Flextel is introducing price adjustments on 1st January 2023 due to increasing costs.

Although we`re increasing our tariff slightly in some areas, we`re confident that our service still delivers world class value for money, with many powerful call management features still included free of charge.

Setup Fee

The call setup fee will increase to 18p per call. This still compares very favourably with call setup fees charged by other major network providers. For example BT`s is 26.58p per call.

Mobile vSIM

The monthly charge will increase to £1.98 per month and the connection charge to £15.

Other Call Charges and Plans - No Change

Due to the measure taken above, we are pleased to confirm that all Call Plans and UK call costs can remain unchanged. In-Plan calls will now offer even better value, with increased savings, as the 18p setup fee won`t apply.

Flextel is introducing two price adjustments on 1st December 2021 due to increasing costs.

Although we`ve increased our tariff slightly, we`re confident that our service still delivers world class value for money, with many powerful call management features still included free of charge.

Setup Fee

The call setup fee will increase to 15p per call. This still compares very favourably with call setup fees charged by other major network providers. For example BT`s is 23p per call and Vodafone`s is 19p per call.

Mobile vSIM

The monthly charge will increase to £1.80 per month.

Other Call Charges and Plans - No Change

We are pleased to confirm that all Call Plans and UK call costs are unchanged. In-Plan calls will now offer even better value after December, with increased savings, as the 15p setup fee doesn't apply.

Home Working

2020 was a challenging year for many businesses, with the Covid-19 crisis creating a general need for effective home working, typically demanding flexible and reliable distribution of high quality calls. Remote staff also need to present the main business number from any phone they have to hand at home.

Flextel History

Since its inception, Flextel has always used its own services to support home working. In 1993 it started as a home based telecoms company, probably one of the first in the world. As it expanded Flextel moved into rented offices in the mid-1990s, eventually moving to it's own dedicated network management centre in 2000. All without changing its main business number. In 2020 it was fairly easy for us to change mode from a part-remote and flexible-working regime to a fully home-working model, with just minimal staff at its Cheshire headquarters. In fact one member of the Flextel team took full advantage of the benefits of home working, by stopping his daily commute and also helping to look after a new family member. So far he has upgraded and deployed powerful new Apps and software enhancements, more easily than if he was in the office.

Trust and personal responsibility are essential ingredients for successful home-working, and team members are all the happier for it. They also take comfort from being covid secure. The business benefit is that Flextel now has a much greener eco footprint and is all the stronger for it.

Impact of Covid 19

Before 2020, Flextel had been promoting the benefits of its services to deliver effective remote working, but without gaining much traction in the marketplace. The problem was that most business owners just didn't want to take the risk of a change to their current working practices, despite the allure of the obvious cost savings and improved operational flexibility. Typically, they preferred to stick to the tried and trusted model of a central office with regional hubs, each managed by a local line manager, who oversaw call handling teams in an open plan office. The manager would normally be expected to be responsible for the smooth operation of the local hub, including organising regular telecoms hardware servicing, maintenance and fault handling.

The arrival of Covid-19 was a game changer; with many businesses scrambling to implement home working in order to stay legal and in business. Now customers immediately grasp the benefit of our suite of powerful call management services. These include, diary rerouting, remote control of call and message flow and call/text distribution. Businesses, forced to shift their call handling models from traditional call centres to home working teams, use these and other features to reduce the cost and maintenance overhead of complex hardware, in favour of Flextel's cloud based solutions. Better still, the public now accept that many top businesses take calls using home-based staff. The occasional dog, barking in the background, is now accepted as the norm and is often a source of amusement, helping to create relaxed customer relations and forming an easy rapport in these challenging times.

Will this new working practice continue after Covid 19? I'm confident that the UK's green agenda will encourage this. Indeed, expensive, polluting and exhausting commuting may even become frowned upon by the general public and may label businesses still stuck in the 20th century as out of date and out of touch.

Mission Critical Services and Call-Out Teams

Over the last decade Flextel has fine tuned its service to support emergency response applications and other mission critical organisations requiring urgent team call-out. Of note, are our powerful call-blasting and text-blasting features. These, plus other in-built call and text distribution services, already support various rapid response teams, including:

• Callout Teams within a number of NHS trusts
• Members of the National Association of Blood Bikes
• Doctors on Call
• Mountain Rescue Teams

All of these services are backed-up by powerful call and text logging, via an administration account. This means that post incident analysis is immediately available.

Throughout 2020 we continued to enhance our quality and reliable service, with a wide range of effective tools tailored to our established user base. We implemented a number of subtle but important tweaks to our control systems, as a result of feedback from our key users working in the mission critical application area.

Features to help you deploy effective Home Working

Display your Main Business number when calling from your mobile
     ...even if your main number service is not provided by Flextel e.g. by BT, Virgin etc, there is no need to change network. Just logon and use the special form. Activation is automatic, free of charge and takes just minutes. Find out more...
 

Call Transfer

Enabling this advanced feature, lets you transfer a caller to another extension (or any external mobile or landline). You simply need to press #, followed by the required extension number. The Caller is played music-on-hold, while you contact the extension. Find out more...

Text Blasting

Available if you're using a Flextel Virtual Mobile SIM. It lets you forward any text received by the Virtual SIM to every mobile in a blast group. Find out more...

Improved Diary Control for more precise call management. Automatically change the configuration and call flow by time of day or date.

We also updated all our Smartphone Apps and made them even faster and continue to add many handy features. Using our Apps, your mobile can be used as your remote office and you can present your main office number, even if it's not provided by Flextel.

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year
from all the Team at Flextel

Will Goodall
Chairman and Flextel Founder
Sandbach
Cheshire ...from home

Over this time we have developed and enhanced highly resilient systems, meeting the stringent requirements of major UK authorities. Our robust systems deliver resilient call management tools such as call queuing, call huntgroups, call blasting and text blasting. These are ideal for the control of emergency call-out rosters and the alert and activation of emergency rescue teams.

Flextel has always been an enthusiastic champion of remote working. To this end our team has enjoyed the benefit of Flexible remote working for a number of years, with every team member being supplied with the tools to work from home. This has always made the Flextel team stronger and more resilient. It has been an extension of our standard working practice for us to immediately adopt the current government Stay-at-Home requirements required to restrict the spread of Covid-19 (Coronavirus) . Since early March, each member of the Flextel core team has been fully isolated from each other to reduce the risk of a synchronous impact of Covid-19 on our team performance.

As you would expect, we have also been working with partners across the industry to closely monitor the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, to ensure that we are taking all the necessary steps to protect the operation of the Flextel services. We have comprehensive business continuity plans in place to protect our critical national infrastructure – ensuring seamless operation for our end users. We have thoroughly tested these plans and have implemented these over the years and work closely with our infrastructure partners, to ensure our continued capability to deliver these critical services.

Thanks to careful planning, plus the efforts of our team members, we are confident that we're in a position to maintain these core services in extreme circumstances. We will continue to review our plans on a daily basis and adapt them, if the situation changes.

Although we've increased our tariff slightly, we're confident that our service still delivers world class value for money, with many powerful call management features still included free of charge.

Setup Fee

The call setup fee will increase to 10p per call. This still compares very favourably with call setup fees charged by other major network providers. For example BT's is 23p per call and Vodafone's is 19p per call.

Other Call Charges and Plans - No Change

We are pleased to confirm that all Call Plans and UK call costs are unchanged. In-Plan calls will now offer even better value after April, with increased savings of the 10p setup fees.

All other terms and conditions remain unchanged. All quoted prices are inclusive of UK VAT.

Find out more here...

2019

Last year was another great year for Flextel. Besides tuning up the overall service, we also released some powerful new products including:

We also updated all our Smartphone Apps and made them even faster and continue to add many handy features. Using our Apps your mobile be used as your office and you can present your main office number, even if it's not provided by Flextel!

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year
from all the Team at Flextel

As Flextel mentioned in the February Service Update, recent Ofcom price controls means that from the 1st October you will need to pay for call forwarding when using 070 numbers.

"We [Ofcom] will impose a charge control on all 070 providers, to be set at the same rate as the mobile termination rate. This will come into effect on 1 October 2019. We anticipate that the likely effect of this will be that the cost of calling a 070 number will, in future, be shared between the person making the call and the recipient."

This means that our 070 tariff must become the same as 01,02 and 03 numbers.

One possible benefit is that 070 numbers may be included in many mobile and fixed telephone price plans, as per a normal mobile number. This may open up the opportunity for our Virtual SIM service to be used on this range.

If you want to keep using your 070 numbers, then simply make sure you add FlexCredit to your account. You can either Buy FlexCredit or Exchange your Rewards to FlexCredit.

Alternatively you can save money by taking out a Plan.

If you want to move to a free range e.g. 0870 or 0871, then you can do this easily by using our free Change Number Announcement service.

Find out more here...

0800 Freephone Numbers

We've just added hundreds more 0800 Freephone numbers to our stock. Now you can add a professional 0800 number to your business from £1*, while stocks last.

Charity, Governments and Corporate Numbers

We've also reduced the price of thousands of other numbers ranges, including 0300 Government and Charity Numbers, plus the 03 Corporate number ranges for that powerful business image.

084 and 087 Numbers

The popular 0845, 0844, 0870 and 0871 ranges remain free of charge to connect and operate for UK landline and mobile termination.

...find out which is the best number range to suit your business needs

Although we've had to increase our prices in some areas, we're confident that our service still delivers world class value for money, with most powerful call management features still included free of charge.

Calls

The price of calling UK landlines and mobiles is being increased by 1p per minute.

The call setup fee is rising to 5p per call. This still represents good value and compares very favourably to other network providers (see notes below).

Monthly Plans

Our Plans still offer major savings as they apply to the whole of your account. All other major UK Telco's require a separate plan for each phone number in your account. Flextel's "whole-account"  plans are much easier to manage compared to the tricky per-number plans of our competitors.

We are proud that we have managed to hold our Plan costs stable for nearly 5 years. Over that time the retail price index has risen by over 10%.

Each call within your Plan will not be charged the set-up fee, saving 5p per call.

From 1st April, the price for Landline and Mobile Plans will increase by either £5 per month or 10% (whichever is the greater).

Also Landline Plans will no longer include international destinations, due to Brexit induced exchange rate fluctuations. If you need international calls included in your Plan, then please upgrade to a Mobile Plan, which include International calls to many destinations e.g. Europe, USA, Canada, Australia etc.

