Service services
The Service service (in terms of service performance telecommunications services - including 0180 number is called) in telecommunications , a value-added service . In the past, the company called took over part of the telephone charge so that the customer only had to pay the cheaper local rate instead of the expensive long-distance tariff. Nowadays, most tariffs are much more expensive than normal long-distance calls, and part of the charges for dialing 0180 numbers can be distributed to the operator of the service.
Until March 1, 2010, services were referred to as shared cost services .
General information and tariffs in Germany
In Germany, the 0180 number range was created for shared cost services. Call costs used to be below those of normal numbers. Since the liberalization of the German telephone market, however, the costs for calls to normal numbers have fallen significantly, while the costs for 0180 numbers have remained constant. This means that cost savings when calling 0180 numbers are no longer possible compared to normal landline numbers. 0180 numbers are not geographically bound.
There are different classes of 0180 numbers, whereby the first digit after 0180 determines the costs for the caller: connections to 0180-1 ... (originally about the cost of a local call during off- peak hours), 0180-3 ... (originally about the cost of a regional call to Off-time) and 0180-5 ... (originally about the cost of a long-distance call during off-peak time ) are always billed on a timed basis (with most telephone companies with minute intervals), calls to 0180-2, 0180-4 and 0180-6 from the fixed network are charged instead Fee per successful connection, regardless of the connection duration.
| Number range | Cost per minute from the landline |
Costs per call from the landline |
Cost per minute from a mobile phone |
Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0180-1 | 3.9 cents | - | Max. 42 cents | |
| 0180-2 | - | 6 cents | ||
| 0180-3 | 9 cents | - | ||
| 0180-4 | - | 20 cents | ||
| 0180-5 | 14 cents | - | ||
| 0180-6 | - | 20 cents | Max. 60 cents per call | Since 2013 |
| 0180-7 | 14 cents | - | Max. 42 cents | Since 2013, the first 30 seconds are free |
There are comparable services in Austria and Switzerland. In Switzerland one speaks of fee sharing numbers that have an 084x area code. For these 084x numbers, a maximum rate of 12 cents (i.e. CHF 0.12) per minute applies. In Austria there are the 0810 and 0820 numbers, for which an upper limit of 10 and 20 cents per minute has been set.
Areas of application
In addition to their classic use as hotline numbers, 0180 numbers are also used to offer registration-free call-through and as individual subscriber numbers for Unified Messaging services and VoIP connections .
Undesirable developments
As a result of the liberalization of the telephone market in Germany, the call charges for calls to normal subscriber numbers fell significantly, while the charges for the 0180 classes were not reduced, but increased by the telecommunications providers.
Therefore, nowadays it is usually much cheaper to call a normal landline number instead of a corresponding 0180 number; even mobile phone numbers are often cheaper to reach than the 0180-5 service numbers used by most providers. Only the 0180-2 numbers with a fixed connection charge per call can be advantageous for the caller from the fixed network with longer connection times.
This effect is further intensified by the increasing number of flat rates , because many customers can now call landline connections from both mobile phones and landline connections at no additional cost. The cost discrepancy for calls from mobile networks, which mostly also includes the home area, is particularly striking .
According to the Federal Network Agency , it is inadmissible for service providers to be paid a partial amount of the telephone charges. However, this is practiced by many telecommunications providers. This payout is known as advertising cost subsidy (WKZ), as many providers, in return for the payout, oblige the number owner to name the provider along with the tariff, e.g. B. "01805 - ... (14 cents / min, provider)". The WKZ is usually only paid for 0180-5 numbers and averages three cents per minute of call for the service provider. For hotline numbers where no telecommunications provider is mentioned in the announcement, it can be assumed that the service provider does not receive any payments (WKZ).
The future as a service
In July 2007, the Federal Network Agency officially stated in its official gazette the widespread abuse of advertising subsidies and, as a result, initiated a procedure to clarify the future of the 0180 number range, the principle of shared costs and customer contact services.
In May 2009, through a TKG change, the shared cost services were converted into so-called service services , which means that today's 0180 pricing from the fixed network can be retained. Only for 0180 calls from the mobile phone networks have price caps been set somewhat below the previous market level since 2010.
A change will be implemented with the new Telecommunications Act of October 27, 2011, effective July 1, 2012. According to this law, queues should be free.
