[asterisk-users] uk tole-free dids?

[Babcock, Michael Alex]

thanks for all this information.
michael
On Sep 28, 2008, at 11:37 PM, Gordon Henderson wrote:

> On Sun, 28 Sep 2008, Babcock, Michael Alex wrote:
>
>> hi;
>> i do not know how it works in the uk, but is there an equalivent to
>> our 866-877-888-800 numbers for london for say? I have some friends  
>> in
>> london and want them to be able to call me in the states.
>> Please help with where i can get the numbers, what they start with,
>> how much they are, and what not.
>
> As far as call charges are concerned, there is no such thing as  
> local or
> long-distance in the UK now, and hadn't been for many years. We now  
> have
> "geographic" and "non geographic" numbers. (Non geographics are  
> sometimes
> called NGNs)
>
> The Geographics start 01 or 02 and are what they imply - mapped to a
> particular geographic area. (or are supposed to as some are ported  
> into
> VoIP and moved) These numbers are relatively low cost to call and  
> often
> can be called for free out of "inclusive minutes" or other deals  
> with your
> phone company.
>
> NGNs include freephone numbers (aka toll-free in the US) - starting  
> 0800,
> 0808 or 0500.
>
> NGNs can also be revenue generating - they are usually free to  
> assign and
> maintain, but cost the caller more than calling a Geographic number  
> and
> the terminating operator generates revenue from the call. These  
> numbers
> typically start 084 or 087. The 087's generating more revenue than  
> 084,
> and cost more to the caller. (There are other ranges of premium  
> numbers -
> 09 and 070, but we'll not go there)
>
> So - If you want your friends to call you for free, then why not just
> allocate then a SIP account on your own system, then get them to run a
> softphone, or buy a hard-phone and then they can connect up?
>
> Failing that, they can get a SIP account with a multitude of UK (and
> European) based operators and make calls - sometimes for free,  
> sometimes
> for a small per minute charge.
>
> And failing all that - because they don't have/want technology, you  
> can
> get an account with one of these operators and terminate it in your  
> own
> SIP/IAX hardware, then they can call you for the price of a standard  
> UK
> geographic number - which may be free for them, depending on the  
> package
> they have with their phone company.
>
> A final thing to note, there is a new range of non-geographic  
> numbers in
> the UK which start 03. These cost the same to call as 01 and 02  
> numbers
> (or should), so you could allocate one of these and have it  
> terminated on
> your own SIP/IAX account.
>
> People to do it via (other than me - I can't take US currency, but  
> drop an
> email if interested anyway) in no particular order: www.gradwell.com,
> www.voiptalk.co.uk, www.voipon.co.uk, www.voip.co.uk, www.aql.co.uk  
> and a
> few others.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> Gordon
>
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