Mobile Numbers

The monthly cost of virtual mobile numbers is rising by 30p per month to £1.50.

Find out more here...

2018 - A Review of the Year

Service Enhancements

Last year was a great year for Flextel and besides tuning up the service, we also released some powerful new products including:

We also updated all our Smartphone Apps and made them even faster and added a handy recent calls list and a Callback feature. So now your mobile phone really can be your office and you can present your main office number, even if it's not on the Flextel system e.g. on BT or Virgin.

Ofcom Activity

Ofcom continues to ignore excessive mobile access charges for 084 services (over 55 pence access fee compared to our very reasonable wholesale service fee of 5 pence ex-VAT). Instead Ofcom has decided to create more costly, complex and unclear regulations.

On the 19th December Ofcom published its Final Statement on 084 numbers. Unusually this only gives 084 users just 4 weeks, over a major UK holiday period, to decide whether they need to register their 084 numbers, at a cost of £186 per year!

In the past Flextel has spent considerable time, effort and money to try and influence Ofcom, mostly without success; this time there is nothing we can do about it. So, if you are using 0845, 0844, 0870 or 0871 numbers you may need to check how you use them and then decide if you need to register with the PSA.

The deadline is the 16 January 2019!

Read the PSA press release...

However, if you're unhappy about this short notice or if you wish to complain about Ofcom's methods please write to...

How can we help?

If you use any of our 084 or 087 numbers and do not wish to spend time checking whether you need to register with the PSA, then you can simply migrate your numbers to an identical number, except the leading 08 is changed to 03. e.g 0870 321 1000 becomes 0370 321 1000. We have all the 03 mirror codes available for our customers and will provide them to you free of charge.

Your 08 numbers can then be taken out of service, using our free changed number announcement; so then the PSA need not be contacted and the new Ofcom/PSA regulations no longer apply to you.

For a limited time only, Flextel are offering a full and seamless 03 Mirror Number connection service, free of charge, on a first come first served basis. This offer is subject to your account status and at Flextel's sole discretion.

All you have to do is:

1. Just logon to your account
2. Fill out the Mirror Code Request Form
3. Press Send and Flextel will do the rest

Please be aware, we will process your requests, as batches, in early January, and before the Ofcom deadline.

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year
from all the Team at Flextel

Why is Ofcom doing this?

Ofcom hopes that this very disruptive intervention will benefit consumers. But is it right to determine policy on little more than hope? I explain below, why the more likely outcome is simply a boost to the profits of large phone companies and with no benefit to consumers. A likely total failure by Ofcom due to mistargeted regulation.

The Ofcom Press Release and Statement, highlights...

What's Flextel's Position?

I agree with Ofcom's laudable principle of protecting consumers from overcharging and bill shock, but...

For me, the big picture is that mobile companies charge far too much for ALL out-of-plan calls ("free minute allowances"), not just 070 calls; which after all is only a tiny niche market. To deliver real consumer benefit Ofcom needs to target retail call pricing head-on.

One example is that Vodafone charges its customers a whopping 55 ppm (pence per minute - the same as for 070 numbers) to call Flextel's mobile numbers starting 07822 . Yet Flextel charges Vodafone about 0.5 ppm; the same Ofcom controlled rate as all mobile codes. Now Ofcom plans to use the very same rate for 070. So it appears that, unless Ofcom takes additional accurately targeted action, the 070 plan is set to deliver zero consumer benefit.

Why does Ofcom let such blatant price discrimination continue?

It appears that there is no convenient legal instrument available to Ofcom and it is all just too hard. The easy "070 sound bite" appears to be an attractive and much simpler option for a PR sensitive and rather ineffective regulator. For example Oftel (Ofcom's predecessor) rightly insisted on charging consumers for calls on a per second basis. Ofcom has let this important control slide. Now a 6 second 55 ppm call that should cost 5.5 pence, today costs 55 pence. This means that the effective cost per minute of a 6 second misdial is £5.50!

Ofcom appears to be asleep at the wheel, when it comes to tackling the challenging call pricing transparency and consumer bill shock issues. The competition team seem to be unable (or unwilling) to do anything about it. Given that the mobile companies are very interested in maximising profit, to satisfy their shareholders; then I think Ofcom's dream may become a bit of a nightmare. Indeed, to part-quote Jonathan Oxley, I can see every reason "why phone companies shouldn’t pass this saving on to their customers".

So the really big question is... Will the phone companies pass on these saving or just keep the extra money?

To me it's seems absolutely essential that Ofcom takes additional action to ensure that these suggested consumer cost savings actually happen. Otherwise there is no consumer benefit for Ofcom's very disruptive intervention. In simple terms it would be pointless and also actually harmful to society.

So if Ofcom fails to deliver on this promise, then all we will have left is the additional burden for 070 users, who after all are also consumers of telecom services. Of course there is also the benefit of larger profits for the Mobile operators. A nice little windfall delivered by Ofcom to the largest phone companies in the UK, at the expense of over a hundred smaller players. How does this help competition or consumers?

In such a case Ofcom's intervention will have blatantly failed its legal obligation to deliver either a consumer benefit or a competition benefit and will also have destroyed the bonâ fide segment of the 070 market, established for over twenty years.

So what Happens Next?

Unless Ofcom recognises that it has made an error and recants, then on the 1st October 2019, Flextel will be forced to charge 070 users to forward their inbound calls. So if you do not add credit to your account, then your 070 calls will start to fail. If you feel this will put your service or safety at risk, please contact Ofcom and let them know about it, using these contact details.

How can Flextel Help?

We can advise you how to tailor our services to meet your needs. We can save you money by helping you choose the best Monthly Plan to suit your specific application. Alternatively, a year is usually plenty of time to plan number migration to a new code such as 0845. We also have a free changed number announcement service which helps make number changing rather easy. You can also keep this service for as long as you want.

To find out about 070 options, please contact us.

Don't forget to checkout our local geographic codes - we've got the whole of the UK covered. Ideal for any local business, but also for those businesses that need to give a local look for their regional or national call centres.

Find out more...

In simple text alert mode you just set a text alert by entering a mobile number in the SMS box or clicking 'Set to Current Destination'. This can be really useful, when your mobile is in poor coverage and you miss an important call.

An advanced option - 'Callout SMS' - allows multiple mobiles to be messaged in sequence to permit escalation for mission critical situations e.g. Emergency services, fault reporting line etc. Texts are repeated at your chosen interval period until a designated person replies, as instructed in the notification texts.

Find out more...

Normally, when a caller does not press any key, your greeting is repeated up to 3 times before connecting to a selected extension or simply hanging up. Now you can adjust this timer from 1 to 5 repeats.

So you can decide to send unresponsive callers to one of your extensions (e.g. a receptionist) after only 1 repeat or voicemail. We have also allowed you to instruct calls to be immediately transferred to one of your extensions without having to wait for user input, thus speeding up connection.

This now makes Flextel's Free Switchboard one of the most powerful on the market.

Find out more...

To help make it easier to listen to your voicemails and recordings, now you can choose to have these files sent in mp3 format, which is widely used to play music and radio programmes and is supported by a large number of Apps and players.

find out more...

Contact customer support for more details...

Contact customer support for more details...

However, in some circumstances it may not always be possible for the account payer to access the email address. To help with this issue you can now download your detailed invoices directly from your Account.

You may already know that all plans now include free call recording and VoIP termination. Free Call Recording, is particularly useful for conferencing services and call quality assurance purposes on busy switchboards.

Just announced, Plans can now be paid for by calls to your 084, 087 and 070 Numbers. This is called "Offsetting". Just switch on Auto-Convert and save even more money with your plan.

Plan Benefits

• Reduce your costs by using Rewards to help pay for your Plan
  - Switch-on the Rewards Auto-Convert service
• Free Call Recording
• Free VoIP call termination - anywhere, worldwide
• Your numbers never expire
• Your Plan covers all the numbers in your account
  - no need to buy a plan for each number, unlike other providers

Checkout the comparison charts to help you easily choose the perfect plan for you.

...Find out more about Monthly Plans

Call Queuing is completely free to use with 03, 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 phone numbers. It costs just 1p/minute when using 01 or 02 local numbers. There is no monthly fee or long term contract.

The Queue feature is a dynamic call distribution system that allows your callers to enter a queue, hear where they are in the queue and how long they have to wait to have their calls answered. Your callers are delivered to a set of designated "extensions" using a distribution strategy of your choice...

Extensions can be traditional landline phone, mobiles or even SIP Phones, using Flextel's low cost, high quality VoIP service. Extensions can be located anywhere in the world. The queue can be controlled by our integrated diary service and calls can be recorded.

Flextel lets you combine multiple features, such as Auto-Attendant, Hunt Group, Call-Blast or Diary Rerouting.

It's easy to build flexible tailored solutions, designed to suit your needs.

If you have any questions why not contact us and we can talk through all your options.

....find out more about Call Queuing

Simply go to the Number Settings page and select the upload  icon

...that's it!

Applications

Ideal for use with our free bundled Auto Attendant Switchboard feature, Virtual Conference Rooms and of course for a more professional sounding Voicemail Answering service.

Find out more at our FAQ on Announcements...

Our Monthly Plans are now even better!

Saving up to 4p per minute on calls and 1p per recording .

You can move to a Plan immediately. Just login, add to basket and checkout. ...Compare our plans.

Find out more about Monthly Plans...

Just select your numbers from the shop then go to your basket and enter the special 50% off discount code:

The promotion lasts from January until the end of February and you can the discount code as many times as you like. So you've plenty of time to choose the best number for your family, friends or business.

We've a massive stock of Local numbers from every area in the country, including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, plus all the other UK cities, towns and villages. We also have a good selection of Freephone 0800 numbers, along with the usual 03, 0844, 0845, 0870 and 0871 Business number ranges. So, with our original 070 Personal numbers and our newest 0300 Charity numbers, you've lots of choice from millions of Flextel numbers.

Free numbers? Hurry! Once they're gone they're gone!

Want to earn more Rewards?

Just logon to your account , view myRewards and use your Reward Points to create Number Purchase Vouchers.

Share your unique voucher code with friends and if used you'll earn rewards on all purchases that your friends make. You will also earn rewards on many of their calls.

...find out more about rewards

BT to raise call charges in September

According to the Daily Telegraph, Britain's biggest landline provider, BT is increasing call charges and line rental fees from 20th September which will affect up to seven million customers. BT will increase telephone line rental charges by up to £12 a year and the cost of a 60-minute weekday phone call will be almost 40p higher. Under new rules introduced by the Regulator last month, existing customers will be given 30 days to leave their contract penalty-free.

