Phonepayplus consults on new Code of Practice

Phonepayplus is planning a crackdown on rogue providers of all phone-paid services; and it is asking the public for their views.

The regulator of premium-rate phone-paid services said it wanted to introduce new regulations that would make some “significant” changes to the current Code of Practice (CoP).

One of the most important of these for consumers would be requiring providers of premium-rate services and content to register with Phonepayplus.

Phonepayplus said introducing this measure would enable it to “pinpoint and prevent harm at key points” in the supply chain when there are consumer complaints.

Currently, only the service providers, which buy premium-rate numbers from network operators and sell them on to the companies selling content or services (known as information providers) have to register. The information providers do not.

Phonepayplus wants registration for these information providers to be mandatory. Failure to do so under the new CoP would mean that these companies would not be allowed to do business in the UK phone-paid premium-rate market.

“Making the content provider register with us makes it easier for the company they buy the numbers from to make informed decisions about doing business with them.

"It also means we can respond quickly and target the right company if there are problems,” a representative for Phonepayplus said.

People can log on to the Phonepayplus website to read the outlined proposals and submit their views.

The consultation will close on 8 July and then the proposals will need to be approved by Ofcom, the telecommunications regulator.

If they are accepted the new CoP will be implemented in early 2011.