03 numbers ‘the new freephone number by 2010’ says Windsor Telecom
Howard Lake | 19 October 2009 | News
03 telephone numbers could become the new freephone number from next year, according to a leading telecommunications company.
Windsor Telecom made the statement following a recent report from communications regulator Ofcom, which declared that more calls will be made from mobile phones than landlines in 2010.The report found that currently 44.5% of all UK calls are made from mobiles and predicted that this will pass the 50% mark next year. That means by 2010 more people will get a free call by calling an 03 number than by calling an 0800 number.
This is because 0800 numbers are free to phone from a landline but can cost up to 20 pence per minute from a mobile phone. 03 numbers however, are included in the free minutes allocation offered by mobile tariffs making them a better option for mobile users.
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Neil Sherring, chief executive of Windsor Telecom, said: “0800 numbers have long been popular with charities and not-for-profit organisations because offering a free call boosts the amount of enquiries and donations they get. Ironically, the increasing usage of mobile phones has meant that freephone numbers aren’t always free anymore. The great thing about 03 numbers is that they are included in mobile users’ free minutes plus they’re cheaper for charities to run than 0800 numbers, so everyone’s a winner”.
03 numbers were launched by Ofcom in 2007 to increase ‘certainty, trust and confidence’ in the numbers that consumers use to call organisations. They are ‘non-geographic’ numbers, like 0800 numbers, which enable the charities using them to use various call features with their phones, including phone greeting messages, options menus and caller queues.
There is even a range of 03 numbers that are exclusively for charities and public bodies to use; 0300 numbers.
03 numbers are now used by many UK charities including Children in Need, Oxfam, Comic Relief and the RSPCA.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
For more information please contact Mark Guy, Marketing & PR Officer at Windsor Telecom on
0333 1234 034 or simply reply to this email.
About Windsor Telecom:
· Windsor Telecom is a leading provider of memorable phone numbers and inbound call
solutions.
· Windsor Telecom is officially the UK’s 2nd largest suppliers of 0845 numbers.
· Windsor Telecom is the foremost authority on 03 numbers.
· Windsor Telecom has Investors in People Status.
· Windsor Telecom provide bespoke call plans and services which give customers incredible flexibility and control over their inbound calls, without any technical knowledge. Solutions will enhance productivity and sharpen competitiveness.
· Business XL magazine, an award winning magazine for growing companies, voted Windsor Telecom a ‘21st Century Business Star’ and ‘One of the best 50 companies in the UK today’.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.