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O2 has announced Fixed Number Anywhere, a new service providing small businesses with a landline number that rings straight through to a mobile phone.
The first service of its kind to be offered in the UK by a major mobile operator, Fixed Number Anywhere allows small businesses to take incoming landline calls directly on a mobile phone. The service, which launches in August, has been designed for small businesses who maintain a landline number to show customers their business is local and established, but spend long periods away from their desk. By linking landline numbers directly to their mobile phone, Fixed Number Anywhere will help these businesses minimise missed calls while eliminating expensive call diverts.
It follows an extensive study conducted by O2, which revealed that despite small businesses spending record amounts of time out of the office, nearly 70 per cent still have a fixed landline number to their desk. Providing a sense of security for customers, being able to appear as a local business and presenting a well established image were identified as the key benefits of keeping a landline.
Businesses using Fixed Number Anywhere can keep their existing BT telephone number or choose from a new number with a local geographical or Free Phone code. Up to five landline numbers can be linked to the same mobile phone allowing small businesses to portray a local image, whilst extending their geographical reach.
Calls made to a mobile via the Fixed Number Anywhere service are not charged for by O2 and will be charged to the caller at their standard rate for the fixed number dialled. Businesses bringing an existing BT 01 or 02 landline number to O2 and taking a new mobile connection will receive the service for free. The service is available at a fixed price of £10 per month for 01 or 02 landline numbers and £15 per month for 0808 free phone numbers.
For more information visit O2.co.uk.
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
