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I had been calling my wife once or twice a week using a BT Chargecard and she had been calling me occasionally and even with “Friends and Family” and “Premier Line” the cost was phenomenal.  I set out to find out if there was a cheaper method of keeping in touch.  What I discovered astonished me, there were indeed many other methods of making telephone calls from all parts of the world at rates up to 90% cheaper than the local Telecom Companies in the various countries investigated. The telephone call is the ultimate consumable; people pick up the telephone and make calls without even thinking.  Telecommunications is the fastest growing market in the world today it is also extremely large and second only in size to Pharmaceuticals. How did this happen?  It all started in the USA about ten years ago when the US Government decided to deregulate the Telecommunications Industry and allow   competition.  Within 6 years the cost of local, national and international calling came down by a phenomenal amount to the extent that the cost of calling in and from the USA is now the lowest in the world. When the UK deregulated the industry went from a monopoly situation (BT) to a duopoly (BT and Mercury).  For the first time UK businesses and the domestic market had a choice albeit a very limited one!  Further deregulation has meant that competition is now open and there are many providers of telecommunications services within the UK.  Some providing the full range of services including low cost routing which allows customers to take advantage of bulk discounts, alternative carriers and switchless resellers whilst still retaining their BT line. How does this work?  BT, Cable and Wireless and other less well-known carriers have large capacity on their telephone lines, which they cannot sell to their customers.  In order to make use of this overcapacity they sell it off in bulk to alternative carriers and switchless resellers who in turn sell it on at vastly reduced rates to their customers.  To use these services in general terms requires a BT line although this can be overcome in some cases.  Other companies provide Discount Phone Cards, which can be charged up from a credit card and used from almost any touch-tone phone, anywhere in the world.  Usually at discounted rates in some cases up to 70% cheaper, these cards are normally accessed by means of a Freephone 0800 number or equivalent.

Kenny Howse lives in the UK - His website HowseCom International deals with cost saving telecommunications products HowseCom International 24 Wilkinson Road, GRANTHAM, NG32 2JX, United Kingdom Tel: 0800 298 6531or 07005 376950 Email Kennyhowse@cwcom.net

Some companies provide ‘call-back’ services which operate using the following method; the customer is given a ‘trigger’ number, which is a number in the USA, which they dial from either their normal landline or their mobile phone.  They allow the phone to ring once and hang up, they are called back almost immediately by a computer programmed to recognise the caller by means of caller line identity (CLI).  This is the same method used when a BT subscriber dials 1471 to see who has called when they were not at home.  When the phone is answered, the Callback Company presents the customer with a dial tone.  This allows them to make calls at cheap USA rates to any overseas destination of their choosing some calls are up to 90% cheaper using this method and it is billed to the customer's credit card.  There are also traveller numbers available, which can be used from any touch-tone phone world-wide, these are very popular with individuals who travel around the world a lot.

I have continued working within the telecommunications industry where I have learned a considerable amount about this ever-growing industry.  I now work as an independent telecomms consultant for various companies to provide different telecommunications solutions and products to companies and private individuals alike.  The market is so diverse nowadays that the private customer has the ability to have up to 55 hours free local calls per month 5 hours of which are during peak time!

Do you know anyone who wouldn’t benefit from that?  Additionally they make savings of up to 70% on their non-local calls. 

Some expatriates make contact from as far afield as Hong Kong and Brazil wishing to take advantage of the ‘Call-back’ system which allows them up to 90% savings.  Many British Companies are now catching on to the fact that cutting the cost of their phone calls can make major savings in their annual expenditure.  So they take advantage of the alternative carriers or switchless resellers who are providing discounts of up to 70% over the normal BT standard rates at no extra cost and with no loss of quality or service.  Most of these services are accessed by means of a 3 or 4-digit access code, which needs to be inserted before the number being called.  Nowadays this is automated by means of ‘smart’ phones or ‘smart’ diallers, which dial the access code automatically when a call is made.

There is also the growing market in non-geographic number translation services (NTS).  These are the ever-popular Freephone 0800 numbers, the local call 0845 numbers, the personal numbering 070 series of numbers and the national rate 0870 numbers.  These are being used increasingly now by businesses large and small to raise their profile and attract customers with free or low cost calls.  Some of these solutions are also becoming more popular because of irritating ‘phone-day’ changes (there have been 4 number changes in London in the last 10 years) this can be expensive in advertising costs, stationery, livery etc. costs.  NTS numbers are owned by the customer and as such never change thus avoiding these irritating changes which seem to come around so often.  All mobile phone numbers which do not begin with 07 will need to be changed before April 2001, customers can now own their own 07005 or 07074 mobile number which can be made to spell their name or the name of their business e.g. 07074 KENNYH or 07005 MOBILE.  The advantage of this, apart from being easy to remember is that the customer owns this number and can transfer it to any mobile phone of their choosing in a few moments.  This way they don’t have to keep telling their friends and family that they have a new mobile number.  Also becoming more popular now are the 07000 personal numbering services which can be targeted to any landline and changed by the owner as often as they like, thus having the ability to always be contactable wherever they are, these too can be made to spell business names. 

There are many opportunities for budding entrepreneurs in this global market place and given time the ability to make a substantial and residual income which could make you financially secure in between 6 months and 3 years depending on how dedicated you are!