Gareth used his keyboard to write :
>>> There is no rationale related to the actual call cost to the operator for
>>> Orange to do this.
>>>
>>
>> Yes there is. Profit.
>>
>> Why would a telco want you to be encouraged to use a callthrough number?
>
> Aside from the fact that the Orange pricing structure penalises calls to all
> 0871 numbers - and not just call through numbers - there's also the issue
> that the charge is simply scandalous.

Then don't use Orange...

> Why should it be any business of the service provider that I elect to use
> 0871 numbers for their call through facility?

If I was in the business of selling phone calls, I wouldn't want to
provide you with a cheap way of bypassing my billing platform for, say,
international calls.