03 Numbers

0345/0370

This is a new UK wide number range released by Ofcom and designed to bring back consumer confidence by having a clear pricing structure. Call charges must be equivalent to the cost of a call to a UK 01/02 number and may be included in mobile and fixed line packages i.e. these numbers can be added to friends and family discount schemes. Public awareness of these numbers is growing but their use in advertising and marketing is not yet widespread. 0345 numbers are charged at local rate and 0370 at national rate.

They work in the same way as 08 numbers, but with one significant difference for the caller: the cost of calling them. Callers only pay the same amount as a landline call to a 01 or a 02 number. And the price is the same for calls from mobiles.

03 numbers will automatically be included in any discount schemes or inclusive call-minutes that callers already have with landline or mobile phone operators.

Ofcom, the telecommunications regulator, introduced 03 numbers so that consumers could have “confidence in the cost of their calls”.

Numbers can be immediately activated and usage reports are in real time.