In the first stage of the law, upstream queues should be free of charge (probably on August 1, 2012), in the second stage, from August 1, 2013, downstream queues (forwarding) should also be free of charge. At this point in time, there is no technical solution for the second stage that can ensure the legally compliant implementation of this law across all networks. If a technical solution is found (e.g. by signaling the waiting loop via the ISDN D-channel or from VoIP-based telephone systems, offline billing), the service providers will be billed for the costs of releasing the waiting loop. Many service providers such as B. statutory health insurances or the Federal Employment Agency are therefore planning the general deactivation of the 0180 service numbers or have already abolished them and replaced them with local numbers or free 0800 numbers.
Legal prohibition of chargeable service hotlines
In March 2017, the European Court of Justice pronounced a fundamental ruling on service services, which forbids companies to charge existing customers higher telephone charges than the usual basic tariff (ECJ, Az. 568/15 of March 2, 2017). The basis was the action brought by the competition headquarters against a large mail order company, which the Stuttgart Regional Court referred to the ECJ because of its fundamental importance. The basic tariff is not defined by law, but the basis of the decision is a high level of consumer protection, the customer and the like. a. should not discourage people from refraining from calling on contractual questions for reasons of economy or even from waiving their right to complaints or a revocation ("basic tariff regulation"). The prohibition does not apply to order and booking hotlines, as well as information and advice hotlines, provided they are aimed at new customers or are used for new contracts, as well as free contracts and the business customer area and other exceptions due to individual regulations and the like. a. are regulated in the BGB .
Alternatives
Substitute numbers
Calls to 0180 numbers are diverted by the intelligent network to normal telephone numbers. This can be used to bypass the mostly expensive 0180 numbers. There are pages on the Internet that list replacement numbers for a number of 0180 service numbers. T. even be published by the provider, z. B. for calls from abroad.
032 phone numbers
Companies that are primarily interested in a non-geographical number with inexpensive, location-independent routing are available as a consumer-friendly alternative to the use of 032 numbers , which are usually much cheaper for consumers to reach from the landline than 0180- Phone numbers.
Individual evidence
- ↑ New price rules for 0180 numbers , from March 1, 2010 13:00, on heise online
- ↑ Federal Network Agency points out changes to (0) 180 numbers , Bonn, March 1, 2010, Federal Network Agency
- ↑ Info and advantages 0180x numbers
- ↑ (0) 180 service numbers may only be used to provide service.
- ↑ Press release of March 1, 2010. Federal Network Agency , accessed on November 29, 2013 (PDF; 131 KB).
- ↑ a b c Telephone number sub-ranges (0) 180-6 and (0) 180-7 from July 23, 2013. Federal Network Agency , accessed on May 14, 2019 (PDF).
- ↑ Telecommunications Act (TKG) § 66d maximum price limits. Federal Office of Justice (laws on the Internet), accessed on May 14, 2019 .
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: The Bakom via 084x numbers , Federal Office of Communication
- ↑ The RTR 0810/0820 numbers , broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory GmbH
- ↑ teltarif.de: special numbers from the mobile network
- ↑ heise.de: 0180 on the test bench
- ↑ Bundesrat 361/09: Law to convert shared cost services into service services , Environment-online.de
- ↑ The government provides information about the Telecommunications Act ( Memento of the original from March 8, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , bundesregierung.de
- ↑ Free waiting loop can become a cost trap , from November 23, 2011, teltarif.de
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated November 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Conversion of the Federal Employment Agency from 0180-1 numbers to 0800 numbers free of charge
- ↑ Andreas Brommer: ECJ prohibits hotlines with additional charge - No service under this number. Wolters Kluwer Germany (lto.de), March 2, 2017 (Page 1 of 2)
- ↑ List of telephone numbers that are hidden behind 0180 numbers , 0180 phone book - www.0180.info - teltarif.de
See also
- Chargeable service numbers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Web links
- Retail prices for calls to 0180 special numbers for Deutsche Telekom landline customers, which most landline providers usually use as a guide
- ECJ ruling: 0180 is not permitted as a contact number for contract customers - summary assessment of the basic tariff regulation with exception rules (PDF file). Ecotel, accessed October 29, 2017