In 2013 we warned of coming changes, notably that Freephone calls from mobile phones would need to be “free” and that this would likely lead to a perfect storm of increased cost per minute to receive calls and substantially increased volume coming from mobiles as the primary barrier to calling from one is lifted.
Since February 2014 we have presented split pricing for calls that originate normally, from mobiles and from PayPhones, although mobile and normal rates have been the same.
Effective July 1st the mobile originated pricing will increase substantially owing to Ofcom’s NGCS.
The official rate notification will take place through us updating our Ancillary Voice Services rate sheet nearer the time but for customers planning ahead we can now confirm that rates will be as below:
| Day | Evening | Weekend | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal Calls | 1.2ppm | 1.0ppm | 1.0ppm |
| Mobile Originated | 2.5ppm | 2.5ppm | 2.5ppm |
| Payphone Originated | 80ppm | 80ppm | 80ppm |
As per our standard policy these are the rates for no volume or spend commitment. Customers willing to commit to a monthly overall voice spend of £5k per month or more should contact us for improved pricing.
Back in 2013 when we warned of this change, our advice was to consider the use of an 03 number instead of 0800/0808. We do not charge a rental for 03 numbers and they have to be included in minute bundles along with calls to geographic numbers. Accordingly they represent essentially free calling for users with minute bundles and are free for you to receive calls. This advise persists.
Finally, we’d remind customers that Simwood sets an X-Origin header in our INVITE where appropriate. This will be set to “mobile” or “payphone” as appropriate and will not be present for normal calls, enabling you to respond accordingly. e.g;
X-Origin: mobile
Other networks do not tell you that a call may trigger a surcharge which can lead to expensive surprises when their CDRs eventually arrive. With clear advice of charges, real-time CDRs and a clear portal for reconciliation we look forward to Simwood being the home for your future business.
