Ofcom - 1995

January The Telephone Preference Service was launched. Customers could register to avoid some unsolicited telephone sales calls.

February Oftel published The UK Telecommunications Industry: Market Information. This gave information on the size of the market, numbers of customers and market shares.

March BT agreed to the package of licence modifications introducing accounting separation and standard interconnection charges.

Oftel published plans to make public consultations more open and transparent.

April After PhONEday – 16 April – all geographic telephone numbers began 01. The period of parallel running ended.

Oftel referred the issue of number portability – the ability of customers to retain their numbers when changing operators – to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC).

May Oftel published a MORI survey on telecoms from the residential customer’s viewpoint.

June Oftel published a consultative document on the future of telephone numbers with geographic significance (the 01 and 02 ranges).

BT introduced per second charging to replace the unit system.

July Oftel published a consultative document on the regulation of the interface between the customer and the public network.

Oftel approved new reduced international accounting rates for calls between BT and US telephone operators.

October Oftel issued a statement on numbering. This followed the consultative exercise on geographic numbering launched in June. There was overall agreement on introducing measures for conserving numbers in the 02 range and Oftel is now taking steps to implement these. Generally people wanted a clear, consistent strategy for numbering and an overall scheme with built-in flexibility. Oftel needs to know more about what information customers want from numbers and to gain a more accurate picture of the level of demand, taking account of new developments and technological trends. Oftel is commissioning a study to find this out. In the meantime, Reading – the only code area where more local numbers are needed before an overall strategy can be put in place – will become a ‘major city area’.

Oftel published a consultative document on The Use of Directory Information, with proposals to boost competition in the running of directory enquiry information databases and other directory based services.

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