With effect from 1 August BT will drop the premium from calls to 0870 numbers - see this page

The same page announces that the rates for chargeable calls will be increased from 1 October, as will the call set-up fee. This is simply the expected further effort to get people onto inclusive call plans.

All premium rate service numbers and revenue sharing 0844 numbers are excluded from calling plans.

Calls to 0845 numbers are included in BT calling plans. This has something to do with the odd situation with BT and 0845, which makes it cheaper than calls to geographic and 03 numbers, despite costing BT more.

And what are the DVLA going to do with all their 0870 numbers?

In their advice to UK businesses OPAL lament the inconvenience and possible costs caused by the new Ofcom rules on 0870 but OPAL do not consider at all the years of blatant Rip-off perpetrated by these same businesses using 0870.    For once we say, perhaps, well done Ofcom --- lets have more of the same please and deal with 0844, 0845 and 0871 now.

Regarding the DVLA surely its about time that they went over to 03 numbers or simply drop 0870 and continue to use their existing geo numbers which work perfectly, in my experience.   I needed to call DVLA yesterday and looking up the Sayno..... database found the 01792 771462 number.   I had to endure 5 or 6 menus followed by 5 mins of music followed by transfers to other sections but never once was there a murmur about me using a geo number and it all worked just as if I had dialled 0870!   Thanks DVLA.

The end of Revenue Sharing 0870 numbers was discussed on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning with a notable contributor to this Forum!!    It can be heard at this link :----

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/davidhickson/DHMG/Wakeup090731.mp3.