Final statement published 1 October 2018
070 numbers are designed to be used for personal or ‘follow-me’ services. When someone calls a 070 number, their communications provider pays a wholesale termination charge to the 070 service provider for the call to reach the recipient. The caller is then charged a retail price by their communications provider for making that call.
As part of the Call Cost Review, announced in May 2017, we conducted a review of the 070 number range looking at the cost of calling 070 numbers and the frequent misuse of the number range. We found that communications providers who hold 070 numbers can set high wholesale termination rates for calls made to their numbers. This harms consumers, as it leads to high retail prices. Consumers are generally unable to distinguish 070 numbers from calls made to mobile numbers (which begin with ‘07x’ and are much cheaper to call), resulting in ‘bill shock’. In addition, high wholesale termination rates provide incentives for the fraudulent misuse of 070 numbers. This has contributed to the 070 number range gaining a poor reputation.
In this statement we set out our final decision on how we will regulate the 070 number range.
Update 6 February 2018
In response to a stakeholder request, we have provided more detailed statistical information relating to complaints lodged with Ofcom relating to the use of 070 numbers (PDF, 660.5 KB).
Update 5 February 2018
In response to stakeholder enquiries we have reviewed the confidentiality of material redacted in the public consultation on the 070 range. As a consequence we have decided to release some of the information previously redacted. This has been provided in a supplementary publication accompanying the consultation (PDF, 735.5 KB).
Responses
Contact information
Competition Group
Ofcom
Riverside House
2A Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA