Freephone costs cut for charities

Price goes from 34c a minute to less than cent

THE cost to charities running Freephone numbers is to be slashed, the telephone regulator announced yesterday.

The free telephone lines, which encourage people to contact an organisation for no charge, can cost a charity or company as much as 34c per minute.

But under new rules, which come into effect on May 1, the rates telephone operators can charge for a call to a 1800 Freephone number will be a maximum of 0.87c per minute from a landline number or 1.62c per minute from a mobile, a tiny fraction of the current charges.

Around 280million calls are made every year to the many thousands of Freephone numbers in use in Ireland, and the communications regulator, ComReg, expects the new slashed rates will encourage even more organisations to take them up – particularly those who provide important helplines.

The ComReg boss Garrett Blaney said: ‘1800 Freephone numbers provide access to important services for many people in Ireland, from mental health and child protection helplines, through to banking and other customer service helplines.

‘By making 1800 Freephone numbers a more cost-effective option, we hope that we will see more organisations use this non-geographic number (NGN) range, which will allow their callers to access services for free.’

ComReg said: ‘We have introduced measures that will reduce the costs for businesses and charities offering 1800 Freephone numbers to users of their services.’

The regulator said it believed more businesses and charities will now be able to opt to use these numbers for their services and helplines.

Comreg has also recently tackled the cost of calls to 1890, 1850, 076 and 0818 numbers which were charged at premium rates or were not included in phone-users’ free call bundles and caused confusion as to their cost.

From December 1, new rules meant they would cost no more than dialling a landline.

Charities and smaller businesses had been reluctant to use 1800 numbers because of the costs associated with them. ComReg believes its decision will lead to a ‘significant reduction’ in the cost for businesses, charities and providers of important services who offer services through Freephone.

A 1800 call remains free for callers from landlines and mobiles – and now more businesses, charities and providers of important services will be encouraged to offer more of them.

ComReg added: ‘Transparency and consistency around the rates for 1800 Freephone numbers will bring clarity to the market and allow organisations to compare offers.’

The Charities Institute Ireland chief, Liz Hughes, explained why the change is important.

She said: ‘Many of our member charities provide helplines for some of the most vulnerable people in Irish society and to individuals who need advice and support in challenging circumstances. It is essential that these services can be provided as cost-effectively as possible, for both the organisation and the caller.

‘This move will allow more charities to use Freephone numbers, making these vital services even more accessible for those that need them most.’ christian.mccashin@dailymail.ie

‘Bring clarity to the market’