While I'm happy to provide background data for these figures through the forum if asked, I should appreciate help on the revenue split (60% to 40%) between BT and call centres (and other intermediate providers!) where I feel less comfortable.
Right back to the discussion about revenue split!!
I know BT are trying to defend their 0870, but their share is not as massive as you may think.
Whilst the average customer would pay 7.5p per minute for an 0870 call, the telco companies offering the best rate for call centres seem to pay around 4p per minute, which is over half of the revenue.
I think that 5p per minute is a more fair figure of what the terminating operator receives per minute from BT, which they split with their end subscriber either in rebate or free call routing software (or both)
Also, remember that the price we pay for our phones is inclusive of VAT, so 1.25p per minute is paid to the government, leaving BT with only 1.25p per minute.
Although this is less than the previous calculations, it is less than the 3p per minute (about 2.2p + VAT) they receive on those who haven't signed up to a better deal on geo numbers during the day!!
I read in an earlier post that having made all this money from 0870, BT now want to abolish 0870 numbers (yes it is true), and these figures would explain why!!
During the evening, it might be fair to say that BT keep 0.5p per minute from 0870 numbers. For calls that last longer than 8 minutes, then they are making more profit from their Option 1 customers than their geo call costing 5.5p (including VAT) for up to an hour.
Where BT make the money from 0870, is from their Option 2, or Option 3 customers, who would otherwise have made a free call.
Just remember, the biggest beneficiary of the 0870 revenue is the terminating telco, and not BT.
With all those figures in mind, BT probably can manage without 0870 as the originating supplier. If all those 0870 calls were added up, and instead changed to geo calls, they would make more money from their daytime option 1, and 2 customers, and more money from short calls from option 1 customers in the evening, although they would lose money from those customers calling on an inclusive calls plan, but averaging out all those customers, they would make roughly the same.
They would only lose money, in their capacity as the terminating operator, where they receive 5p per minute from BT retail and mobile telcos.