Finarea (18185, 1899, 18866) are missing a trick by not offering a
07744 access number. They currently offer the 18185, 1899, and 18866
Carrier Selection numbers for BT lines, and 0800 and 0208 numbers for
access from non BT landlines and from mobiles. 07744 access numbers can
be used out of inclusive mobile minutes for Orange, T-Mobile and Virgin
customers (while o2 customers have inclusive 0870, so a 0870 access
number would also be useful). 07744 numbers provide revenue, which can
then be used to provide calls to overseas (or to UK 0870 and 0845
numbers), allowing customers to make international calls or 0870 and
0845 calls out of their inclusive mobile minutes. However, for many
international destinations (particularly mobile phones and less
developed countries) 07744 numbers either provide insufficient revenue
to provide the service, or only allow it at peak times - when the
numbers are able to charge the highest termination charges (07744
numbers follow mobile numbers in their peak, evening and weekend
charging structure).

With Finarea already having the telecom infrastructure, online customer
management, and billing facilities they are in an ideal position to
save their customers money, gain market share, and make more profit by
offering 07744 access numbers. With their billing facilities they can
offer all destinations 24/7 by allowing revenue from the 07744 number
to be topped up by invoiced charges (taken from debit/credit card or
direct debit - as Finarea currently do). A tariff message would come
up before they are connected to their destination number saying how
much, if any, was to be charged to their invoice.

If Finarea want to make it even better, and more complex, they could
allow customers to accumulate credit (deducted from their invoice) when
using the 07744 access number to make calls to cheap numbers (e.g. UK
landlines or the USA) - since revenue from 07744 more than surpasses
the cost of placing the call. More controversially they could also
allow customers to call the 07744 access number, not call any
destination, but just accumulate credit on to their account. Maybe if a
customer was more than say £10 in credit, they could have the option
of having it credited to their debit/credit card, or put into their
bank account.

Because the 07744 charging structure changes with peak rate, off peak,
and weekend, it might necessary to briefly include a tariff message mid
phone call (audible only to the caller, with the receiver hearing
something like "We will reconnect the call shortly").
Alternatively, it might be better to abandon tariff messages
altogether.

Links:
07744 access number providers:
[url]http://www.yourcallworld.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.planetcalling.com/[/url]
Finarea:
[url]http://www.1899.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.18185.co.uk/[/url]
[url]http://www.call18866.co.uk/[/url]