Here's a comparison of the new BT pricing compared to the other big providers and Flextel. This is for daytime calls to our top destinations, on the cheapest available call plan...

You may be wondering why Flextel is so cheap, but surely the real question is why are the other big players so expensive?

With a good quality internet connection our service can deliver better voice quality than BT, because Flextel isn't limited by old fashioned and expensive copper telephone lines to your home or office. BT's old copper technology results in calls that sound muffled by today's standards. With Flextel you'll not only gain in call quality, but also save on line rental and call costs.

By switching your phone numbers to Flextel you'll also gain all the benefits of a modern Flexible Telecoms system packed with powerful control, monitoring and switchboard features. So isn't it time you moved all your numbers to Flextel?

Find out about moving my numbers to Flextel...

Six Month Review

Doesn't time fly! We have been very busy over the last 6 months, and with so many changes to our features and services we thought it would be good to have a recap, so that everyone can catch up. So in the news this month we are going to take a look at some of the free and low cost services and features we have changed and the ones we have introduced. They have included setting up our new VoIP service to make and receive calls using the Internet, the Call Blast & Call Hunt Group facilities, the ability to reroute calls using a Diary Function, and we have even written a new Mobile Apps, for Windows phones.

Call Blasting - June 2015 News...

The Call Blast Service is a powerful call distribution system that in simple terms allows any Flextel customer to ring a set of phone numbers, all at the same time. The numbers can either be associated with landlines, mobiles or even Internet based soft-phones. This low cost service allows any Flextel customer to ring 8 destinations and the service is ideal for busy individuals or business that would like to ring a group of phones simultaneously..More

Call Hunt Group - June 2015 News...

The new Hunt Group Service, is very similar to the Call Blast Service, but there is one major difference, unlike the Blasting service that rings all 8 destinations at once, the Call Hunt Group Service rings each number in a more controlled cascaded sequence one after the other. The Call Hunt Group Service can be used in conjunction with the Call Blast Service as there is no charge for linking Flextel numbers together..More

VoIP Service - May 2015 News...

VoIP, sometimes referred to as IP telephone or Internet phone, simply stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it enables users to make and receive calls over their Internet connection. All you need is a VoIP capable device and an Internet connection. The new Flextel VoIP Service is fully integrated with our existing dashboard. This means that Flextel customers will now have the ability to originate calls using VoIP...More

Diary Rerouting - April 2015 News...

Many Flextel customers have been requesting a Diary feature and we have now introduced it. With Diary you can schedule your numbers to reroute at any time of the day or night 365 days a year to any destination...More

Windows Smartphone Apps - March 2015 News...

Flextel has just added Call Blasting, to its already feature rich service, but not only have we introduced the ability to ring 8 destinations at once, with this new service, we have also introduced a second service, Call Hunt Groups, again 8 destinations can be rung, but in a more controlled manner in a sequence.

Why not take a second to read through the feature pages on the use of the Call Blast Feature and also Call Hunting, to see if you could benefit from using these services.

Call Blasting

The Call Blast Service is a powerful call distribution system that in simple terms allows any Flextel customer to ring a set of phone numbers, all at the same time. The numbers can either be associated with landlines, mobiles or even Internet based soft-phones. Once setup all the phone numbers that have been entered into the blast group will be rung at the same time, the first phone to answer will get the call. There is no cost for setting up the service and only a single call-charge is incurred.

This low cost service allows any Flextel customer to ring 8 destinations and the service is ideal for busy individuals or business that would like to ring a group of phones simultaneously.

The service is particularly well suited to small teams providing sales, support, service or helpdesk functions. It can also be used for emergency callout, ringing the whole a list of numbers until someone answers, this could easily and quickly be configured and would allow peace of mind for an elderly relative or any vulnerable person.

Call Hunt Groups

The Call Hunt Group Service can be used in conjunction with the Call Blast Service as there is no charge for linking Flextel numbers together, i.e. a user can now setup a series of hunt group destinations, those destinations all have an associated blasting group of 8 numbers.

Flextel users have the ability to combine multiple features, such as Auto-Attendant, Hunt Group, Call-Blast or Diary Rerouting to build powerful tailored solutions, designed to suit your needs.

If you have any questions why not contact us and we can talk through all your options.

....find out more about these services by clicking Call Hunt Group or by clicking Call Blasting.

Flextel is pleased to announce that we now have our own in house VoIP service, please take a look at our VoIP feature page to find out more or contact one of our customer service representatives, by completing this simple form, and we can discuss the new VoIP service with you.

VoIP, sometimes referred to as IP telephone or Internet phone, simply stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it enables users to make and receive calls over their Internet connection, without the need for a traditional telephone landline. All you need is a VoIP capable device such as an IP Phone, a Computer or even a Smartphone, and an Internet connection.

With over 20 years experience in the telecoms arena, Flextel has not rushed into providing a VoIP service. We believe that quality and reliability, backed up with great customer support are key factors for providing a cloud based VoIP solution and we have tried to introduce a service that reflects that ethos.

The new Flextel VoIP Service is fully integrated with our existing dashboard, and with a few simple clicks or taps; you can easily change a traditional Flextel number into a VoIP one. This means that Flextel customers will now have the ability to use any Flextel number that they own, with the new VoIP service.

To try Flextel VoIP, either convert one of your existing numbers, by following these simple steps or visit our shop get a new number and then follow the same simple steps. The great thing about Flextel is that any number converted to use VoIP can easily and simply be converted back to being a normal Flextel number, so you still retain your cherished Flextel number.

If you have any questions or would like to use other equipment such as IP PBXs, then why not , contact us , and we can talk through all the options with you that relate to our new VoIP Service.

....find out more about our VoIP services

Over the last few months, you may have noticed we have been gradually introducing changes to our website. We have also been adding new features too, one notably is the Diary Function and over the coming months we will start showcasing others.

Many Flextel customers have been requesting a Diary feature and we have now introduced it. With Diary you can schedule your numbers to reroute at any time of the day or night 365 days a year to any destination.

There are many benefits to using the Diary and If you would like to try the Flextel Diary feature then just click on this link to go to the relevant feature page and follow the steps outlined.

If you need any help with our new Diary feature or with any other feature then click here. Complete any extra information and one of our Customer Services team will be happy to help.

...find out more about our Diary Feature

Flextel has expanded its current IOS and Android Smartphone App portfolio to include the Windows Phone. We have worked in partnership with several of our customers to adapt our popular Apps to work with the fast growing Windows Smartphone platform.

If you already have a Windows Smartphone and would like to try the myAccount and myNumber Apps for yourself then click on myAccount or on myNumbers, and you will be taken directly to the relevant Windows Phone Shop pages.

What is the difference between the two Apps? In very simple terms the myAccount App allows you to have full functionality over your accounts on the move and the myNumbers App has a more limited functionality set and is especially well suited to users who do not need to change account details, but still need to manage their numbers.

If you need any help getting our new Windows Apps or with any of our Apps then click here, complete any extra information and one of our customer services team will be happy to help.

...find out more about our Smartphone Apps

The UK Government has just announced sweeping changes to crack down on nuisance callers. New regulations to increase fines on cold callers, are planned to come into force in the future, but what can you do NOW? Why not contact Flextel, we can discuss your options?

Flextel's Call Blocker Service allows you to block unwanted calls in real time from your phone. It also enables you to block after you have received the call, block number ranges like 0870 and it even allows you to block international numbers too.

A new feature of the Call Blocker service is the ability to block or bar a number from our email notifications.

You fully control who calls your numbers and if you have made a mistake and blocked a number you shouldn't have, account holders have a special section dedicated to Call Blocker. You can see who you blocked and with the click of a mouse or the tap of a finger remove the block, it is that easy.

How do I get the Call Blocker Service? Firstly you will need a Flextel number, which you can use as a virtual shield against unwanted callers. If you do not want to setup a new number you could transfer your existing one to us by porting and our porting team would be happy to help, just contact us and we can discuss your options?

So are you fed up with receiving nuisance calls? Why not try Flextel, just get in touch to discuss your options.

....find out more about our Call Blocking Services

As well as eligible call minutes, reward points are now also earned on the purchase of FlexCredit, Monthly plans and all Flexible numbers.

Reward points are awarded immediately and can instantly be converted to FlexCredit or Vouchers. Points can also be converted to cash after a security check period.

Resellers and Flextel customers who give away Vouchers or recommend Flextel using a special referral link will also receive rewards the moment a customer or friend buys online at Flextel.

...find out more about rewards

Flextel has a fantastic new offer on 03 numbers. If your call package includes these numbers, you can now get free 03 conference calls!

Free conferencing is ideal for business and personal use with all the quality of a landline call and none of the irritations associated with internet calling.

You can use this to contact your family, friends and colleagues to arrange outings for Christmas or to wish them a Happy New Year in one free and simple conference call!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and
a prosperous New Year from everyone at Flextel.

Flextel has released a newly improved shop which now includes money-saving monthly plans, that also guarantees that your flexible numbers never expire.

We have new comparison charts to help you easily choose the right phone number and monthly plan for you. We also have simple tools to highlight the best plans available; just use the sliders to set how much you wish to spend and how many minutes you need per month.

The free VoIP offer that is currently in place finishes at the end of 2014, so from the 1st January 2015 onwards the pricing will revert back to 1p/min, why not look at our new price plans for VoIP. For example the VoIP 1000 package gives you 1000 minutes of VoIP traffic, for only £5, a 50% saving on the standard charges. It is also an opportunity for you to consider different plans that could consolidate your bills and possibly reduce costs further.

All our new plans include free call recording, which is particularly useful for conferencing services and call quality assurance purposes.

The new Callback Cost Calculator lets you see how much you could save with a monthly plan, as the Callback Feature is included as standard. On top of all these improvements Flextel has now added the Callback functionality to the myAccount App for enhanced Smartphone use. Callback let's you present your Flextel number, record your outgoing calls, and make savings on calls to 0800 Freephone, other 08x numbers and international destinations; all of which have very high charges from most UK mobile operators. With Callback you also present a more professional image, while protecting your privacy as your mobile number is never revealed - it's shielded by your Flextel number.

Plan Benefits

• Reduced costs
• Dedicated plans for use with UK Mobiles
• Your numbers never expire
• Free call recording
• Free VoIP minutes
• All prices include VAT (unlike other suppliers).

