Ofcom Changing Geographic Telephone Numbers Again? 28/01/11
Posted by Cloud Net on Fri, Jan 28, 2011 @ 02:08 PM
Just before Christmas 2010 (the 20th of December to be precise) Ofcom released a new version of the New Telephone National Numbering Plan (Version 6). This followed a consultation which began in August 2010. It turns out that the changes made in this document over version 5 really are very small.
Like everything Ofcom does it went out to consultation and only 4 comments were received. So there is a new definitive numbering plan - except that Ofcom are now consulting again about changing the numbering system again.
They commissioned a report from Futuresight – who interestingly haven't got the future sight enough to have a website that works. Apparently we are running out of some telephone numbers for some areas. This is strange because Ofcom announced on the 2nd of December 2009 that we were not. In fact they released a press statement to that effect.
So they have changed their minds and are saying that 7 areas may run out before 2013 if nothing is done. The first 4 areas to run out will be Brighton, Oxford, Bradford and Whitehaven.
Ofcom are consulting about what to do. The options they have in mind are:
1) Do away with local dialling. At the moment you can dial a local number without dialling the exchange code. So for example I can phone my solicitors by dialling 616916 if I am calling from an old fashioned analogue line but if I'm calling from a mobile or VoIP line I must dial 01922 616916. At present this system prevents local numbers starting with 1 or 0. So removing the local dialling option moves the problem into the future. Ofcom favour this idea.
2)Introduce overlay codes That is when an area is running out of numbers introduce another code – so for example the new code for Oxford may be 02865 alongside the existing code 01865. This means that a business might have 2 area codes within the same building. This does have the advantage that for existing phone users calling existing numbers nothing changes. Ofcom don't favour this.
In addition Ofcom propose charging for telephone numbers to the communication providers at first to the areas of shortage are. I wondered how long it would be before they thought of that one.
If you have a view then you have until February 18 to let Ofcom know – what it is. The consultation page for Ofcom is here http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/geographic-numbers/
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