Posted on: 14th July 2021, by Magrathea
Welcome to the latest edition of the Magrathea Newsletter, combining news from Magrathea and around the industry.
Origin Based Surcharging
There is a fair amount of stress around our industry at the moment but the introduction of the origin-based surcharging on calls to UK mobiles was, we hope, not as painful as it could have been for our clients.
It appears that the work we have been doing with clients over previous years to help them identify and eradicate calls with CLIs that do not meet current guidelines has been effective. So far, we are seeing a very low volume of calls being surcharged for this reason – less than £2 a day in surcharged calls across all clients at the moment – and that should continue to reduce as we work with clients to tidy up any onerous data that may have slipped through.
By default we are restricting calls to those where the surcharge element is over 5p per minute, or allowing clients to derestrict and pass all calls. We will shortly also be offering a full restriction option, rejecting all surcharge calls on behalf of the client.
In addition, we are working on providing enhanced CDR files, showing the surcharged costs separately. More details will be sent separately in due course.
For more information on the reasons behind the surcharge plus answers to some of the most commonly asked questions please see our FAQ document here: https://www.magrathea-telecom.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Guidance-for-UK-Mobile-Surcharging-Jun-2021.pdf
As always we are keen to hear feedback if there are any ways we can help you adapt to these changes, if you have anything in mind please let us know.
Ofcom’s Emergency Video Relay statement
Ofcom have announced their decision to require fixed and mobile telephony providers and providers of internet access services to provide (or contract to provide) a free 24/7 video relay service for deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users to enable communication with emergency services.
Under current rules, those who have hearing or speech impediments are able to communicate over the phone through an Ofcom-approved text relay service but as these services rely exclusively on written English, it’s possible for British Sign Language (BSL) users to be misinterpreted.
Ofcom’s new requirement will come into effect from 17 June 2022. Meanwhile they are inviting expressions of interest from parties wishing to provide the service.
More information on this can be viewed here: Emergency Video Relay statement .
Gold numbers
Gold numbers are available within all our number ranges. Memorable numbers or attractive repeating digit patterns will enable your customer to maximise their sales opportunities and will provide an excellent return on investment when used in advertising.
One off allocation fee for these numbers start from £100 upwards, please contact sales@magrathea-telecom.co.uk if you would like to discuss a quote for these numbers.
Irish Non Geographic Numbers
A reminder that from 1st January 2022, the five Irish non geographic ranges (1850, 1890, 076, 1800 and 0818) will be reduced to two – 1800 and 0818. Any end user to whom you have assigned a 076, 1850 and 1890 will need to make plans to switch their services to an alternative number as soon as possible.
Telecom Fraud on the rise
We have sadly seen an increase in customers being hit by equipment compromises and hacked switchboard type fraud during the last few months. Last year we published a document about telecommunications fraud, it is in no way exhaustive or designed to be used in place of any measures you currently take, but it may be useful in some way to some of you. You can access the document here: https://mdh-dev-web-01.magrathea.net/wp-content/uploads/Telecoms-fraud-1.pdf
If you have any questions about telecommunications fraud or would like to use any of the additional authentication or limited tariffing options we offer, please contact support@magrathea-telecom.co.uk
As always here at Magrathea we appreciate your comments and feedback, if there is anything you would like to contact us about, or you would like to opt out of receiving future newsletters, please email info@magrathea-telecom.co.uk