Further Enhancements

• Callback cost calculator, with full cost breakdown
• myAccount App updated to include Callback functionality
• New easy comparison chart for choosing the right flexible numbers
• Simple sliders to help choose the right plan
• Clearer Pricing

Flextel has introduced a new feature called 'Auto-Convert'. With this feature you can choose to let your 08 incoming calls automatically help pay for your 01, 02 & 03 calls. This is called Offsetting; no need for a PayPal account or credit card!

By switching Auto-Convert on, your Rewards from 0844, 0871 and 070 national calls are automatically converted to FlexCredits. These FlexCredits can be used to make and receive calls and is particularly useful for international calls.

To find out how to setup Offsetting, click here

Offsetting can also help you with the following...

Buy Numbers	Callback	Call Recording
Conference Calls	International Calls	Intelligent Call Diversion

Don't forget about our fantastic free features...

Anonymous Call Filter	Auto Attendant	Call Blocker
Call Notification by email	Call Statistics	Dialled Number Display
Fax to email	Flextel Number Presentation	Smart call control by web, text and touchtone
Smartphone apps	UK Directory Listing (free advertising)	Voicemail to email

What you need to know about Shellshock ?

The Shellshock vulnerability (a.k.a Bash Bug) is having a widespread impact on servers, desktops, or devices that use Bash scripting. This includes android phones and many modern office telephone systems.

...find out more from the BBC

What has Flextel done about it?

Within hours of the hidden Shellshock bug breaking cover, Flextel's technical team had completed a full audit of all its servers and applied the newly released patches, so ensuring the security of our systems and your data.

The Future?

Flextel continues to monitor the progress of Shellshock and watch for other newly discovered threats to ensure your data is kept safe.

If you want to discuss how Flextel can offer you a safer, more secure and cost effective telephone system, then please feel free to contact us.

In celebration of World Cup 2014, Flextel have negotiated special phone rates for calls to Brazil.

Brazilian landlines are now included in our band 1 tariff, so you can divert any of your 070, 0871 or 0844 numbers to Brazil for FREE and your 01, 02, 03, 0845 or 0870 numbers to Brazil for just 4p/minute including VAT.

The benefits of this specially reduced tariff isn't just for use with our call diversion service. If you have friends or family you want to call, make use of our Callback, Call Gateway or FNP features and call Brazil at a fraction of the cost of a normal BT or mobile call.

Where else would you like cheap diversion to? Share your views with us

After reviewing our customer feedback, Flextel has now introduced a new shopping basket which enables customers to purchase and connect numbers much more quickly and easily.

You can now purchase multiple Flextel numbers in one single transaction, using various payment options provided by our partner portal. You can even use your FlexCredits or Vouchers to pay for your new numbers.

What do you think about our new checkout basket? Share your views with us

You can now easily keep track of your FlexCredits balance and how many FlexPoints you collected each month, thanks to Flextel’s simple and clear monthly statements.

These are emailed at the beginning of each month and enable you to see how many Flexpoints you have collected in the previous month, whether they have been earned through calls or referrals and see how many FlexPoints you have converted to vouchers, FlexCredits or cash.

You can also keep track of how many active numbers you have, how many calls you answered and how many minutes you used calling others as well as tracking how many FlexCredits were purchased and used in the last month.

What do you think about our new monthly statements? Share your views with us

Flextel has just released a convenient new points system that is very different from other schemes! FlexPoints are designed to give you much greater freedom over how you collect and use your earnings from Flextel.

Unlike commission-based reward schemes, FlexPoints doesn't place a restriction on how or when you collect your rewards. This means you can now collect FlexPoints whenever you receive any calls on your Flextel numbers and everytime you refer other people to use Flextel numbers. Even new customers who join Flextel by referral will also collect FlexPoints!

Once you have collected £10 worth of FlexPoints or more, you can convert these into FlexCredits, Vouchers or even cash. There's no time limit on earning FlexPoints, once they have been earned, the points are yours for as long as your account is active.

Best of all, there's no cap on how many FlexPoints to collect; the more calls you receive and the more referrals you make, the more rewards you get!

Find out more...

What do you think about our new FlexPoints System? Share your views with us

It’s now effortless to control multiple Flextel numbers simultaneously while on the move, thanks to Flextel's new myAccount app. Unlike the original myNumbers app, this free app lets you access your entire Flextel account using just your admin password and any of your Flextel or account numbers.

There are several new features unique to this app. You can now search for your Flextel numbers by accessing your smartphone’s contacts list, by simply typing in the number or by accessing your saved Flextel memories just as easily as on the website. There are easily identifiable icons next to each of your numbers so you can easily see if a Flextel number has call recording, call notifications or dialled number display (DND) switched on.

In addition, you can also top up your FlexCredits on this app anytime or simply switch on Auto-Topup. These, of course, are just a few examples of Flextel’s many features on this app that you can switch on or off or divert to, anytime, anywhere.

Find out more...

Click here to download the Android myAccount app

Click here to download iPhone myAccount app

What do you think about our new myAccount app? Share your views with us

Thanks to our newly released Callback feature it’s now much cheaper to call expensive destinations such as 08 numbers, international and other Out Of Bundle numbers.

This powerful money-saving feature lets you use FlexCredits to call others from your Flextel number, dramatically shrinking your phone bill. You can also choose any of your Flextel numbers to be displayed as your Caller Line Identity, at just the click of a button!

Callback not only reduces your spend to just a fifth of the cost of calling with your mobile and home phone; international calls are also much cheaper than most landline or mobile tariffs and internet (VoIP) calls are, of course, completely free.

Unlike VOIP calls, with Callback your connection quality won't be affected by the WiFi quality, making Callback a brilliant feature that can be essential for a number of situations such as:

• Holidays

• Working abroad

• Contacting family, friends and colleagues overseas

• Contacting tour and cruise companies

• Students contacting parents

• Travellers calling home

Find out more...

What do you think about our new Callback feature? Share your views with us

Flextel now lets you block unlimited nuisance calls for free, with our newly released call blocking service.

This means that as well as costing nothing, there’s no restrictions on how many numbers you want to block. You can even choose between blocking specific numbers and blocking a whole number range, such as all 0845 or 090 numbers, giving you the freedom to answer genuine calls without worrying about cold callers again.

With this feature you can also enable the mid-call blocker service on your Flextel account which enables you to block any number instantly by simply pressing * followed by # during the call. Using the mid-call blocker service also enables you to block callers with withheld numbers or no caller ID, thus preventing any cold callers with no CLI from contacting you again.

Image courtesy of Ofcom Information released on 10th December 2013. BT’s prices will be charged from 4th January 2014.

As you see, all of the above companies charge for the privilege of blocking unwanted calls or don't offer this service. Some of these restrict the number of callers you can block. With Flextel you get unlimited call blocking, without paying a penny.

Find out more...

What do you think about our new call blocking service? Share your views with us

Never run out of Flexcredits again! Now you can save yourself the hassle of topping up your Flexcredits by opting to do it automatically using PayPal.

Whether you are away for business or on holiday, selecting Auto-Topup on the Topup page will ensure that your Flexcredits will be automatically topped up with the amount of your choice whenever they fall beneath a certain value.

In response to your feedback, we’ve now improved our call statistics so that you can see this information updated every 10 minutes instead of once a day, helping you see quickly how many missed calls you’ve had.

You can also see the call length, talk time, how long your caller had to wait before they were answered, and how often individual customers call.

We hope that these requested improvements will also help you improve your customer service for your business.

Flextel are now providing you with a faster and more robust service after upgrading our old servers with brand new ones.

You won’t have noticed it, but we have a 500% faster processing speed with improved software to ensure that you receive an even better service than before.

For all your communications that demand better performance than standard internet-based telephony, our new data dedicated circuits guarantees to deliver a low latency, low jitter service that will consistently out-perform VoIP daily.

These circuits also improve the performance of widely-used legacy technology, such as fax machines, data modems and other phase-sensitive communication systems.

You’ll never need to worry about losing important numbers again, thanks to our new feature that lets you renew your Flextel numbers automatically for just 1p a month. That’s only 12p a year per number!

Simply select the auto-renew box on the renewals page of your account to guarantee your favourite numbers stay yours - for life.

We’ve further improved our customer support by installing our refined Auto Attendant feature on our phone lines, meaning we can now help you more efficiently than ever. When calling us, you will be offered just two options, ensuring that you easily get to the support you need: press 1 to talk to a member of our customer service team or press 2 to leave a message.

If you leave a message, we will get back to you without delay and don’t worry, you’ll still be talking to a real person and not a machine!

Flextel & Vibe develop new app

Flextel teams up with Vibe to develop new app Flextel, the founder of the UK’s first personal telephone number service, has joined forces with brand agency, Vibe , to create an app for iOS and Android, enabling people to control their calls remotely from any country in the world.

Founded by the former head of telecoms at Vodafone William Goodall in 1992, Flextel established its position as a trailblazer in the telecoms market by becoming the first company in the UK to provide full online personal number selection and delivery via the internet.

The virtual number company appointed digital specialists at Vibe to build on the success of its iPhone app by creating a dedicated iOS and Android app with added functionality.

Using the app with a Flextel number allows people to instantly receive calls on any mobile, international or internet phone (VoIP). It also enables the user to select which phone to use to accept calls, using a single number for convenience and efficiency.

The app offers increased functionality, such as the ability to review credit, re-point numbers, create a call gateway, make use of the conferencing system, record calls or switch to a ‘do not disturb’ mode.

Commenting on the development, founder and chairman of Flextel, William Goodall, said: “We are always keen to embrace emerging technologies and enhance our customer experience. The Flextel app has been designed to be highly accessible and to allow fast and accurate re-routing.

“In today’s world of global travel and hyper-connectivity, the app can create a ‘mobile office’ by controlling incoming business or personal calls from any country in the world.”

Added John Rushton, digital director at Vibe : “It was key for us in the development process to enable full integration with Flextel’s systems in a way that ensured the creation of additional functionality and settings didn’t mean constantly having to update the app.

“The main focus for us was making the app as simple and accessible as possible, while providing a fast and accurate service which can be used in any country across the globe.”

0800 Freephone numbers launched

0800 numbers are now being released for the first time by Flextel, in response to Ofcom's recently announced plans to make calls to 0800 'freephone' numbers genuinely free, even from mobiles.

Currently, calls to 0800 numbers from a mobile can cost up to 21p per minute. However the actual rate depends on the mobile network, the time of day and who is being called, causing confusion over how much callers will realistically be charged.

