• Agenda
  
• Note of meeting

AGENDA

1. Comments on the Note of the last meeting
2. Progress on Action Points
3. Business Model and Comments
4. Issues to be decided for Rules of Use manual
5. Conclusions

• Portability Rights
• Shared Rights
• Changes to Conventions
• Others

6. Next Steps

MEETING NOTE

Rules Governing Number Use Working Group

9 December 1999

Time & Place: 2:00 pm at Oftel

Meeting called by: Oftel

Meeting chaired by: Claire Milne (Independent telecoms consultant)

Oftel representatives: Mark Whitbread Alan Pridmore

Attendees:

Lesley Bulman (ntl)
Michael Dixon (TMA)
Roger Gilbert (DMA)
Steve Smith (DMA)
Peter Hamilton (BT)
Owen Watson (Torch)
Liz Wainman (CA)
Kathy Mulville (THA)
Chris Kemp (Ericsson; Chairman, NICC Task Group)

Apologies:
Andrea Dworak (Energis)
Paul Rosbotham (CWC)
Richard Cox (Mandarin)
Noel Scanlon (ADTS Ltd)
Paul Brisby (One2One)
Alan Price (Dial It)

1. Note of the last meeting
Change to final paragraph of Section 4: "Some of the problems are: calls getting bounced (?); rights not clear as you move down the name/number supply chain – e.g. Internet services bought by AOL but hotmailed to others." has now been replaced with

"The operators reported that the problems arise because of the complex supply chain for certain types of telecoms services. In many cases, a number is assigned by an operator to a service provider, which is then used within the provision of a service to end customers - in some cases there may be multiple service providers in the supply chain, adding varying degrees of value at each stage. In these circumstances, it is unclear who has the rights of use of the number, i.e. is it the user or the customer. The analogy with the internet is not exact; the similar situation has not been fully resolved in that, for example, in many cases the name of the service provider is part of the internet address (e.g. noname@hello.freeserve.co.uk) so that customers could not expect to port this name to another provider."

2. Progress on Action Points from Last Meeting

All To submit comments on Mark Whitbread's outline draft (attached) of a user Code of Practice (CoP) by 26 November No comments were received by the deadline. The several comments made at the meeting are given later in this note.
Oftel	To prepare amplified draft CoP for next meeting Second draft submitted to this meeting. The several comments made at the meeting are given later.
All To submit in writing any desired amendments to draft note of meeting on 8/10/99. One change requested by BT to their comment about their own Operator Restrictions paper. Change incorporated into final agreed version of note to be posted on the Oftel web-site.
Oftel	To draft Numbering Convention on number trading for next meeting. Submitted with the papers for this meeting. Comments on it included later in this note.
Lesley Bulman	To include interested members of the group in the circulation for comment of the draft outline specification of the PAP2 database. A draft of the outline specification should be available early in 2000.
Oftel	To send members of the group the draft new Numbering Conventions when available and arrange for the group to discuss at a future meeting (with Sandy Grom) points of relevance to the group's work while the consultation remains open. This is expected for the group’s January meeting.
Oftel	To facilitate any relevant points arising from the recent PRS consultation being fed into the group. The responses have yet to be considered. Oftel will inform the group when they have been.
Oftel	To compile an "issues list" - as a planned output from the group - to cover issues touched on by the group but left unresolved (e.g. whether, and if so how, porting rights can be shared; destination/use of any funds collected as a result of above-cost charging for numbers; influence of number layout on number value).
	Although no list has been compiled as such, several of the issues raised that are not for this group to consider have been discussed either by the Charging for INA group or the Steering Group of the INA working group Chairmen: Claire Milne, Michael Dixon and Chris Kemp. Notes of the meetings of the Charging for INA working group are posted on the Oftel web-site shortly after they are agreed.

3. Number Trading
Query on use of "Full availability…" in 2^nd bullet point under Context sub-heading. Understood that not all numbers will be released as soon as the new structure is designed.

Time limits on reservations should not be too generous.

Need to remove that part of the Conventions that disallows trading unless it is of coveted numbers (Convention A8.1, bullet point 5).

New Convention should require Operators and others not to obstruct trading. If Accredited Reservation Organisations that are neither Operators nor Service Providers come into being, Operators would not be able to hinder trading.

The group asked how Oftel would enforce trading rights. Not suitable for Oftel to become too deeply involved, especially if some rights are contractually supported but Oftel hope rights would be passed down any number supply chain.

Oftel requested comments on this proposal by Thursday 6 January. These responses and the consequent discussion would form the meat of the next ConDoc.

