16 Pence per Minute to UK when Routing to a UK Mobile.

For more information about 03 UK Wide Numbers please visit these pages on the TTNC Web site:

http://www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/03-numbers.do

http://www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/030-guidance.do

If you would like to be added to TTNC's mailing list, or need more information about 03 Numbers or any other services, then please email sales@ttnc.co.uk or call 0800 468 1000.

TTNC is one of the first Operators to apply for Number Blocks in the totally new 03 Number Range in Ofcom's Initial Competitive Selection process.

For this 'First Batch' of Applications, Ofcom asked Operators to provide a Serious Letter of Intent, future projections of 03 Number Usage, and Expressions of Interest from Customers. TTNC provided Ofcom with details of over 4,000 Customers who expressed an interest in using 03 Numbers.

Ofcom's Initial Competitive Selection takes place between 12th to the 23rd March 2007 and Operators will be notified of their Number Allocations between 23rd to the 30th March 2007.

The 03 Numbers will be heavily publicised on TV, Radio and in the Press by Ofcom, this will create a high demand for 03 Phone Numbers from the Commercial Sector, Charities and Government Bodies.

Calls to 03 numbers will cost the same as calls to geographic numbers (starting 01 or 02), and be included as part of any inclusive call minutes or discount schemes in the same way as normal geographic (01 and 02) calls, on all Landline (Fixed) and Mobile Networks.

TTNC will be accepting Orders for 03 Numbers on the 1st April from www.ttnc.co.uk.

For more information about 03 Numbers, please visit;

http://www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/03-numbers.do

http://www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/03-ofcom-policy.do

http://www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/030-guidance.do

For more information, please email sales@ttnc.co.uk

Ofcom is amending the Plan to introduce 03 numbers, which will be designated as being priced in the same way as geographic numbers. Customers will pay no more to call 03 numbers than they would pay to call a standard geographic 01 and 02 numbers (up to national rate).

Calls to 03 numbers also will be treated like calls to calls to standard 01 and 02 numbers in respect of their inclusion in bundled minutes and whether they qualify for discount packages.

Revenue-sharing with end users will not be permitted on 03 numbers.

The restrictions on the use of 03 numbers are quite limited, allowing flexibility in how 03 calls are delivered in a technical sense. Some restrictions in the definition of 03 numbers were removed in response to consultation responses.

Numbers beginning with 030 will be specifically made available for use by public services and other not-for-profit organisations.

Ofcom will maintain guidance on its website on the type of bodies falling within this definition, to assist CPs with their decisions to allocate 03 numbers to end users.

Ofcom's guidance includes more types of organisation following comments received in consultation responses.

Ofcom is also making it possible for end users who have numbers beginning with 084 and 087 to transfer to the equivalent number in a 03 number range.

The first 03 sub-ranges to be available for allocation

0300 - Public services and other not-for-profit organisations

0303 - Public services and other not-for-profit organisations

0306 - Public services and other not-for-profit organisations

0330 - Any organisation or end user

0333 - Any organisation or end user

034X - Specific users currently using the equivalent 084X numbers

037X - Specific users currently using the equivalent 087X numbers

For further information, please visit the Ofcom link below;

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/numbering03/03allocation/

TTNC has launched an additional 4.3 Million New Geographic Phone Numbers and can now supply a Number for every Local Area Code in the UK. TTNC's Geographic Numbers can be used for:

Routing to any Fixed Line or Mobile Number Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Menu Services PSTN to VoIP Termination - Supports SIP, IAX & H.323 Intelligent Call Routing - Hunt Groups, Time of Day, etc Inbound Fax Numbers to provide a Fax to Email Service

Benefits of using Geographic Numbers

Numbers have Once-Off Connection Charge no Monthly or Annual Charges Use to advertise in Local Newspapers, Yellow Pages and other 'Local' media. Manage your Number and Call Routing Services using the Novero Platform™ Measure Advertising results with detailed Call Statistics and Reports No need to install new Telephone Line or pay Line rental Route Calls to any Landline or Mobile in the UK as well as International destinations Numbers are not tied to a Telecom's Exchange and are completely portable Free termination to SIP or IAX destinations such as an Asterisk Server (PBX) Memorable Geographic Numbers

A special note to bargain hunters: Because TTNC's Geographic Number Rages are fairly new and have never been used, there are a few thousand very 'Special' Memorable Numbers available, Numbers of this calibre are rarely available and won't be available for long.

Numbers in our New Geographic Ranges can be ordered in Real-Time via www.ttnc.co.uk and be used immediately.

For more information about Geographic Numbers, please visit; www.ttnc.co.uk/numbers/local-area-codes.do

Following on from the Strategic Review of the use of Number Translation Service (NTS) in 2005, OFCOM has now confirmed some major changes to the UK's Numbering Plan which will affect the use of 0870 Numbers;

There will no longer be any Revenue on 0870 numbers by end of January 2008. Mobile and Fixed-Line providers are to charge the same or less for 0870 calls as they do for National Rate Calls to UK Geographic Numbers (01 or 02).

OFCOM's changes are mainly in line with their proposals published in the Public Consultation in September 2005, many of the responses to the Consultation highlighted the case for changes to 0870 Numbers and increased consumer protection.

These changes may have both Financial and Customer Service implications for Businesses and Organisations currently using 0870 Phone Numbers.

As a PECN Operator, TTNC has many Customers who use 0870 Phone Numbers that will be affected in one way or another so we have put together a Web page with some information. If you use 0870 Numbers then make sure you read this information as these changes will affect you.

After successful Beta testing by some of our Resellers and Standard Customers, we are pleased to announce the launch of version 3.0 of the Novero Platform ™.

The new version of the Novero Platform™ has many new features such as allowing customers to set up Inbound VoIP Numbers and viewing even more detailed Real-Time Call Statistics.

The Novero Platform™ is also now available as a 'White Label' Control Panel which allows our Resellers to offer their own Customers a Login to the Novero Platform™, saving the Resellers valuable time and resources.

Behind the User Friendly Interface of the Novero Platform™ there is an Advanced Application which Connects Directly to our Network and Interacts with our Switches and Servers in Real-Time.

The Novero Platform™ is accessible 24 Hours a Day via our Web site and has the following Features that Customers can use:

Connect Numbers and Allocate them to an Account Set Up Call Routing Plans and Services for Numbers Make Unlimited Changes to Call Routing Plans Free of Charge View Current and Historical Call Statistics Download Call Data Records (CDR's) View Current and Historical Call Costs and Top Up Statements Create and Manage Customer Accounts (for Resellers) Suspend, Delete or Cancel Services

Read more about the Novero Platform™