"By making calls to 0800 numbers free from all phones, we will clear up any uncertainty about making calls, especially from mobiles, to the benefit of consumers and service providers alike," explains Ofcom's Chief Executive, Ed Richards, in their press release.

Will Goodall, Chairman and founder of Flextel and former Head of Telecoms at Vodafone, points out that Ofcom is only just starting to tackle this problem because the cost of mobile calling is now cheap enough to allow free 0800 calls from mobiles. This means that all 0800 numbers will be truly free to call, at all times and from all phones.

"I'm delighted to see Ofcom giving this long-standing issue the priority it deserves," he says. "This will help vulnerable citizens who cannot afford a landline contract and rely on pay-as-you-go mobiles to make important calls. Likewise, businesses that use 0800 numbers will become much more accessible to everyone, without being hampered by mobile calling charges."

Flextel's newly available range of 0800 numbers can be found at http://j.mp/freephone0800 and pricing starts at £50 for a lifetime purchase.

Rare London numbers unveiled

Now you can set up shop in the UK's capital from anywhere in the world, thanks to a new stock of 020 7 London numbers released from Flextel this month.

These scarce, highly sought-after numbers offer a first-class opportunity to set up a virtual business hub right in the heart of London, regardless of where you are geographically located. Traditionally 020 7 numbers would mainly be used in the City area of London, the UK's prime business location.

They are immediately available to buy from just £20 and cost the same to use as other local (01...) UK numbers. There are no hidden fees, just pay as you use.

The 020 7 numbers work just like our other flexible numbers, giving you full versatility, control and privacy. They also come equipped with a wide range of free features that can be switched on or off when needed.

Flextel Chairman, Will Goodall says, "With the 2012 Olympics arriving this summer, London numbers are likely to be more in demand than ever. However Ofcom aren't releasing any more 020 7 numbers, so get them while you still can. Once they're gone, they're gone."

What do you think about virtual London numbers? Share your views with us

Call recording - now just 1p

We are now reducing the price of our call recording service from 10p to just 1p per recording.

Why? Because we've invested in new and more powerful systems that help us cut costs, meaning that we can pass on these savings to you. There's nothing for you to do - this change is already in place, we just wanted to let you know about it.

Please let us know what you think. We're keen to hear your views and suggestions on how we can improve our services - it helps to make sure we target our innovations exactly where you need them.

Wishing you a great holiday and prosperous New Year!

The Flextel team
ask@flextel.com
+44 370 321 1000

New 'Dial-in Reroute Control' service

We are pleased to announce that we now have a new Dial-in Reroute Control service.
This works in exactly the same way as our previous telephone-based rerouting system, but it is faster and costs less to use. We've also added a brand new advanced feature: Destination Checking.

1. Dial 0370 321 0000 and wait for the automated prompt
2. Key in your Flextel number
3. Key in your PIN
4. Key in your new destination phone number
5. Press 1 to confirm the new destination

Destination Checking: To find out where your Flextel number is currently routed, simply key in # # instead of a new destination number. Key in a new destination number after the prompt, if you wish to change it. You can read more about Destination Checking and other advanced features in our Dial-in Reroute Control guide

This service costs less because we offer an 0370 dial-in number as an alternative to our 0870 number. Calls to the 03 number cost no more than 01 and 02 geographic numbers and are included in both landline and mobile phone calling packages.

Similarly, we also offer an 03 alternative for our Customer Support number: 0370 321 1000. So now you can pay less to talk to us, even from your mobile.

Auto-attendant free upgrade

1. Auto-attendant now has integrated Intelligent Call Diversion (ICD)

Now you can activate ICD within Auto-attendant, just by selecting any ICD destination as for a standard Flextel number e.g. you can Leave-a-Message - If you do not want the caller to return to Menu when the extension does not answer or is busy.

Selecting Leave-a-Message, also lets you screen Anonymous callers - just check the Anonymous box. Now any caller, that withholds their number, will be asked to leave a message.

2. Send Callers who do not press any key to a default Extension

Selecting default Extension Number is easy. Just click the new radio button on the right of the extension that you want to use if the caller does not press a key. Now after the menu has been played three times your callers will be connected to your default extension.

However, if later you decide to force your callers to make a selection, then click the radio button marked "hang-up". The system will then simply hang-up after your greeting menu has been played three times.

Flextel Launches Customer Forum

Why a Forum?

Future Services and Enhancements?

The Forum also helps us shape the future of the Flextel service, so we can bring you the most useful products and services.

Please get involved, your views are really important to us and we want to hear from you.

Call Recording & 0844 to Mobiles for Free

Call Recording

This service is now available on all numbers. To record your calls, logon to your Account, then simply click the record icon next to the Flextel number of your choice. The icon will turn red and from now on your calls will be recorded and emailed to you. To find out more see:
www.flextel.com/features/Call+Recording/

0844 to Mobiles now Free

This month Ofcom forced the cost of calling a mobile down, so we've now made forwarding 0844 numbers to most UK mobiles free.

Also the cost per minute for forwarding 01, 02, 03, 0845 or 0870 numbers to these mobiles drops from 10 pence to 4 pence (3.3 pence excluding VAT).

Check out the Price List for details...
www.flextel.com/costs/#calls

Website Upgrades

We've made some minor changes that we think makes the control section clearer and easier to use. We've also added distinctive icons for:

1. - Call Recording - (on)
2. - Call Notification - (on)
3. - Dialled Number Display - (on)

 

...and reorganised the "Reroute" page. Let us know what you think.

Finally, thanks for all your continued support and suggestions, we are always keen to get your feedback, good or bad.

Kevin Archer
Marketing Executive

Auto-Attendant Enhancements

Low Cost Flexible Auto-Attendant Service Launched!

Flextel Local Numbers Launched!

Upgrade to Conference Calling - free recording!

0870 back in stock!

Well it seems that we passed the Ofcom Challenge with flying colours! Phew!

So moving on, I hope you'll be pleased to see that we've been very busy over Christmas, upgrading and enhancing your service...

Faster service for 2010

We know you're also busy and that you need our service to be as fast as possible. So we've upgraded many of our systems and servers, some using leading edge solid state disks.

The result is an astonishing transformation in performance and so now you'll experience even faster and easier control of your flexible phone numbers!

More powerful service for 2010 - Routing to any country

You can now reroute your Flextel intelligent numbers to any normal mobile or phone destination worldwide.
Thanks to Ofcom - ha! ha!

Just top-up your account using your PayPal (no forms) account or any credit card and you're ready to receive calls at more expensive destinations.

Route Free to your VoIP Phone - Anywhere in the world - Any number range

How?

Get VoIP phone service from any VoIP supplier, using SIP, then just enter your SIP address (looks like an email address) as your Flextel number destination.

As usual, with Flextel, your number is not tied to your phone service provider.

It's really that simple and you'll also save money for both you and your callers (just choose a number with a cheaper calling rate).

Future Developments

Now Ofcom has gone quiet (and my New Year's wish is that they stay that way!), you'll see that we've now got time to bring a range of exciting, innovative and powerful new features to market. Some of which have been delayed over a year, thanks to Ofcom's meddling.

These new features will simply enhance your existing services. No disruptive "clever" redesigns. Your existing service will work as before. They are designed to empower you and your business.

For more details, keep watching this page or sign up for Twitter alerts.

Also look out for developing FAQ's over the next few weeks. For instant help on any of the above, please call our team or email Flextel customer support (see details below).

Finally, I wish to thank you all for your continued support, loyalty and helpful advice. Many of you have been very patient, supportive and considerate over a challenging period. I'm always grateful to hear your suggestions and feedback, good or bad, because in constructive criticism, you often find a great new idea.

So, if you're not happy with what we're doing, please let us know and tell us what you want.

Wishing you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

I'm sure you already know about new proposals by Ofcom that threatened closure of our 0870 service from 1st August. Well that was last month!

Call Commission for 0870 Use

From now on you'll be able to use your call commission to pay for 0870 calls. All at the touch of a button. Just go to your account's commission page and in one click you'll instantly convert your commision to prepaid calling credit!

No £250 limit, no Commision Statement, just instant conversion. From that moment on, your 0870 calls will continue to work after the 1st of August!

This is a permanent feature so, if you use other codes for service or help desks, you can use these calls to help pay for your 0870 service, so it's effectively free of charge!

Topup your Credit

If you haven't got much call commission, don't worry! You can topup your call credit with PayPal or any normal credit/debit card. Just go to your commission page and there's another new button. Click it and you'll be whisked to Paypal. Now topup in just a few clicks - in a slick, easy and safe way.

Our 0870 rates are pretty competitive too because there's no monthly fee, no monthly bill and call charges start from just 2 pence per minute for VoIP and 4 pence per minute for ordinary calls.

Better still your 0870 number is even more flexible. Now you can direct your 0870 calls to all UK mobiles and an even bigger range of international destinations!

So 0870 may still have a place in your communciations portfolio. Don't forget it has excellent access from overseas, unlike 0844 and 0871, and has a well established corporate image. Even better, BT and others are already charging 0870 at the same level as ordinary 01 and 02 numbers and Ofcom expects mobile operators to stop ripping-off your customers with their 0870 over-charging. We expect Ofcom to deliver on that promise.

Your Prepaid Credits don't expire - No evaporation!

As Flextel is an ethical company, you won't be surprised to discover that your prepay credits don't expire. You'll also enjoy having no monthly fee or monthly bill to deal with. With Flextel you only pay for the calls you use.

No calls means - no monthy charges. How refreshing!

Free trial of 0870 to VoIP (using SIP)

For those "tech heads" who want to use VoIP (SIP protocol), no problem! Its really simple and you'll also save money. Just enter your SIP address (looks like an email address) into your 0870 number destination. There is no need for prepaid credit, since we're giving it away for at least the next three months, to see if you like it and find out how well you think it works!

By the way VoIP also works on all your other codes e.g. 0844, 0871 and 070 numbers.

What else has Flextel done to help with 0870?

1. Changed Number Announcement - free & easy!
   • Look for "Change Number Announcement" in the reroute screen,
   • Select it,
   • Type in the changed number and you're done.
   • This service is planned to be free - indefinitely - There is absolutely no cost to you.
   • It's ideal for those who want to migrate from 0870 to alternative Flextel Numbers.
2. Voice Mail & Faxmail
• 0870 calls to voicemail and faxmail services will remain free for now.
3. Conference
   • You can still use this powerful service on 0870 at highly competitive rates.
   • Remember your callers should soon pay less for calling 0870,
     so you're intra-company conference calls may actually cost you less (e.g.from mobiles),
     but do check prices with your phone supplier, to be sure.

