Ofcom has launched another consultation on the future of various phone number types.

Specifically, they are inviting feedback on:
[list bull-blackball]

Experience of using 084 and 087 numbers

Suggestions for the future of 084 and 087 numbers

Switching to a system where area codes are no longer optional when dialing

Whether or not area codes still have any significance it value to consumers


This would seem to be a golden opportunity to give feedback about the misuse of 084 and 087 numbers. If enough consumers respond, perhaps this may finally give Ofcom a mandate to withdraw such numbers and force their remaining users to migrate to more appropriate number ranges.

Consultation link:
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/first-consultation-future-of-telephone-numbers

Quite some years ago (in facts its now getting on for 14 or 15 years ago) I used to be motivated to engage with Ofcom and respond to their consultation documents when I naively thought they cared about the consumer and would put consumer views first in their considerations.

I soon discovered that Ofcom was in fact a creature of the telecoms industry and that most of their consultation documents like the EU Withdrawal Agreement were already framed behind closed doors with the industry and that regardless of what consumers told them they then always proceeded with the proposals in the original consultation document or if they ever changed them only changed them because the telecoms industry had told them that implementing them would be very expensive and unprofitable for them.

Thus it is very difficult to feel motivated to respond to such a voluminous consulation document when almost certainly Ofcom will proceed with its previously agreed plans with BT Group and BT Openreach plus may be one or two other major telecoms suppliers..............

There has been quite a few consumer-focussed changes in recent years, not least the change to 080 numbers to be free in all circumstances, the capping of mobile termination rates for all UK mobile numbers, the cap on DQ call charges, the cap in termination rates for 070 numbers, the expansion of PSA regulation to cover certain problematic services operating on 084 numbers, and a number of other things. There is much more to do, but it's a good start. Don't forget too, the EU regulations on roaming charges and the regulations capping the cost of outgoing calls from the home nation to landlines and mobiles in all other EU states and territories.

Ian01 wrote on Aug 20^th, 2019 at 1:41pm:

There has been quite a few consumer-focussed changes in recent years, not least the change to 080 numbers to be free in all circumstances, the capping of mobile termination rates for all UK mobile numbers, the cap on DQ call charges, the cap in termination rates for 070 numbers

All of these changes by Ofcom only came many years late (070 is a case in point as the major harms all incurred in the past with eg Patientline) after the telecoms companies losses from the curtailing of these scams would not then be too substantial.

Now that the original telco scams have been cut off on phone calls they have mainly moved on to vastly over charging for landline rental to get your broadband, which it is far harder to circumvent.