BT to divert nuisance calls for free

[Michael Browne]

BT has said it will launch a new service later this year to divert nuisance calls within its network before they ring on customers' phones.

 

It said it will use huge computing power to root out 25 million unwanted calls a week.

 

Currently, BT customers can buy special phones that block nuisance calls, or pay to stop calls getting through.

 

But the new service will identify some of the 5 billion unwanted calls made each year before they arrive.

 

They will then be diverted automatically to a junk voicemail box.

 

Customers will be able to add numbers they don't want to hear from, for free.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35545914

 

 

BT offers 'breakthrough' service to divert 'huge numbers' of nuisance calls

 

Most people receive an unwanted telephone call every month, mainly about PPI or personal injury claims, automated marketing messages or sales.

 

Now a BT team will monitor calls to our 10 million domestic customers and identify any patterns of callers.

 

The "rogue" numbers will be diverted to a junk voicebox, which we estimate will affect up to 25 million unwanted calls a week.

 

If you’re a BT customer, you’ll also be able to divert the calls yourself to the "Blacklist".

 

The service will launch later this year, harnessing huge computer power to analyse data.

http://home.bt.com/news/bt-life/bt-offers-breakthrough-service-to-divert-huge-numbers-of-nuisance-calls-11364039280071

[citizenB]

I would like to see other networks do this as well. Nice one BT.

[Guest]

about time they offered something, esp for 'free'..hopefully it will also weed out those dodgy international calls and those with odd forever changing caller id's that might get through.

i wld still like to see the Anon Call Reject service being free, given that it is free for callers to withold their number in the first place.

[aburobert]

'Free' for how long though. They did this will the caller recognition service - which if you were not on your toes they charged you for after an initial free period.

[Guest]

fair point. after caller id being 'free' at first for awhile, they soon wanted to charge for it via a sneaky 'opt in' only method.

[hightail]

Will caller ID be required for this to work?

[Mr.P]

The right way to tackle the problem of rouge callers is to remove the ability to use anonymous dialing and force them to use a genuine caller ID. Once we can track down who is making these nuisance calls, they can be brought to book over their nefarious activities.

 

Monitoring calls to BT's domestic customers is sailing pretty close to the wind as far as invasion of privacy goes. Smacks of GCHQ/NSA involvement, but I welcome the move if it it really does stamp out these nuisance callers.

[pixwix]

BT has said it will launch a new service later this year to divert nuisance calls within its network before they ring on customers' phones.

 

Like others here, I seriously doubt that BT will maintain this as a free service for very long. If we can depend upon BT for one thing at least, it's surely greed.

 

I don't like spam calls any more than anyone else, but I find an allied annoyance even more of a nuisance.

 

And that's the growing habit of many public bodies, including the NHS, of withholding their numbers from caller ID. I refuse to answer any withheld number - I don't see why I should endure repeated withheld-number spam calls just on the offchance that one of them is from the NHS. None of the explanations I have heard makes the slightest sense - I served the public for 40 years before retirement and never found any need to conceal my telephone number. More than one of the medical personnel I have to deal with tell me that they don't understand the requirement either, and increasing numbers of their clients often cannot be reached by phone - like me they simply don't answer withheld number calls. Crazy.