Process to allow 07 mobiles to be used for non mobile communications
Dear Office of Communications,
Pleas can you advise the process by which a telco with 07 mobile numbering can be permitted to allow calls to such numbers to be routed without the involvement of wireless communications to a mobile device - e.g. divert to voicemail, divert to landline number, and routing to a wired PC over the Internet. As these types of calls are handled by existing mobile operators, OFCOM must have a process by which such operators become immune to enforcement action for such routing of calls in contravention of the numbering plan, and I would like to understand the process that needs to be followed for a new operator to enjoy the same freedoms.
Yours faithfully,
Rev Adrian Kennard
Dear Rev Kennard
Thank you for your email of 9 October, submitted via the What Do They Know website as a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the Act').
I have carefully considered the subject of your email and it appears to be a policy question rather than a request for information under the Act. I have dealt with it accordingly.
I have spoken to my policy colleagues and they have advised that there is no process for acquiring immunity from enforcement action for breaches of regulatory rules.
I hope this information is helpful.
Yours sincerely
Julia Snape
This email is sent as routine correspondence from the Information Requests Team and has not been treated as a response to a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If you think it should, please let us know.
Dear Julia Snape,
I don't understand - if there is no process for getting immunity to enforcement of the national numbering plan rules, and there have (as per previous request) been no exceptions to those rules granted, then how is it that all of the major mobile operators both fail to comply with the rules on mobile number blocks (i.e. they allow calls that do not involve wireless communications to a mobile handset, such as voicemail, diverts and VoIP delivery) and have had apparently no enforcement action taken against them over the decades?
I see only these possibilities :-
1. OFCOM granted exceptions (as allowed by the rules)
2. OFCOM have some means to allow these operators to be immune from enforcement action
3. OFCOM are inept at enforcing these rules
4. OFCOM are biased and only threaten to enforce these rules on smaller / new operators and not the existing big operators
We seem to have ruled out the first two of these possibilities. Can you confirm that I do indeed have a complete list of possibilities here? Perhaps you can confirm the current situation regarding mobile numbering rules.
Yours sincerely,
Rev Adrian Kennard
Dear Rev Kennard
Thank you for your further communication dated 17 October. However, I have nothing further to add to my previous correspondence with you on this matter.
Kind regards
Julia
Dear Office of Communications,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Office of Communications's handling of my FOI request 'Process to allow 07 mobiles to be used for non mobile communications'.
The response that there is no process is inconsistent with the reality that mobile operators continue to flout the rules (not ensuring every signal goes via wireless to a mobile handset, by doing call diversion, voicemail, and VoIP routing) without any enforcement action being taken, as such I suspect it is an incorrect response. There has to be such a process, if not it would mean OFCOM is just inept or biased against small operators, which I am sure is not the case.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/p...
Yours faithfully,
Rev Adrian Kennard
Dear Rev Kennard
Please find attached Ofcom's response to your recent internal review.
Kind Regards
Jonathan
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now
Alex Brett left an annotation ()
I suggest following this up with something like:
Can you provide any documentation / guidance notes given to the team responsible for enforcement of the National Numbering Plan rules on Communications Providers, with respect to deciding whether any enforcement action is appropriate.
Additionally, can you provide information as to how many complaints have been made to Ofcom about Communication Providers violating rules in the National Numbering Plan, and how many of these were deemed inappropriate for enforcement action.