[Source: http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39130770,00.htm]

There is big money involved in this whole 0870 rip-off as the link above demonstrates. No wonder that the telecom industry is so keen to protect its revenue stream. While the rest of the world is shifting towards transparent and innovative methods of providing telecom services, the United Kingdom and its regulator Ofcom is obsessed with screwing as much out of its population as possible through 0870 scams, premium rate rip-offs and reverse SMS billing that victims seemingly have no means of redress as the incompetent ICSTIS cannot cope and is disinterested. What a shambles. Looking at this from 4500 miles away, it really is one huge joke. When there is as much money as this at stake, what hope is there for the few individuals campaigning against this extortion?

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Caudwell signs £170m deal with Energis 
 
May 26 2005 
 
by Dan Ilett 
 
Non-geographic phone numbers 4U... 
 
Caudwell Communications, the company behind Phones4U, is paying telecoms company Energis £170m to route phone calls from UK 0870 numbers to destinations around the world.

The two-year deal means Caudwell customers can set up non-geographic phone numbers and have calls directed to offices in, for example, Newcastle or India depending on the time of day or the number of calls it receives.

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Thanks for that dorf - I hadn't seen this before and it makes very interesting reading. 

Ofcom has created the world's best market for telephone scammers. World class in this one respect.