Vonage wrongly allocating Dundee (01382) numbers

Posts: 67 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 67

Dundee may not be the only victim of this "phone crime" but it is one that has come to light in recent months.

Unfortunately Vonage and others that use Gamma Telecom numbers, are allocating subscriber numbers as:

Dundee (01382) 006xxx (in vonage's case)

This means the number is not diallable from within 01382 area code
as dialling 006789 for example is the beginning of an international number.

We are far away from any mobile / closed type numbering scheme for geographic numbers and OFCOM clearly have stated that these types of numbers that have a local number beginning with "0" classed as "NATIONAL DIALLING ONLY" numbers "should not be made available to end users where, it affects local dialling,and in such cases caller id should be withheld or modified"

Further info on this can be found on various OFCOM numbering pages at there website.

UK local numbers begin with 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,or occasionally 9 now that local codes are no longer than available.

No local numbers should begin with a 0 or a 1

Mobile ranges are of course different by their very nature, but geographic numbers are predominantly static and there is no reason for dialling area codes from within the same area code to the same area code.

In dundee's case apparently Vonage and others should not be allocating any local number beginning with "0" for residential telephone use, according to sources at OFCOM

Posts: 1 · New Forum Member Joined: Aug 07, 2006 Posts: 1

I am a Vonage user in dundee, and have been allocated two numbers beginning 006, should I contact them to have the numbers changed?

Scott

Posts: 67 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 67

Hi

It may be worth complaining, but I'm not sure what can be one. UK is not a closed number system (thank god) for landline numbers and doesn't look like it will be for some time yet.

It is unfair to allocate these numbers to people - The OFCOM National Numbering Plan Document March 2006 states:

NATIONAL DIALLING ONLY NUMBERS : means a geographic number that can only be adopted or otherwise used with it's geographic area code, and for purposes where end users will not dial it.

National Dialling Only ranges
These ranges have subscriber numbers beginning with the digits '0' or '1', eg:

There are many many references on the internet about these numbers, as they really shouldn't be issued as residential numbers - Local numbers do not start with "0" or "1" and never have for abvious reasons.

01332 050 xxx Derby
01382 006 xxx Dundee
0141 005 xxxx Glasgow
020 0003 xxxx London

In order to avoid confusion with codes beginning with these digits, the area code must always be dialled, even from within the same geographic exchange. Traditionally these have not been used for inbound calls, although these are now being allocated to some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. This has been problematic as some mobile phone operators in the UK do not allow access to these ranges, and there may also be difficulty accessing these numbers from outside the UK.

Maybe mentioning it to ofcom too may dissuade operators especially non uk operators from issuing them to customers.

KEEP LOCAL DIALLING LOCAL Smile

Posts: 67 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 14, 2005 Posts: 67

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/telecoms/ioi/numbers/261701.pdf

NATIONAL DIALLING ONLY NUMBERS

B3.1.5 Geographic Numbers shown as "FREE FOR NATIONAL DIALLING ONLY" in the National Numbering Scheme, SHALL NOT be adopted or otherwise used in circumstances where they have public visibility. Where these numbers are adopted or used for outgoing services, a presentation number that is either non geographic or permits local dialling shall appear for calling line identification purposes. In the event of a code change to 8 digit numbering in a geographic area, those who have adopted or used National Dialling Only numbers shall migrate to the appropriate new range by the end of Parallell Running.

Basically in a nutshell, these types of numbers should not be being given out to customers because they can't be dialled locally.

Similarly Freetalk give out Dundee numbers as 01382 009xxx, and no doubt Voip.co.uk will be 01382 0086xx These companies all get there numbers from gamma telecom

As GAMMA TELECOM HOLDINGS are the number suppliers to Vonage,Freetalk etc etc it may be them that are to blame for issuing them out and someone needs to let them know it's not acceptable. A Vonage numbering person perhaps??