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September 7, 2004

Internet Phone Users

Britain Creates New Phone Numbers

A new batch of phone numbers will be assigned in Britain to accommodate the emerging market for cheap phone calls over the Internet, the UK's media and telecoms regulator said on Monday. The voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone services are getting a boost in the United States, Europe and parts of Asia from broadband Internet access plans that allow users to make cheap, and even free, phone calls for a monthly subscription.

On Monday UK telecoms industry regulator Ofcom said it would establish the prefix "056," allowing Britons to switch from their existing 11-digit telephone number to a new Internet broadband 11-digit phone number. Customers would also be able to take a new 11-digit number beginning with the more recognizable regional prefixes "01" or "02," Ofcom said. Finally, select customers may be able to keep their existing 11-digit number after switching. Ofcom said it would leave number assignment to the Internet telephone providers, and that it would keep regulation of the emerging industry to a minimum to spur competition.

Such services are viewed as a threat to Europe's fixed-line phone companies such as BT Group and the Netherlands' KPN who have experienced a rash of customer defections to cut-price competitors offering cheap Internet phone services. BT has established its own Internet phone service, in part to fend off upstarts such as Skype. The Luxembourg-based software company offers a free computer program that enables users to make free voice calls over the Internet to other Skype users behind PCs anywhere in the world. Skype customers are charged for calls made to non-Skype users. - Reuters

Related information:
- In Internet Calling, Skype Is Living Up to the Hype (NY Times-registration required)
- Skype for Mac OS X (Version Tracker)
- Adam Curry's Daily Source Code for Monday, September 6
- Skype Web site

Cindy