National Code & Number Change Update All the Phone Companies Together April 2001

Agenda 1.Geographic changes 2.Final Phase 3.Timings 4. Q&As

Geographic Changes Parallel running ended Staggered switch off dates –Cardiff on 5 August –Coventry on 19 August –Portsmouth and Southampton on 2 September –Northern Ireland on 16 September –London on 14 October In addition switch off of 000 international ISDN code on 30 September

Geographic Changes Misdials caused no threat to network Approx 33% of calls dialled the old codes on the day of the switch offs Generally dropped to 20% within a couple of days 2 weeks after switch off only 5% of calls still made using old codes and numbers

Final Phase - Background Old mobile, pager, special rate and premium rate numbers stop working on 28/4/01 Old mobiles represent 10% of all mobiles; approx 4 million Around 30% of callers to old mobiles are dialling the new number already Use of new numbers is much higher for 08 (60%) and 09 (85%)

Final Phase - Background 60% know about the mobile changes but only 20% think they will have changed by the end of April 84% of those with an old mobile don’t know what their new number will be 23% are aware that there is no single conversion rule for mobile number changes Source: BMRB Consumer Research 16-18th February 2001

Final Phase Direct mail from operators forms major part of campaign –esp special and premium rate customers All information contained in literature, website, and available from helpline All opinion formers and third parties updated Therefore mass communications to focus on mobile and pager changes only

Mobiles - Objective Communicate to owners of old mobiles to get them to –learn their number –tell contacts –update stored numbers diallers to old mobiles (NB includes land line callers) –find out new numbers –update stored numbers

Strategy Focus on diallers rather than owners of old mobiles as it is larger group thereby suitable for mass rather than direct communications it encompasses the owners of the old mobiles numbers owners of old mobiles will be contacted directly by their phone company

Who Dials Old Mobiles? All diallers inc land line All mobile owners Owners of old mobiles

Messages Hierarchy: WHEN? (knowledge of date) WHAT? (awareness of what’s changing) HOW? (knowledge of detail of change)

Obstacles Apathy –small number affected (10% of all mobiles) –last minuteitis Misunderstanding - ‘just insert 7’ –“my number is 07 so changes must have happened” Media wear out

Timings Using learning from April 2000 Press and radio ads to run two weeks prior –focus on date and change –retain style of campaign Media stories to be issued four weeks prior –one in four people (15 million) affected by changes ie dial non 07 mobiles –and one in five (12 million) have old numbers stored