Posted on: 6th March 2024, by Alison Kerevan
Welcome to the March newsletter, combining news from Magrathea and around the industry.
Call Screening – Telephone Preference Service
If you or your customer make sales or marketing calls within the UK you are required to check the TPS database, so you do not contact any member of the public who has registered there (unless they have specifically given permission to do so).
Magrathea are now able to help our clients meet their obligations by applying a block, real time, on any call attempt to a number on the TPS list.
For a much lower charge than getting a full TPS licence we will manage the call blocking, database updates and reporting requirements for you. If this service is of interest please do get in touch and meanwhile you can learn more here: https://www.magrathea-telecom.co.uk/telephone-preference-service/
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.
Telecom Fraud
Fraudsters continue to get smarter and modify their tactics to take advantage of technology changes so the types of fraud seen now often look quite different to just a few years ago. However, it’s really important not to forget the more traditional telephony frauds that can be just as damaging still, such as equipment compromises and identity fraud.
Our brief guide can help you with some useful measures you can take to mitigate some of these types of fraud. You can access the document here https://www.magrathea-telecom.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Telecoms-fraud.pdf
Ofcom enforcement programme – tackling scam calls and texts
On the 1st of February Ofcom officially opened an enforcement programme to make sure that providers are following existing rules and are following best practice in relation to the use of phone numbers.
This follows the recent statement confirming that they will not be mandating a CLI authentication solution. You can read our thoughts on all this here: https://www.magrathea-telecom.co.uk/tackling-scam-calls/
Meanwhile, we believe we have always been pretty good at the due diligence process but of course it’s important to keep reviewing and learning so please don’t be offended if our team reach out to clarify any information with you – ongoing reviews of our clients is a key part of the best practice guidance.
We also require our clients to follow the regulations and guidance with their own customers so if you need any help or advice to support your activity in this area please do get in touch, we will be happy to share our ideas and checklists with you.
Ofcom consultation – security and resilience guidance
We have now responded to Ofcom and generally supported their suggested improvements to the guidance. However, we did spot a rather worrying note that seems to suggest Ofcom won’t consider ‘over the top’ voice (i.e. that which is provided by a different entity to the broadband) as a suitable replacement for “Primary Line”, or PSTN replacement services. We have a real issue with what seems to be a backward step here, something we thought we had addressed many years ago and which has resulted in the myriad of services available to consumers and businesses today.
We have responded asking for clarity on this note and expressed a concern that that, if they stand by this comment, they should also be reducing the regulatory burden on such providers! We will be watching carefully for the response on this one.
Gaining Provider Led Switching & Porting / One Touch Switch
There is still no update to the go live date for OTS but we watch with interest. Our focus for now is on the related porting process that Ofcom would like introduced once OTS is working. For the fully integrated vertical providers it makes total sense to streamline the porting verification process and speed up porting, however it’s a bit more complex for a more variable supply chain. We are engaging with the industry working groups to try and ensure a solution is found that allows for all of us to offer a great service without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.
Meanwhile, for the latest updates and a sneak peek at the new TOTSCO website you can visit https://totsco.org.uk/news/bulletins/
Cavell Summit Europe – 12th March
This event is only a week away now and we are looking forward to sponsoring the event, including the drinks at the end of the day. If you are attending, please do be sure to come and say hello to our team.
We would also love it if lots of you joined the Women in Telecoms Roundtable session in the afternoon, moderated by Tracey Wright. This session is open to all – not just women, and we need a variety of opinions and experience in the room. Our business development specialist, Hayley West, will be taking part in the session and sharing her experiences of a career in telecoms.
Channel Live – 20th/21st March
Later in the month a few of us will be in Birmingham for Channel Live. We don’t have a stand but would love the opportunity to meet up with clients and potential clients for a chat. If you plan to be there just drop us a note and we will be sure to catch up. Once again, Tracey will be moderating a panel session and our Network Manager, Lucy Elder-Bowles, will be one of the panel sharing her experiences.
What’s on our minds…
Two weeks ago, we welcomed Jemma Tidbury to the porting team. Jemma loves process and data driven work and has taken to the role immediately. Everyone here has been enjoying spending time with Jemma during her induction, making sure she understands how porting fits within the wider business and the industry as a whole, and we know all of our clients will benefit from her friendly and cheerful vibes when they deal with her.
Meanwhile, our development team are also busy introducing a couple of new little tweaks to our MAGIC portal to make it even more useful – more on that soon!
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
Kind regards
Magrathea
The information contained in this guidance is for your information only and is not intended to be relied on. It does not constitute legal professional advice, nor is it a substitute for you obtaining your own legal professional advice. Magrathea accepts no liability whatsoever for any errors, omissions or statements in this guidance or for any loss which may arise from your use of this guidance.