What is a premium-rate number?

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A premium-rate number is a special type of telephone number where calling it incurs a higher-than-usual cost to the caller. Unlike regular calls where the charge covers network usage and connection, a significant portion of the cost of calling a premium-rate number is passed on to the service provider who operates that number. In essence, the caller is paying for the content or service received over the phone, in addition to the cost of the call itself.

Key Characteristics:
High Cost to Caller: This is the defining feature. The per-minute or austria number database per-call charge for a premium-rate number is considerably higher than for a standard local or long-distance call. The exact rates vary widely depending on the country, the specific service, and the duration of the call.
Revenue Sharing: A substantial part of the revenue generated from these calls is shared between the telecommunications network operator (who routes the call) and the service provider who offers the content or service. This revenue-sharing model incentivizes businesses to use premium-rate numbers.
Special Prefixes: Like toll-free numbers, premium-rate numbers are identified by specific prefixes that instantly signal their chargeable nature to the caller. These prefixes vary by country. For example:
In the UK, prefixes often start with 09 (for services) or 087 (for some information services).
In the US, while less common for general services, certain numbers for adult entertainment or recorded information might historically have used 900 numbers.
In Bangladesh, common prefixes for premium-rate services often fall within specific ranges, for example, for infotainment services, IVR-based content, or specialized customer helplines for various service providers (e.g., mobile operators might use special short codes for specific services that incur charges). These are not always explicit "premium-rate" numbers in the Western sense but function similarly by charging the user for the service.
Content/Service-Based: Premium-rate numbers are used to deliver a wide array of services, including:
Information Lines: Weather forecasts, horoscopes, sports results, news updates.
Entertainment Services: Quizzes, games, chat lines, adult content.
Voting Lines: For TV shows or competitions.
Technical Support/Helplines: Sometimes used by companies for specialized support, though this practice is often criticized.
Donation Lines: For charities.
Directory Enquiries: In some regions.