UK telephone numbers beginning with '03' are landline numbers that are not linked to a specific location, but are charged exactly the same as calls to a standard '01' or '02' landline number.

03 numbers are used by many businesses, public services and other organisations. They are commonly used for national helplines or customer service and enquiry centres. Ofcom introduced UK-wide 03 numbers as an alternative to chargeable 08 numbers, such as 0870. These numbers allow organisations to have a single national point of contact without consumers having to pay extra to call them.

Calls to 03 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number and must count towards any inclusive minutes in the same way as 01 and 02 calls. These rules apply to calls from any type of line including mobile, BT, other fixed line or payphone.

All 03 numbers are charged at the same rate and work in the same way. There are, however, some minor technical and administrative differences between them as follows:

Numbers beginning 030
Public sector bodies, charities, government and other non-profit organisations have exclusive access to numbers starting 030.

Numbers beginning 033
Numbers starting with 033 are available to any business or individual for any purpose.

Numbers beginning 034 and 037
These are reserved for the owners of existing 08 numbers who want a matching 03 number to replace or run alongside it. For example, 0345 123 4567 is reserved for use by the current holder of 0845 1234567.

If you are a Barritel customer with an 084 or 087 number and would like to enquire into an 034 or 037 number please contact us here.

Here are some links to various mobile networks that provide more specific information on 03 numbers and costs.

Vodafone info on PAYG 03 calls
Vodafone info on 03 call costs
Orange info on 03 costs
EE Pay Monthly 03 call costs
EE PAYG 03 call costs
T-Mobile 03 call Costs
Virgin Pay Monthly 03 call costs
Virgin PAYG 03 call costs
O2 costs to call 03 numbers