Enhanced Flexibility

Now, using prepaid credits, both 0844 and 0871 can be routed to a huge range of destinations. So they're now as flexible as 070 Personal numbers.

0871 changes on 1st August

It's not just 0870 that changes on the 1st August, Ofcom has decided that 0871 numbers should be treated like a type of premium rate number and that they should be regulated by Phonepayplus after the 31st July, 2009.

Although we think this is another daft idea and that Call-Price-Labelling would have been a much fairer and effective solution for consumers and 0871 users alike, regrettably Ofcom just didn't think it through. PhonepayPlus has been landed with this complex job and has only relatively recently finalised the details.

Flextel has already applied to PhonepayPlus and been approved as a "Network Operator". So, if you use 0871 numbers you really should register as an "087 Service Provider", before the 1st August.

087 Service Provider Registration

Although it sounds complicated, PhonepayPlus are keen to make it easy for you. If you are using any 0871 numbers, you simply register as an 087 Service Provider with PhonepayPlus, using their online form. This is a free service. Once registered, you will be emailed your Service Provider Registration certificate with your unique service provider registration number (SPN). This is a 12 digit combination of numbers and letters. Finally you simply log your SPN in your Flextel account(s) and email your certificate to us at ask@flextel.com. That's all you need to do.

Do I need to register my 0871 services?

The "Register your services" section of the PhonepayPlus website is a voluntary part of the process. Technically registration is completed once an SPN is generated and you have sent your certificate to Flextel, as your Network Operator. Registration can be a useful best practice exercise for Networks and their clients to complete - but it is not obligatory for it to be completed. If you feel your 0871 service needs this, then go to the PhonepayPlus registration page and follow the simple guidelines.

Once registered you also need to make sure you understand and follow their Compliance Guidelines. If your use of 0871 is not business-business only, then you must indicate the price of the call to consumers. This can be done on stationery and adverts or by using an announcement at the start of the call. The choice is yours. PhonepayPlus are keen to help you and this is what their Guidelines say:

"Don’t panic! Reading the section ‘What is changing?’ may sound like you’ve got an awful lot to do; but you don’t need to reprint all your stationery overnight, repaint your van and recall any products with your phone number stamped on them. If you follow some simple steps to compliance, the changeover needn’t be a headache at all."

However, you must keep your SPN safe and notify us by entering your SPN in the special box to be found in your Flextel account.

This is a new area for Flextel and for PhonepayPlus and the people there are working hard to adjust their approach for the 0871 market. They're expecting quite a few questions and have been very helpful so far. As we move forward Flextel will work with PhonepayPlus to ensure any teething troubles are ironed out. As long as you use your 0871 in a fair and reasonable manner, you'll have nothing to worry about.

You can be sure the team at Flextel will do their best to give you help and friendly advice. However it remains your legal responsibility to ensure that you comply with the new rules and the only definitive advice available is to be found at PhonepayPlus itself. Flextel cannot give you legal advice in this matter. For more information see our 0871.

Help and Advice

Look out for developing FAQ's over the next few weeks. For instant help on any of the above, please call our team or email Flextel customer support (see details below).

Finally, I wish to thank you all for your continued support, loyalty and helpful advice. Many of you have been very patient, supportive and considerate over a challenging period. I'm always grateful to hear your suggestions and feedback, good or bad, because in constructive critisism you often find a great new idea.

As you may be aware, new proposals, made by Ofcom on the 23rd April, threaten forced closure of our 0870 service from 1st August. All our other 08, 07 and Geographic services remain unaffected.

Background

After a year of uncertainty, Ofcom suddenly issued its revised statement, delayed for over a year, on the future of the 0870 service, giving users only 3 months notice.

Ofcom also published consultation proposals deciding the new rates for 0870:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/resolve0870calls/

The proposed rates, imposed on Flextel by Ofcom, are well below direct costs and appear to slavishly support BT, in its well publicised attempt to destroy the important 0870 market:
http://business.scotsman.com/business/BT-calls-on-Ofcom-to.2642029.jp

The 184 page statement (and 108 page consultation) do not make easy reading to the general public, nor do they clearly highlight what the implications of their proposals will be to businesses using these numbers.

However, once you have waded through the spin and jargon, it becomes clear that Ofcom is proposing rates to the industry that are below cost (i.e. loss making) to all but the few largest operators, like BT. (Ofcom have used an antiquated model, seeded by BT, in their cost calculations and have not factored in the cost of international call extension and the loss of EU and international trading).

Despite the obvious damage done to Flextel and other small operators, mobile operators will still be free to charge what they like for 0870 calls, so consumers will still be unprotected from rip-off 0870 charging.

But what does all this mean to you?

• The 0870 service cannot continue in its present format.
• 0870 calls can no longer be extended free of charge to UK destinations, Ireland, US or to the many EU countries that are currently supported.
• In simple terms the free 0870 service, as you know it, will be closed.
• It is not clear whether porting 0870 numbers is feasible under the new rates.

What can Flextel do to help?

• Flextel will continue to allow 0870 calls to the Flextel voicemail and faxmail services.
• Flextel will provide a free Change Number Announcement to allow migration over to alternative Flextel Numbers.
• A scheme to provide customers with alternative desirable or personalised numbers is being developed.
• Flextel is working to enable 0870 to VoIP(SIP) destinations, by the Ofcom imposed deadline. This may help some hi-tech customers to continue to use 0870 in a limited manner.

For help on any of the above, please call or email Flextel customer support (see details below).

Responding to Ofcom

Flextel has been actively engaged with Ofcom for a number of years and will continue to battle to create a better and fairer marketplace for all.

Last year Ofcom also had its knuckles rapped by the Competition Appeals Tribunal, and it is likely that a similar appeal may be made against this ill advised and wholly unnecessary intervention. Ofcom is a very young regulator, being just five years old. Like any five-year-old, it is full of enthusiasm, but has much to learn about tinkering with complex life-critical systems.

You will understand Flextel is deeply disappointed that Ofcom has refused to listen to our constructive arguments, failed to protect innovation and appears to remain firmly within the shadow of BT. This is how we objected to Ofcom's latest proposals.

Very recently Ofcom has started implying to some of you, that we have had over two years to warn customers of this closure. This is not the case. We have only known since the 23rd April, about Ofcom's latest proposals. These are significantly different from any prevoius proposal. In simple terms, they offer Flextel (and all other 0870 service providers) even less money than last time. They also have lost the key consumer protection from 0870 overcharging. We have written to Ofcom, warning them that they are misrepresenting the true situation, in a manner that is damaging our business reputation.

Naturally, even though Ofcom's 0870 plans have now turned out to be rather ridiculous, we did expect Ofcom to be sensible enough to either give up or at least allow a reasonable time for you to adapt to its latest "big idea".

All our other services remain unaffected and Flextel holds very significant cash funds, available for investment in the development and expansion of our service.

To be clear Flextel is not in any financial difficulty and has no debt. Indeed, for its size, Flextel holds very significant cash and property reserves spread across a number of banks; an enviable position that BT and other public companies might desire. However, Flextel is not a charity and has no choice but to close its 0870 service, to avoid a good revenue stream from becoming seriously loss making.

Please contact us for free advice on how you might best to deal with this Ofcom-generated challenge.

Finally, thank you all, for your continued support and as always we are keen to hear your suggestions and feedback.

As you may be aware, new proposals, made by Ofcom on the 23rd April, will effectively close our 0870 service from 1st August. All our other 08, 07 and Geographic services remain unaffected.

The Ofcom Statement

Last week Ofcom suddenly issued a revised statement, delayed for over a year, on the future of the 0870 service, giving users only 3 months notice:

Ofcom has published several consultation proposals for 0870, follow the link below to find out more:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/0870calls/

The proposed below-cost rates imposed on Flextel by Ofcom, appear to slavishly support BT, in its well publicised attempt to destroy the important 0870 market:
http://business.scotsman.com/business/BT-calls-on-Ofcom-to.2642029.jp

The 184 page statement (and 108 page consultation) do not make easy reading to the general public, nor do they clearly highlight what the implications of their proposals will be to businesses using these numbers. However, once you have waded through the spin and jargon, it becomes clear that Ofcom is proposing rates to the industry that are below cost (i.e. loss making) to all but the few largest operators, like BT. (Ofcom have used an antiquated model, seeded by BT, in their cost calculations and have not factored in the cost of international call extension and the loss of EU and international trading).

Despite the damage done to Flextel and other small operators, mobile operators will still be free to charge what they like for 0870 calls, so consumers will still be unprotected from rip-off 0870 charging.

But what does all this mean to you?

• The 0870 service cannot continue in its present format.
• 0870 calls can no longer be extended free of charge to UK destinations, Ireland, US or to the many EU countries that are currently supported.
• In simple terms the free 0870 service, as you know it, will be closed.
• It is not clear whether porting 0870 numbers is feasible under the new rates.

What can Flextel do to help?

• Flextel will continue to allow 0870 free calls to the Flextel voicemail and faxmail services.
• Flextel will provide a free Change Number Announcement to allow migration over to alternative Flextel Numbers.
• A scheme to provide customers with alternative desirable or personalised numbers is being developed.
• Flextel is working to enable 0870 to VoIP(SIP) destinations, by the Ofcom imposed deadline. This may help some hi-tech customers to continue to use 0870 in a limited manner.

For the help on any of the above, please call Flextel customer support on 0370 321 1000.

Responding to Ofcom

Ofcom have proposed these changes must happen by 1st August 2009. However, the closing date for responses to the consultation is next Thursday, 7th May 2009.

Details of how to respond are available at:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/0870calls/howtorespond//

It is Flextel's view that it is definitely beneficial for you to respond to the consultation and make Ofcom aware of how these proposals will affect your business, especially in these particularly challenging times. Do not worry about the closing date, Ofcom always claim to be ready to accept new input. They also claim to be an evidence-based organisation, which means Ofcom shouldn't be driven or confused by the media hype over 0870. So write to Ofcom and, even better, copy your complaint to your MP. Ask him or her to find out why Ofcom isn't taking a balanced view about 0870 and protecting your interest as an 0870 consumer.

Remember, it is only a few months since common sense lobbying by Flextel customers successfully forced Ofcom to rethink proposals for the closure of the 070 service. Ofcom now sees the benefit of the 070 service, not just the complaints about scams, which naturally occur in all markets.

