Phone operators not connecting lo-call numbers

GUIGuy

I wonder if the latest case from UK will influence Irish mobile operators who refuse to connect lo-call lines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6901945.stm

I asked a guy in O2 experience store yesterday evening why have a tariff for lo-call numbers whn you won't connect. He wouldn't give an answer other than "we don't allow it" and literally didn't say a word more. I'm sure they'd allow premium rate... but not lo-call. At least if you try to ring a Lo-call number O2 will say tell you that they don't connect, Vodafone give you a network busy error! :rolleyes:

Is it legal for them to refuse to connect numbers? Obviously they are doing it to force people into high charges for international calls. Its obviously anti competitive but is it legal for them to pick and choose what numbers to connect?

flodis79

GUIGuy wrote:

I wonder if the latest case from UK will influence Irish mobile operators who refuse to connect lo-call lines.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6901945.stm

I asked a guy in O2 experience store yesterday evening why have a tariff for lo-call numbers whn you won't connect. He wouldn't give an answer other than "we don't allow it" and literally didn't say a word more. I'm sure they'd allow premium rate... but not lo-call. At least if you try to ring a Lo-call number O2 will say tell you that they don't connect, Vodafone give you a network busy error! :rolleyes:

Is it legal for them to refuse to connect numbers? Obviously they are doing it to force people into high charges for international calls. Its obviously anti competitive but is it legal for them to pick and choose what numbers to connect?

Tried to call 1850 and 1890 numbers, and was connected without problems this morning, on o2 Ireland. Or is this not what you mean? I don't get the link between T-Mobile in the article and the o2 Experience stores.. ? I have never had any problems connecting to lo-call or call-save numbers on o2. Should they have blocked certain numbers recently?

GUIGuy

I don't think its all 1890s its just ones that provide cheap international calls.
Try telesavers.ie on 1890 99 00 11... it was blocked on O2 yesterday. On vodafone myself so can't check just now.

The link is that truphone is a VOIP service that allows cheap international calls. TMobile blocked access to it to protect their revenue stream and were taken to court for it.
I wonder if Irish networks are doing the same... and I wonder if its legal to refuse to connect to a number just because they offer better rates.

The Corinthian

My guess is that if challenged they would be legally forced to allow their customers to connect.

Large companies regularly do things they know that they will legally be forced to change because it makes financial sense. The analysis will look at the money saved or made from doing something you know will be overturned after a certain period of time against the cost of legals and the change in question. The question is how long before it is challenged, and if that period is long enough then mathematically it's a no-brainer.

After all, is anyone here going to take a legal case against them?

flodis79

GUIGuy wrote:

I don't think its all 1890s its just ones that provide cheap international calls.
Try telesavers.ie on 1890 99 00 11... it was blocked on O2 yesterday. On vodafone myself so can't check just now.

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. But the fact of the matter is that 1980 numbers are more expensive (30c/23c per min) than 1520 numbers (24c per min), and Telesavers' 1520 number is not blocked, and I don't think it will be. AFAIK, you can always use 1520 instead of 1890 for all calls that are accessible through 1890.

However, I will direct a complaint re this to o2 and Comreg - will see what happens.

Tree

i know some of hte networks bar ppl from premium rate numbers(which includes 18**) unless you pay a deposit.

Blaster99

If I recall from when this was discussed last, it's actually the owner of the 1890 number that is not allowing the connection, not the mobile operator. It's irrelevant in any event as the equivalent 1520 number is cheaper to call. If you're on a minute plan, it's cheaper again to use a provider with a geo number.

TheBlackShoe

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. But the fact of the matter is that 1980 numbers are more expensive (30c/23c per min) than 1520 numbers (24c per min), and Telesavers' 1520 number is not blocked, and I don't think it will be. AFAIK, you can always use 1520 instead of 1890 for all calls that are accessible through 1890.

However, I will direct a complaint re this to o2 and Comreg - will see what happens.

---

would you not be better off getting a life than spending it trying to make compliants?? if you had any sort of brian, you would realise the connection has to be routed through the network operator and then to the server that allows this connection! in short, the problem usually comes from whoever provides this lo-call, and then customer care staff have to listen to arseholes like you who ring when they get their bills complaining!!

flodis79

TheBlackShoe wrote:

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. But the fact of the matter is that 1980 numbers are more expensive (30c/23c per min) than 1520 numbers (24c per min), and Telesavers' 1520 number is not blocked, and I don't think it will be. AFAIK, you can always use 1520 instead of 1890 for all calls that are accessible through 1890.

However, I will direct a complaint re this to o2 and Comreg - will see what happens.

---

would you not be better off getting a life than spending it trying to make compliants?? if you had any sort of brian, you would realise the connection has to be routed through the network operator and then to the server that allows this connection! in short, the problem usually comes from whoever provides this lo-call, and then customer care staff have to listen to arseholes like you who ring when they get their bills complaining!!

Would you not be better off reading this thread a bit better; I wasn't the one complaining in the first place, I was suggesting a solution, and was helping the OP, by asking o2 why they have cut off the access to this 1890 number. Consumer power - ever hear of that? What's wrong in being price-conscious anyway? In this case, it seems as if the content provider has blocked the number, but the most logical would be that the mobile provider does that, refer to the T-mobile case. It seems that sometimes it's not possible to have a rational and constructive dialogue on boards.ie, due to people patronising and slandering. How sad isn't that.

tallus

TheBlackShoe wrote:

Ok, I see where you're coming from now. But the fact of the matter is that 1980 numbers are more expensive (30c/23c per min) than 1520 numbers (24c per min), and Telesavers' 1520 number is not blocked, and I don't think it will be. AFAIK, you can always use 1520 instead of 1890 for all calls that are accessible through 1890.

However, I will direct a complaint re this to o2 and Comreg - will see what happens.

---

would you not be better off getting a life than spending it trying to make compliants?? if you had any sort of brian, you would realise the connection has to be routed through the network operator and then to the server that allows this connection! in short, the problem usually comes from whoever provides this lo-call, and then customer care staff have to listen to arseholes like you who ring when they get their bills complaining!!

The OP asked a legitimate question in my opinion, and why does he need a brian? Don't be confusing ignorance with intelligence, and thirdly it's against the charter to insult someone.

billbond4

Why dont you ring up O2 customer care and ask them whats the story?

I rememeber in the bad days when I was with vodafone :-(
I had to ring up their customer service so I could make an 1520 or 1530 ( cant remember the exact prefix), they just made it awkard so people would naturally think that the number is blocked from their mobile, instead of just disabled.

GUIGuy

I've checked around a bit and DomeTelecom do a passable rate with O2. Even if O2 did connect all 1890 numbers they don't include them in your monthly allowance.

jesus_thats_gre

Hmmm I heard the reasoning behind this a few years ago. When a person sets up an locall number, they have the option as to whether or not they want to allow mobiles to call the number. This option was/is provided as the charge incurred for the receiving the call from a mobile is considerably more expensive than receiving a call from a landine. Assuming it is due to interconnect costs.

Not sure how accurate that is not but it was apparently the case about 5 years ago.