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Ofcom announces proposal to cut the up to 21p a minute cost of calling 0800 numbers from your mobile
You may soon be able to call 0800 phone numbers for free from your mobile thanks to a proposal from Ofcom.
Currently, you can be charged up to 21p a minute if you call a number beginning with 0800 from your mobile.
However, the communications regulator wants to make these calls free, as they are from landlines, as part of its plans to “simplify and clarify” what 0800 numbers and other “non-geographic” numbers are for and how much they cost to call.
Under the plans, which Ofcom will make a final decision on early next year, we will be told how much it will cost us per minute and what our provider’s access charge is when calling the likes of 08, 09 and 118 numbers.
At present, the only information we are given is what it costs per minute to call these numbers from a BT line, that charges will vary on other landlines and on mobiles they will be “considerably more”.
Most of us use non-geographic numbers for something, from calling HM Revenue and Customs to voting on TV shows, but Ofcom research revealed that many of us are confused about what these numbers are for and how much it will cost us to call them.
Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, said: “Consumers are often confused about how much they will pay to call these number ranges. Under our proposals, people will have much clearer information and there will be greater competition on prices.
“By making calls to 0800 numbers free from all phones, we will clear up any uncertainty about making calls, especially from mobiles, to the benefit of consumers and service providers alike.”
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