Last year Ofcom also had its knuckles rapped by the Competition Appeals Tribunal, and it is likely that a similar appeal may be made against this ill advised and wholly unnecessary intervention. Ofcom is a very young regulator, being just five years old. Like any five-year-old, it is full of enthusiasm, but has much to learn about tinkering with complex life-critical systems.

Flextel and Ofcom

Flextel has been actively engaged with Ofcom for a number of years and will continue to battle to create a better and fairer marketplace for all.

You will understand Flextel is deeply disappointed that Ofcom has refused to listen to our constructive arguments, failed to protect innovation and appears to remain firmly within the shadow of BT. This is how we objected to Ofcom's latest proposals.

Very recently Ofcom has started implying to some of you, that we have had over two years to warn customers of this closure. This is not the case. We have only known since the 23rd April, about Ofcom's latest proposals. These are significantly different from any prevoius proposal. In simple terms, they offer Flextel (and all other 0870 service providers) even less money than last time. They also have lost the key consumer protection from 0870 overcharging. We have written to Ofcom, warning them that they are misrepresenting the true situation, in a manner that is damaging our business reputation.

Naturally, even though Ofcom's 0870 plans have now turned out to be rather ridiculous, we did expect Ofcom to be sensible enough to give us all a reasonable time to adapt to its latest big idea. However without your help in changing Ofcom's attitude, sadly we have no choice but to admit that Ofcom is just not listening and therefore must plan for 0870 closure now. All our other services remain unaffected. Please contact us for free advice on how best to deal with this Ofcom-generated challenge.

Finally, thank you all, for your continued support and as always we are keen to hear your suggestions and feedback.

Following up our customers' excellent feedback earlier this year, Ofcom have now issued a consultation document, which is available at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk

The consultation document is lengthy, but it's thorough and informative.

"there appear to be few alternatives to this service that would provide the same characteristics that end users value. Any alternatives that do exist are likely to involve additional costs, such as needing two mobile phones or call forwarding charges. Therefore, although the overall market is small, our end-user survey showed that there continues to be demand for PNS".

Summary of Ofcom's Key Findings

• Personal numbering will continue using 070 numbers
  • 070 closure is now ruled out
  • 070 will remain open permanently
  • No need to change your number
     
• Pre-call announcements dropped - they will NOT be used
  • Ofcom will remove the requirement from the numbering plan
     
• Phone companies forced to improve price lists
  • callers will have a better idea of the cost to call you
  • so expect lower prices for calls to 070
     
• Ofcom to strengthen enforcement on scams in the 070 range
  • action will be taken against the bad guys - at last

Your Feedback

We're very encouraged with the quality and detail provided in this latest consultation. Ofcom seem to have responded positively to previous criticisms and have reviewed 070 from scratch and obviously listened to you.

We greatly appreciate the strenuous efforts made by so many of our customers in helping Ofcom better understand the personal numbering market. Now it's very important that you support Ofcom's new proposals and complete their on-line questionnaire at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/070options/howtorespond/form

Finally, thank you all, for your continued support and as always we are keen to hear your suggestions and feedback.

1. Enter your Flextel Number and your registered email address
    
2. Click the Request button
    
3. Check your email and Click the link

That's it! ...and just as secure!

So, if you've forgotten your password, just go to account logon and click the forgotten password button.

Great News for Apple Mac, iPodTouch and iPhone Users

We've also listened to you about our website performance, so it should now work better for Apple Mac, iPodTouch and iPhone users, which all use Apple's Safari browser. A spin-off is that users of Google's Chrome browser will also get enhanced performance (as Chrome employs the Safari engine). You can expect blistening performance from these browsers, as our technlogy takes advantage of the efficiencies of client based computing and Chrome is the best in class.

However, in case you do find problems or want enhancements, we'd be grateful if you'd tell us about them or email us at ask@flextel.com.

Ofcom Update

070 Personal Numbers

0870 Business Numbers

This has been delayed further, with any change being no earlier than next year. Since the 070 pre-call announcement mess, Ofcom has removed this requirement not only from 070, but also from 0870.

Ofcom Rebuked

Recently the judges, presiding at the Competition Appeals Tribunal, unanimously criticised Ofcom in two separate and unrelated cases. In particular for "serious errors" and also for a "flawed CBA". They stated that Ofcom's decisions must "meet the test of Profound and Rigorous scrutiny". As a result Ofcom is "reviewing its processes" in the light of these two damning judgements.

So, in simple terms, the CAT have told Ofcom to start again and try harder. These judgements may hopefully encourage Ofcom to deliver better quality proposals. So if you are using 070 or 0870 carry-on, they'll probably be here for a while, yet.

Thank you all, for your continued co-operation and support.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, has approached Flextel to ask for our customers' help.

During previous public consultations Ofcom seemed of the view that personal numbers didn't have many genuine customers. However, opinions may have changed following the enforced, disastrous and short lived pricing announcement fiasco of last year.

Ofcom have now set up a completely new team to investigate personal numbers and their uses. They have asked Flextel for details of end users who are willing to give feedback on how the service benefits them.

We need to assist Ofcom as much as possible because we are concerned that a lack of feedback would be a vindication of Ofcom's original stance that personal numbers have no legitimate use in the UK marketplace. This is why we are approaching you and asking for your assistance in maintaining what we know is a really great product.

• So, could you:-
  • Give us permission to pass your details onto Ofcom, so they can approach you for feedback?
  • Confirm that your current Flextel account details are correct?
  • Explain the application that you have for personal numbers and the benefits they give?
  • Explain why personal numbers are used, rather than other products e.g. mobile, home line, premium rate etc.?
  • Explain the impact on you, if your personal number was forced to change or the service was cancelled?

We appreciate that this is time consuming and you probably have better things to do, but without your help, we will have great difficulty engaging with Ofcom and convincing them to leave your personal numbers alone.

Previous updates are available at www.flextel.com/news/ and we always welcome customer suggestions.

Thank you for your continued co-operation and support.

Kevin Archer
Marketing Manager
ask@flextel.com
Main : +44 870 3210 100

Where do you want to go?

Flextel has long prided itself on providing services with FREE call diversion.

• Well, it's just got better!
• 0871 numbers can now be forwarded to the big 4 UK MOBILE networks (Orange, O2, Vodafone and T-mobile) as well as over 100 international destinations.
  No call diversion charges!
• 0844 numbers can now be forwarded to many international destinations.
  This includes all of the EU, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China!
  No call diversion charges!
• 0870 numbers can now be forwarded to USA, Canada and Ireland landlines.
  Any changes due to a proposed Ofcom intervention have been cancelled.
  No call diversion charges!
• Personal numbers have much greater flexibility, as international diversion now extends
  to practically all countries, including mobiles abroad.
  No call diversion charges!

We hope you will benefit from these changes and naturally we are continuing to work on enhancements to our service, so expect more service updates in the near future. Previous updates are available at www.flextel.com/news/ and we always welcome any feedback and suggestions.

Kevin Archer
Marketing Manager
ask@flextel.com
Main : +44 870 3210 100

Flextel have always been opposed to mandatory pre-call announcements and indeed advised Ofcom that they were a stupid idea, in breach of international regulations and downright dangerous.

Unsurprisingly, as soon as Ofcom imposed pre-call announcements, health and safety issues started to appear. Flextel have been lobbying Ofcom to remove these dangerous, misleading and annoying announcements, that don't even comply with international standards and have left the UK networks out on a limb!

We are now delighted to tell you that our efforts, on your behalf, have been rewarded. Ofcom have withdrawn the requirement for pre-call announcements on 070 numbers. Ofcom have also issued a notice to all communication providers instructing them to remove the pre-call announcements.

We can confirm that they have now been removed from the BT network and we look forward to their total removal from all other networks, as soon as possible.

Flextel's highly popular Voicemail and Conference services now let you record your own personal message. Ideal over holiday periods for keeping in touch!

• Voicemail
• Set any of your Flextel Numbers to "Voicemail" and receive voicemail as email attachments!
• Instant setup - No rental, usage fees or hardware required.
• No hardware to buy, maintain or replace.
• Private, direct to your registered email.
• Personalise your answer message on 0370 3210 001 - your callers can leave message confident that it is for you!
• Conference
• Set any of your Flextel Numbers to "Conference" and create your own virtual conference room!
• Instant setup - No rental, usage fees or hardware required.
• PIN secured - keep your conference private.
• Ecologically sound - No travelling required.
• Personalise your greeting on 0370 3210 001 - so your callers will know they have entered the correct conference!

For more information on all Flextel's advanced features, check the User Guides at: www.flextel.com/#guide

• Fax
  Set any of your Flextel Numbers to Faxmail and receive faxes by email!
  
• Free to use - no running costs, no dedicated fax line, no paper, no ink.
• No hardware to buy, maintain or replace.
• Private, direct to your registered email. Get your faxes on the move - even abroad!
• Conference Call
  Set any of your Flextel Numbers to Conference and make them a virtual conference room; brilliant for business, fantastic for family.
  
• Instant setup - no rental, usage fees or hardware required.
• Environmentally friendly - no travelling, no room or office to hire.

• Call notification:
  • Did you miss that call?
  • Was your mobile out of coverage?
• Was your destination pointing to the wrong place?
• ...Now: Check who called!
   
• If you're using (DND), you can still get the caller's number as well!
• ...even if it's a 'withheld' number we give you a hint!
   
• Log all calls: even busy or no reply calls...
  • ...check for that 'promised call' - no email, no call!
  • ...keep a record of nuisance, silent and abandoned calls.
  • ...check your sales team are performing.

Full details are given in the Call Notification User Guide

ICD delay: - now 5, 10 and 15 seconds
• So you can answer your callers more quickly...
  • ...don't miss important calls.

To find out how to activate the new delay settings see Activate ICD in the User Guide

We are pleased to announce free international routing for 070& 0871 codes.

As a result of falling international call charges, you can now divert your Personal and Business numbers around the world - free of charge!
You pay nothing and your callers pay the same UK cost.
Simply enter the international destination, and that's it!

Additionally, 0701 numbers work with international mobile phones...
Now you can save as much as £1 per minute, when travelling abroad.
Just get a mobile (or SIM) in the country you're visiting, route to its number...
            ...and you'll avoid those expensive roaming charges.