4. Rules Governing Number Use Manual

Overall comment on the manual was that, if it is intended to cater for laymen, it is in parts too technical. Wording-specific comments included:

Para 2
-         Charging is not only for selected numbers but for all individual numbers.

Para 3
-         Better to describe terms such as "Number trading" instead of trying to define them.
-         "Number Steward" might be a suitable term to replace "User", which is ambiguous.
-         Definitions needed for other terms, e.g. "service provider" and "allocation".

Para 5
-         Although rules refer to all number ranges, charges are expected to apply only to 08 and 090 numbers.
-         Query whether some rules should be stated to apply only to some number ranges.

Para 6
-         "sub-allocated" and "assigned" need defining.

Para 9
-         Not politically wise to state that users acquire fewer rights than a service provider.
-         "blocks" needs defining or deletion.

Paras 10-23
-         These largely re-iterate the points in the 1^st draft of the manual; they can be split between called party and caller.
-         Suggestion called party rights should be clearly separated from caller rights by sub-headings.

Para 10
-         Users cannot force service to be arranged; he can only request it.

Para 11
-         Uneasy about mention of price control on porting. Impossible to interpret clearly "level that could effectively prohibit              porting." Delete 2^nd sentence.
-         Porting charge must be clear before contract arranged.

Para 13
-         Technical limitations on call-diversion of ported numbers make 2^nd sentence impossible to provide. Rules could require              such limitations to be spelt out before contract arranged.
-         Misleadingness better covered elsewhere.

Para 14
-         The right to parallel running and announcement depend on network capability and are not always possible. Suggest              replace this with "right to whatever changeover facilitation is available".
-         Add that this right applies only to those of sound financial status.

Para 17
-         Malicious calls quite unlike unwanted marketing calls and should be separated.
-         BT only permit one change of number due to claim of malicious calls unless customers show they have been careful             about new number.
-         Mention Malicious Calls Bureau with respect to malicious calls.
-         Mention Telephone Preference Service with respect to unwanted marketing calls.
-         Some might not want another similar number, so add "if desired".

Para 18
-         Separate rights when taking on a new selected number from those when taking on the existing number after moving              house.

Para 19
-         Query over "for the best price he can obtain" because seems to encourage holding out for high price.
-         Suggest include obligation for trading parties to notify service provider of change.
-         Impractical to require protection against competitive misuse of similar numbers. Delete para. Consumer concern, though,             so should be mentioned in the coming consultation document with an explanation why provisions cannot be included in                the manual.

Para 20
-         Expand to encapsulate 1997 Rights and Obligations of the User paper published by Telephone Network Operators             Group.

Para 21
-         Could usefully tie into earlier statement about number ranges in Para 5.

Para 22
-         More appropriate place to mention other organisations that help ensure marketing material is not misleading, e.g.             ICSTIS, ASA, ITC, etc.

Paras 22 & 23
-         Caller rights might better be worked into other sections, such as introduction. This manual is really for others.

Para 23
-         Para is correct but seems not to be needed. This is information that is not really directed at the intended target of this             manual, the end-user. Also only refers to non-geographic, so of limited value. Delete para.

Paras 26 & 27
-         Seem contradictory but both are true at the moment. Service providers could be users, which complicates the issue.

Para 27
-         DMA do not support that a service provider should be able to port without reference to a user.

General observations

-         Not clear what happens if a company or individual that has rights over a number goes out of business.
-         Important to identify who bestows rights and decides disputes over them.
-         Need for some kind of verification of stewardship, such as certification (not workable) or e-thumbprint.
-         Make geo/non-geo split clear where needed.
-         Call-forwarding and portability seem two major issues to cover both in the manual and in the upcoming ConDoc.
-         Check possible impact of Numbering Directive on content of manual.

Oftel pointed out the remaining issues at the back of the 2^nd draft of the manual. These will, if possible, be incorporated with the above into the 3^rd draft, which will be prepared for discussion at the next meeting.

NB: Attached is a copy of the 2^nd draft of the manual. The paragraphs are numbered for easy reference.

5. Next Steps

Oftel to circulate for comments the latest business model of a possible future allocation and charging structure developed as a result of the Working Groups on Rules Governing Number Use and the group on Charging for Individual Numbers. Submissions from Working Group members are welcomed by Wednesday 6 January. Submissions after that date may not be able to be discussed at the next round of meetings.

Still to come from 2^nd Meeting of the Group:

Future meeting date
10:30am         20 January 2000

For information only:

[Return to 'Numbering Working Group 1' page]