Key Facts about 0333 & 0300 numbers.

03 prefixed numbers were introduced by Ofcom in March 2007 as a way of appeasing certain factions of the general public whose perception it was that 08 numbers were charged at a premium.
The intention is to provide a clear understanding of what callers will pay for calling organisations. The
03 pre-fix will still be non-geographic, but the charging structure will exactly reflect geographic number charges (i.e. 01 & 02).

03 number ranges explained

0300 & 0303 Numbers – Public Bodies and Not for profit organisations (eligibility required).
0330 & 0333 Numbers – No eligibility required so all companies and organisations can use these numbers.

Following a lengthy consultation process with the public, corporations and selected public sector bodies from 2004 onwards, it was concluded that greater transparency was required on calls made to Non-Geographic numbers of all types and from all locations. This is why Ofcom announced the use of 03 Numbers which could be used from any device including home and office landlines, mobile phones and payphones.

An Ofcom spokesman confirmed this: "Consumers will be able to dial 03 numbers with confidence about the cost of their call. We expect public services and many others to view
03 Numbers as a real alternative to higher cost 08 numbers." Organisations who have already adopted these numbers in favour of 08 ranges include, but are not limited to: A main advantage of using 03 UK Wide numbers rather than geographic numbers is that enhanced services can be provided such as; call statistics, routing plans, advanced call plans and disaster recovery solutions. 03 numbers can also be given out as the number that identifies your call (CLI) to the number that you have dialled (this product is called 'presentation number' and can be supplied by your outbound call supplier.

Many consumers have been unhappy that some organisations who use 0870 and 0871 numbers receive a share of what the consumer pays to make a call. 03 numbers are therefore likely to be perceived as being more ethical and customer friendly. The new 03 number range is split into 3 different groups aimed at specific types of organisations, businesses or individuals: 0300 and 0303 numbers are exclusively available to the public sector (including organisations with a .gov.uk or .nhs.uk website) and not-for profit organisations such as registered charities. 0330 and 0333 numbers are available for any organisation or individual that wishes to use them. Migration numbers 0344, 0345, 0370 and 0371 -this sub range of 03 numbers has been made available to those who wish to migrate their existing 0844, 0845, 0870 or 0871 numbers to the new 03 UK-wide numbers range. For example, a company with 0845 500 5000 will be entitled to migrate to the equivalent 0345 500 5000 UK Wide or 03 numbers are a new, non-geographic range offering all of the features and functionality of non geographic numbers, but with the positive marketing image and customer service benefits of geographic numbers.

What does an 03 number cost you?

What does an 03 number cost you?

The Called Party

03 Numbers were introduced as a charging replacement for 0870 numbers which were the subject of adverse public sentiment as a result of the saynoto0870 campaign.

There are various iterations 03 Numbersdepending upon whether it is a public or private organisation which is purchasing the number. 0370 replaces 0870. The various carriers have the same number range as the 0870’s they were issued originally. It is still possible that you can purchase either 0870 or 0370 or indeed 0300, but they will be charged at the rate of approximately 3p/min. at all times. Previously 0870 was the subject of a rebate or ‘kick back’ to the user of the number, typically a bank or building society.

The Calling Party

03 Numbers are national rate i.e. they will be charged at the same rate as 01/02 numbers. What this means is that if you pay for 01/02 numbers either in your inclusive landline minutes package e.g. BT anytime or your inclusive mobile minutes package then you will also receive 03 numbers as free.

The reason that GPs will not change from 0844 Numbers to 0333 numbers is that they do not receive the rebate and hence are bound contractually to front their practices with 0844 Numbers rather than the local or 0333 number.

Therefore, whilst you may see that 03 are free from mobiles this is strictly not quite true and should be considered when the overall package is considered.

03 Numbers come with all sorts of excellent intelligent network features such as:-

• Free call recording
• Call Whisper (or Network Whisper as it often referred to)
• Online call statistics such as number of unanswered calls / number of engaged calls.
• Real time Statistics - All of this can be achieved in real time minus 15 minutes, so visual displays can be mapped with the missed call (with CLI) can be displayed on a screen within the office.