0871 business numbers can be routed to UK landlines and...
Alaska, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Christmas Islands, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hawaii, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea South, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States

In addition to the above, 070 personal numbers can be routed to the following destinations and most mobiles...
Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Central African Rep., Chad, Colombia, Congo Dem Rep, Costa Rica, Cote Divoire, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte Island, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria Mobile, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Is, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City (Italy), Venezuela, Virgin Islands UK, Virgin Islands US, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

As international tariffs continue to fall, we will open new codes. Click here for the latest International Routing.

We always use BT international links, so you'll receive the highest quality calls, as you'd expect from us.  

A UK First for Privacy and Control:

• Privacy
  • Masks your phone or mobile number.
• Now you can call customers from home or mobile, but protect your private number.
• Control
  • Leave your Flextel 0844 number, 0870 Number, 0871 Number or 070 Personal Number on your contact's phone or mobile.
    • Calls won't be rejected by BT's Anonymous Call Reject Service (or similar).
    • Contacts can call back with ease using 'Missed Call' redial, such as BT's 1471 service.
  • Present your Flextel, don't lose calls when you change location.
  • Show the same number from any telco, any phone, anywhere.

We have had some really useful feedback from many of our customers, which has inspired us to provide these great new features...

• Intelligent Call Diversion™ (ICD)
  • Anonymous Call Filter™ (ACF)
    • Divert 'withheld' calls to voicemail... identifying the caller, without them being offended.
  • Divert on No Reply/Busy
    • You've now got independent control of each.
  • No Reply
    • Vary ring-time delay from 20 to 60 seconds or simply turn 'off
       
• Features now available to all customers - including 070 users
  • Call Statistics - measure the success of your marketing campaigns, view up to 5 year history
  • Dialled Number Dispay™ (DND) - see the purpose of the call
  • Intelligent Call Diversion™ (ICT) - don't miss call... control them
     
• Other service enhancements
  • Account management - redesigned for easier navigation between screens
  • Faster access - to the details of individual stored numbers
  • View Commission - at a glance
  • View Phonebook Entries - at a glance
  • Change All PINs - in one go, for every number on your Account
  • Sort Number List - in label, number or desination order
     

Please have a look at these new features and let us know what you think

From the start of April, you can now earn upto 3 per minute on call commission and upto a whopping 8p per minute for any referrals you make. So it now makes even more sense to refer a friend or sell Flextel numbers.

If you can't wait to cash in your commission, you can now trade in your minutes for Flextel numbers at a massive rate of 10p per minute... So as little as 100 call minutes will earn you a £10 Flextel Voucher. So you can collect stock at very low cost and then sell them on at considerable profit e.g. on eBay.

For detailed rate information click commission rates.

The new rates apply to all the minutes accrued to date and, unlike the rewards schemes run by many other companies, your Flextel minutes don't expire, so logon to see how much you've made!

Thanks for all the feedback, if you have any other suggestions, I still want to hear them, so I can keep our overworked developers busy.

The first of many exciting new features we know you'll love...
                 ...'cos we've been asked for them, many times.

1. Dialled Number Display (DND) - A global first?
   See which group of callers is ringing so you can answer the
   call in the correct manner. Give out a separate number for...
   Family, Friends, Colleagues, Customers, Adverts (one per ad.)
                             ...now you'll answer each call properly.
    
   Full details are given in the DND User Guide.
   

2. Intelligent Call Diversion™ (ICD)
   If you can't answer a call or you're already busy on another,
   you may want the next call to go, automatically, to a colleague,
   voicemail or another branch, anywhere in the country, free of charge.
   You might even want to chain several numbers together and form
   a "Hunt Group"
                           ...now you can with Flextel's ICD.
    
   Full details are given in the ICD User Guide.

Both features are now live on 07017 and 0870 numbers. We plan to offer them on 07010 numbers
later in the year.

3. You'll also see we've made a slight change to the Account
   screen. These changes have been made to help you reroute your
   numbers quicker and make the page load faster: -
   • The Flextel Number is now a link to its own ADVANCED screen.
   • DND check box has been added for quick selection.
   • The Destination dropdown window now automatically reroutes your
     Flextel Number when you select one of the memories or
     "Key in a new Destination?".
   • The control dropdown window has been removed and can now be accessed
     by clicking the ADVANCED button.

There's still more on the way soon but, if you have any other
suggestions, I still want to hear them, so I can let our developers
take a look at them.

• What made this possible?
  • A massive increase in Online Stock;
  • Daily restocking of Free numbers - limiting excessive abuse;
  • Automatically recovery of any number unused for a year, but...
    ...answer just one call and your number will be good for a further year.

New users benefit from Free stock, being able to "try before they buy" more costly Marketing Numbers.

So have a fresh look at Flextel and let us know what you think.

Flextel announce the launch of its Reseller Scheme.

There are no forms to fill-in, no paperwork to sign, no phone calls to make, the system is fully automated via our website... If you have an Account, you already have Reseller Status!

As a Flextel Reseller you gain four key advantages:

1. You earn generous long term commission on calls to your customers' Flextel Numbers and to any other Flextel Numbers they may add to their account in the future! Once a number is connected the commission revenue stream is locked to you.
2. Resellers can use commission minutes to obtain cherished numbers without any cash outlay whatsoever and and at a massive 75% cash equivalent discount. You can therefore build cherished number stock without cashflow problems. When you sell the numbers you get the full margin.
3. Your customers will earn commission on their own calls - a strong selling point. This is all handled by the Flextel website, so no commission management and billing challenges to face.
4. Commission is updated daily on the website - you can see exactly how much your earning at any time of the day or night.

It costs nothing to try it out. We hope you find it a powerful business asset.

For more information, just logon on using your usual Account details and click the Commission link.

Wishing you all the best for Christmas and a very prosperous New Year, from all at Flextel.

Thank you for your continued support, as always we're grateful for all comments and suggestions.

There are now two ways you can now earn commission from Flextel:-

1. Call Commission
   •  You're now earning income on calls made to your 0870 Flextel Numbers...
     •  Backdated to 1st September, 2002.
     •  Commission updated daily.
     •  No need to register.
       
   •  ...Just sit back and watch your cash accumulate !
      
2. Refer a Friend
   •  Earn additional income by referring friends and colleagues...
     • Earn revenue on calls made to THEIR numbers !
     • Refer them by email.
     • Refer them by web links.
   •  ...Unlimited earning potential !

What to do now?

All income enhancing features are available from your Account so logon and...

1. Click "Commission".
• View your current balances.
• Cash in your money.
  
2. Click "Earn Extra Income".
•  Follow the simple instructions to refer a friend.

We hope that these improvements will encourage you to make even greater use of your Flextel Numbers and spread the word about Flextel !

To find out more click here.

Thank you for your continued support, as always we're grateful for all comments and suggestions at ask@flextel.com.

1. Call Statistics - See Total Calls made to each of your Flextel Numbers
   We have introduced this brand new feature so you can see how many calls are made to each of your Flextel Numbers. This will be an invaluable tool for business; it also shows you how many calls are missed, busy or unanswered. Call Statistics can be viewed through your Account.
2. Connection Charge - Re-introduced.
   Unfortunately, a few individuals have been abusing our unlimited free number policy, stockpiling numbers and not using them, thereby reducing the choice for genuine customers. As a result, we are re-introducing the connection charge. At £10 per number this is dramatically lower than the original of one hundred and twenty pounds and, I'm sure you will agree, still offers phenomenal value. Naturally there is nothing to pay for numbers already connected.
3. Anniversary - 1992-2002, 10 years of Quality and Reliability
   We are very proud to achieve this significant landmark. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers, particularly those who have been with us from the early years. The invaluable feedback we have received from so many of you has allowed us to develop a service of the highest standard and, we believe, second to none for choice, quality and reliability.

You will also notice some minor changes to the layout of some pages of the website. I hope you will agree, these improvements have made navigating the website easier and gives a simpler, clearer layout.

That's all for now...

Well, after all the weeks of work to organise it, the show seemed to be over before we even blinked. It was very well attended and we had more than our fair share of visitors to the stand.

It was really great, not only to renew old acquaintances but, also to make new ones, we met people from an incredibly wide range of backgrounds and found it extremely exciting. It was also brilliant to put faces to some of the voices we have been so often talking to on the phone.

Speaking of faces, we took a camera for those of you who weren't able to make the show. So click the link to see some pictures of the stand and and to find out what we look like!

We've come away with some really good feedback and will be working hard to develop some new features as a result. We'll Email you when they become available.

Many thanks to all of you for your support and for making the exhibition such a huge success for us. We plan to repeat the experience, when we've recovered from this one, so keep an eye on the home page for details of the next show.

We look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.

That's all for now...

This powerful new service is based on Flextel's experience of nearly 10 years, in the flexible number market place and has been strongly supported by a steady stream of requests from our enthusiastic user base via ask.

Your Account is protected by your own choice of password and lets you Reroute, Change PIN and Edit Memories on any number in the account. It also gives access to your personal contact details so you can update them quickly and easily.

• Some other Account benefits:
  • Managers running a duty roster, teleworking or a "hotdesk" team, will find this an invaluable tool allowing them to keep control of their business numbers by giving master control of all numbers in that account.
  • Personal Wealth - Anyone can sell their Flextel Number to anyone else!
  • Business Asset - Like car Number Plates, but unlike traditional phone numbers, a Flextel Number can be listed as a business asset - A Flextel Number has Value!

More details on this great new feature are given in the User Guide under the section header Account.

Many thanks to all those suggestions, ask it really helps us focus on what you need. Please let us know how well (or badly!) it works for you and how it can be further improved. We really are listening to you at ask@flextel.com.

That's all for now...

Memory Upgrade? ..."Yes!" is the answer.
Many of you have told us, through ask@flextel.com, what a brilliantly useful feature the Reroute Memory Control box is.

So, what was the question? ..."Is it possible to add extra memories?"
We've upgraded the memories to eight. I'm sure you will find it much better. I certainly will, the extra memories let me standardise the Labels against all my numbers. Now it's much easier for me to remember them, I'm sure you will find it a big improvement too.

Security
We have extended the website security. Although the reroute, sign-up and number selection processes were fully secured to proctect your data, now the high security (128 bit SSL) system covers the whole site. This should remove any security concerns new users might have felt. We have also added safeguards to ensure your browser is running only in secure mode. If anyone experiences problems with these extensive security checks, please let us know through ask@flextel.com

Well that's it ...for now!

Please keep us informed of your experiences of the service - good and bad, by emailing ask@flextel.com