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Terms and Conditions of Business
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Food Handlers Reporting Diseases
Work Entry Rules for Business Investors
Premium Rate Telephone Numbers
Employment and Hazardous Substances
Health and Safety Offences Act
Directors Liability to Health Safety
Website Access for Disabled People
Electronic Commerce Regulations
A premium rate telephone number is a telephone number which begins with the numbers 09 or 118 in the case of directory enquiry services.
Premium rate telephone numbers are mainly used for competitions, TV voting, horoscopes, chat lines, adult lines, recorded information, professional advice services (for example, computer support help lines) and direct enquiries.
The cost of premium rate telephone numbers varies from approximately £0.10 to £1.50 per call or minute from a landline. Such calls are normally shown on phone bills as a “premium rate call” or a “high premium rate service”.
The term “premium rate services” refers to the provision of premium rate telephone services as well as other services that are charged to phone bills or pre-paid phone account, for example interactive television services such as those which are accessed using the red button on a remote control.
The Communications Act 2003 gave Ofcom the responsibility for regulating premium rate services. However, PhonepayPlus Limited carries out the day-to-day regulation of the premium rate services market on Ofcom’s behalf.
PhonepayPlus is a non-profit-making company limited by guarantee. PhonepayPlus was previously known as ICSTIS.
PhonepayPlus regulates premium rate services using their Code of Practice, which sets out the rules with which all providers of premium rate services must comply.
The Code of Practice is revised from time to time. The latest version (the eleventh edition) was amended in April 2008. A twelve edition is expected to be published some time in 2011.
The Code of Practice imposes a number of obligations on providers of premium rate services including the following obligations:
To provide clear and accurate pricing information;
To provide honest advertising and service content;
To ensure that promotions are targeted appropriately.
The Code of Practice contains certain provisions to protect and guard against the exploitation of children.
Providers of premium rate services which are situated in the UK or which are accessed by users in the UK are obliged to comply with the Code of Practice pursuant to section 120(3)(a) of the Communications Act 2003. Providers of premium rate services are obliged to register with PhonepayPlus.
PhonepayPlus has the power to investigate complaints relating to breaches of the Code of Practice and to monitor premium rate services. PhonepayPlus also has the power to apply sanctions in the event that a provision contained in the Code of Practice is breached.
PhonepayPlus has a range of sanctions which it may apply. The sanction applied in a particular case will depend on the seriousness of a particular breach of the Code of Practice. The sanctions available are as follows:
To require a service provider to remedy a breach of the Code of Practice;
To issue a formal reprimand;
To require a service provider to provide to PhonepayPlus certain information and material;
To fine a service provider;
To require a service provider to bar access to services and/ or numbers for a set period of time;
To direct a network operator to bar access to services and/ or numbers for a set period of time;
To prohibit a service provider, information provider and/ or any associated individual (for example, the directors of a service provider) from involvement in or contracting for the provision of a particular type or category of service or contracting for the provision of any premium rate services for a set period of time;
To require a service provider to pay refunds to its users;
To direct that a network operator suspend access to some or all numbers allocated to a service provider.
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