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Non-geographic numbers (NGNs) are telephone numbers not assigned to a geographic location. The owner may forward their NGN to any geographic, mobile, or international location. Call costs depend on the prefix of the number called, not on the final destination. In the 1980s and 1990s, calls to NGNs were charged such that the caller was not financially disadvantaged. However, since deregulation of the telecoms market in the United Kingdom, call prices to geographic numbers have reduced and in many cases become part of an inclusive calls package. With those changes, calls to NGNs became substantially more expensive than calling geographic numbers. Additionally, BT call prices for many NGNs are currently capped by regulation. Calls from BT cost no more than the "premium", whereas other landline providers and mobile operators add their markup. Users of NGNs often advertise only the capped call price levied by BT, meaning that the true cost paid by non-BT customers and by mobile users isn't advertised to many callers. Mobile users have always been heavily disadvantaged when calling 08 numbers. ==Prefixes== Different prefixes have different costs for both the user and caller. Where the call is completely free to the caller (rather than simply inclusive within an allowance) the user pays extra to cover the costs not met by the caller. However, most non-geographic prefixes charge the caller extra and this "premium" or "enhanced termination rate" is passed on to the terminating telecoms company to pay for call routing to the final destination with any excess being paid out to the called party in a "revenue share" arrangement. Hundreds of UK companies offer NGNs for sale or rent. Some also offer switchboard and call centre equipment in a package deal where some of the revenue derived from calls subsidises those costs. Revenue share is banned on several prefixes, including 03 (UK wide), 0870 (NTS) and 070 (PNS). While all 084, 087 (except 0870) and 09 numbers charge a "premium" to the caller, numbers starting 0871, 0872, 0873, 090, 091 and 098 are covered by additional Premium Rate Services (PRS) regulation, generally have the highest costs, and are heavily regulated by PhonepayPlus. New "adult" services (SES) must use 098; legacy 0908 and 0909 numbers also carry these services. Numbers which begin 084 and 087 generally cost more than calling an 01 or 02 geographic number from a landline, are rarely included in "inclusive" minutes call packages, and cost up to 45 pence per minute from mobiles. The call price for 084 and 087 numbers must not be described as "local rate", "lo-call" or "national rate" as these terms ceased to have any meaning in the UK in 2004.〔〔〔〔〔〔〔〔〔〔〔〔 At that time, discounted "per-minute" costs for calls to local geographic numbers were scrapped, replaced with one rate for all calls to UK geographic numbers regardless of distance or location. Additionally, most providers started offering packages that gave inclusive free calls to 01 and 02 numbers anywhere in the country (some providers excluded Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man). Within a few years, packages with inclusive minutes became the standard offering, but 084 and 087 numbers are not included in the deal (except for 0870 on some landlines from 2009, and 0845 on some BT deals). With the increased price differential, the use of non-geographic telephone numbers in the United Kingdom has been a major cause of bill shock. Pollster YouGov found that 49% of mobile users have been surprised to see how much they have been charged for calling non-geographic numbers and 90% believe organisations should make the cost of these calls clearer. According to Ofcom, UK consumers paid around £1.9 billion for calls to non-geographic numbers in 2009. Introduced in February 2007, numbers which begin 03 are, by law, charged at the same rate as 01 and 02 numbers whether you call from a landline or from a mobile, and are included in "inclusive" minutes call packages. This means that from most landlines and from contract mobiles, calls to 03 numbers are effectively "free" (up to the end of the inclusive minutes allowance). In June 2014, the Consumer Rights Directive will make it illegal to use "numbers that cost more than the basic rate" for customer services and complaints.〔〔〔 Many current users of 084 and 087 numbers will have to move to their 034 and 037 equivalents or to 01 or 02 geographic numbers or to new 030, 033 or 080 non-geographic numbers. After sustained abuse and various scams, telephone numbers beginning 070, 0871, 0872 and 0873 came under the strict regulation of PhonepayPlus, the premium rate services regulator, in 2009, joining the existing regulatory system for 09 and 118 numbers. As of 1 July 2015, 0800 and 0808 numbers are free to call from both mobiles and landlines due to changes in Ofcom legislation, entitled UK Calling. However, the charges made to the number-owner have been increased.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=1st July brings clearer call costs )〕 Following their success in TV voting on shows like BBC One's ''The Voice UK'', voice short codes are now being used as an alternative to non-geographic numbers. Voice short codes enable businesses to provide greater transparency on call rates, as the rate is fixed irrespective of which network is being used to make the call. When advertising an 084 or 087 number, current rules state there must be a warning that calls may cost more than geographic rates. Most of the companies complying with the rules simply show the cost of calling from a BT landline and add the words ''"other providers and mobile operators may charge more"''. However, ever since the telecoms market was opened up to competition, price caps have applied to BT call pricing. At present, it is true to say that most other providers "will", not "may", charge more. Additionally, with less than one-third of landline calls now originating from BT phone lines, BT prices are no longer "typical" of what people are actually paying. Ofcom have proposed changing the way that call prices for 084, 087 and 09 numbers are conveyed, with the called-party having to declare the level of their "service charge" or "premium", and the callers telecoms company having to state their "access charge". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Non-geographic telephone numbers in the United Kingdom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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