Tariffs Version 163
6th January 2012

Numbering Database
25th January 2012

Site Last Updated:
6th January 2012

View Residential
Tariff Costs (free)

Extended CodeLook
Lookup telephone codes,
localities and call prices

Business Members Site
(requires password)

Residential Members Site
(requires password)

Numbering and Database Products

Numbering Members Site
(requires password)

Application Members Site
(requires password)

Database Members Site
(requires password)

Overview and Membership
Information

Membership Order Form
(secure server)

What's New This Month
(Site History)

December 2011 Changes
(members only)

State of the Industry

Other Magenta
Sites

CamCollect
view and save
webcam pictures

CodeLook
lookup telephone
numbers and cost

ComCap v4
data capture utility

DUN Manager
broadband and dial-up
networking enhancement

Encode UNIX
Passwords

MailMaint
POP3 email

PassDir ISAPI Filter

Update Windows
Registration Details

Delphi Developers

Links to Other
General Sites

Links to Other
Telecom Sites

Magenta Home Page

Please note that Magenta Systems Ltd does not sell or recommend any of these tariffs, you need to contact each company specifically. Magenta Systems simply publishes this price information for comparison purposes. Nor do we take any money from these companies to list their information, it is totally impartial. Sorry, but we can not provide advice about the best tariffs for any individual or company, you must compare the prices and make your own choices.  

Multiple tariff costs are shown for some operators, for others discounted tariff costs are calculated. The spreadsheet version allows the discount costs to be changed for differing spend levels. The level of detail varies between operators, some supply everything, others just the more common tariff costs. The comparison is updated at least 10 times a year, with operator tariffs being checked every three to six months, the better operators inform us of changes monthly, as they happen.  Residential prices all include VAT at 20%, unless otherwise stated. 

Non-Members may view the residential tariffs as web pages, but to download them in spreadsheet format or access the various code tables you need to become a paid member. The business pages look identical to the residential pages, they simply contain different companies and figures. 

Access to the Business Members Site and Residential Members Site requires a logon name and password, which is emailed once the Membership Form on the secure server has been completed and payment received.  Details of information available to Members and the prices is available in the Site Overview.  Business members may view and print the tariffs, numbering and operator information from an Acrobat (PDF) file. 

State of the Industry attempts to give an overview of recent changes, which operators are being taken over, which have ceased offering services and those in financial difficulty.

Site News

The presentation of the UK Telecom Tariff Cost Comparison web site has substantially changed last year, to improve clarity and offer improved comparison between the hundreds of telephone tariffs listed. 

Extended CodeLook now lists all numbers found, instead of one at time using next and previous, provided at least two or three digits are entered.  The new list allows clicking for full details of each number, also the charging band and operator.  The number and charge band pages show the cost of calling that number both as detailed call cost bands and sample costed calls of  various lengths on different days and times.  Calls may be costed by any residential or business package (around 500 at present) selected as the Charge Costing Package.  Because CodeLook now returns multiple numbers, the previous daily limit of 100 free look-ups has been reduced to 20, after which a membership login is needed.  We are however offering free membership for non-commercial use by the various authorities that use CodeLook to trace telecom operators.

The operators page shows the company address and telephone number and web link (if available) with details of Ofcom 'licenses' and numbers of number codes allocated.  When looking-up localities, all the exchange codes in a locality may now be listed.  These various pages that previously listed telecom operators and links have been consolidated into a single common new format, with extended information including many more external web links, with new links being added added each month,

Business and residential tariff packages may now be listed alphabetically, or compared by different categorisation such as bundled free calls and broadband.  For any package, the complete list of call costs may be viewed.  Line rental costs may be compared. Call costs may be compared for 350 different charge bands  (instead of six before), with sample call costs shown for various call lengths between 30 seconds and 1½ hours. Various other reports are planned for future months.   

Numbering and Database Products

A number of UK telephone Numbering and Database Products are available, including:

• Online Extended CodeLook, lookup partial numbers, tariff bands, localities and call prices on a web page
• Magenta UK Numbering Database is designed for those that need to fully integrate telephone numbering, tariff band and locality information into their own systems. This membership offers comma separated variable text files of the numbering database information.  Sample extracts can be provided on request. The numbering database is a snapshot of current numbers and tariff bands, usually updated weekly.
• Magenta SQL Telecom Database offers a Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 database with both numbering and tariff information, containing stored procedures to access the content, exactly the same database that drives this web site.  For use with other SQL databases, CSV files are also be available. The SQL database is historic, containing old and current numbering and tariff information allowing telephone calls to be costed as at a specified date.

ComCap - Magenta Serial Port and Network Capture Utility

ComCap is a Windows application designed to capture data received on PC RS232 serial communications ports or using network TCP/IP and UDP streams and save it.  Captured data is shown in scrolling windows and is written to text files, and may also be printed, written to SQL database tables or echoed to other PCs using network protocols or serial ports. Captured data can have text added such as date and time, a serial number and remote IP address. Data from up to 999 serial ports and network streams can be captured simultaneously, in separate files, with various file rotation schemes to start new files periodically. ComCap will capture to files on two separate disk drives for redundancy and will send email and SMS alerts if problems occur. ComCap is both a system tray and background service application that can be set to start automatically when windows starts, and remain unobtrusive.  When using the background service, captured data may be still be viewed as it arrives.  .

Please email any comments or corrections about the UK Telecom Tariff Comparisons

Magenta Systems Ltd, 9 Vincent Road, Croydon CR0 6ED, United Kingdom
Phone 020 8656 3636, International Phone +44 20 8656 3636
Fax 020 8656 8127, International Fax +44 20 8656 8127
http://www.magsys.co.uk/
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