Do peak and off-peak times still matter?

“Peak” was always defined by GPO telephones, later BT, and then all competitors when the market opened up, as 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., because “Peak” was when business users would be on the line.

In fact, right into the mid 1990’s, I’m not sure exactly when as I had gone back to university, so after 1994, there was a two-tier “peak” rate – 09:00 – 13:00 was the most expensive and 13:00 to 18:00 was a little cheaper.

The “evening and weekend” off peak is just a relatively modern phrase to cover the hours when traditionally businesses were not on the line and so the demand was reduced.

If you think a tiny bit about the history of the telephone it is very easy indeed to see how the “peak” and “Cheap Rate” (as it used to be called) hours came about and why: Telephones were originally only available to businesses and the very wealthy (by definition probably businessmen) and all calls had to be connected manually, by operators in exchange buildings. Ergo when the businesses were trading (office hours, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5) the vast majority of calls were made and so the operators had to be employed in maximum numbers. When the businesses were not trading only a tiny number of calls could be made by a tiny number of subscribers and so it was only necessary to have a skeleton staff of operators at the exchange. Majority of calls = Peak Rate = more staff = more wages = higher call costs. Few calls = Cheap rate = fewer staff = less wages = lower cost calls.

Now that businesses trade almost 24/7 and virtually every home has a land line (even if only for broadband) and millions of us have mobiles there is a vast demand which is much more constant so these differences in cost and demand are much less noticeable or predictable. This has lead to the changes.

Interestingly since 1986 when I left my parents home and lived alone I have always been a very heavy user of the telephone (land line) and yet the changing and falling tariffs means that in 1986 I was paying about £120 per quarter for my phone (line rental plus instrument rental (who remembers that now?!) plus call costs) and here I am in 2011 paying about £130 per quarter for line rental plus broadband plus call costs – so in 25 years my ‘phone costs are pretty much constant yet I get far more for the money now than I did a quarter of a century ago.

As for selfish and smug people like Zag, perhaps he or she should consider those people unable to use a mobile perhaps due to disability or infirmity or maybe due to living in a remote area with no signal. I am lucky: I have the choice as I have a mobile and a good signal. I guess Zag also has a choice, but we should not forget that some people don’t, and the next person that hasn’t could be Zag’s nearest and dearest.

Anyway, to conclude by going back to the question: Personally I thin it’s time we abolished the off peak and on peak idea all together since there is no longer a definable peak demand, but instead we should have more options for “light users” and those with no choice of phone provider to ensure that they are not ripped off.

How about sending messages to the recipients recorders at your off peak times and getting a reply at the recipients off peak times – Take a little longer but cheaper.

But I’m all in favour of a “Light User” discount – as I only use my Land Line about once a month – and my mobile less than once a year ( bought for car emergencies)

did these suppliers make it clear and in advance that these changes would occur?

or was it kept low profile?

Nah… doesn’t affect me at all, with advent of Email, has done very very little barking
on the phone irrespective of time of day….. come to think of it, don’t see the need to
exercise my vocal cords at all!

I really don’t care – my phone bill is less than £5 a month – and it means that “free” 0800 numbers are actually free. Most of my communications are by e-mail – but nothing beats a nice long phone call. e-mails are too cryptic.

My tariff includes calls to mobiles after 7pm and at weekends. I am not going to waste money calling mobile numbers at other times unless it is urgent.