At the end of last year Ofcom published its final statement on proposed amendments to the charging system for non-geographic telephone numbers. These are telephone numbers that are not linked to a specific location. They vary in price quite considerably (including to lines on “free call” tariffs) and some charge considerably more for calls from mobiles than from landlines.

Ofcom has decided that calls to 080 and 116 numbers from both fixed line and mobile telephones should be free. They are also introducing an unbundled tariff for calls made to 084, 087, 09 and 118 numbers.

A further consultation on removing the 0500 range (which has not had any new allocations since 1998) closed at the end of January but Ofcom has proposed offering a sub 080 range to replace it. They are still reviewing the 070, 076, 055 and 056 number ranges.

These changes will be implemented on 26 June 2015.