The regulator has also taken firm action against four out of seven companies it has been investigating after concerns about their abandoned call rates.
Stephen Carter, Ofcom chief executive, said the new rules were necessary, together with higher fines. Ofcom is requesting the government's permission to increase its maximum fine from 拢5,000 to 拢50,000.
"Excessive abandoned calls have become a real problem," Carter said.
The new rules apply to any call centre, whether in the UK or overseas, that has been commissioned by a UK company. There are five:
-- A recorded message must identify the source of abandoned calls and offer the recipient the opportunity to decline further calls.
-- Calling line identification (CLI) must be presented on all outbound calls, allowing recipients to dial 1471 and find out the number of the organisation calling them.
-- Telephone numbers dialled then abandoned should not be called again by the automated dialler for at least 72 hours, unless a dedicated operator takes the call.
-- Abandoned call rates must be below 3% of total calls for any 24 hour period for each campaign.
-- The last rule is that records must be kept to demonstrate compliance with the other rules.
Ofcom is consulting interested parties on the revised policy and has set a January 9 deadline for responses.
Meanwhile, Ofcom has decided that voice callers Thomson Directories and Ant Marketing, and fax callers Fax Information Services and Promote-It have persistently misused communication services.
They have been required to ensure their abandoned call rate is below 3% and provide monthly reports to Ofcom on their performance until May 2006.
The two fax callers have also been told not to sent unsolicited faxes to any number unless it has been checked against the Fax Preference Service and the company's in-house suppression list.
Another company, The Listening Company, has given Ofcom legally binding written undertakings that its abandoned call rate will be no more than 3% and it will provide monthly reports.
The investigation into Firestorm Marketing was closed after the company said it had stopped accepting contracts to send unsolicited faxes.
Toucan Telecom was absolved of persistent misuse and no action will be taken against it.
Ofcom opened the investigation into the seven companies in June on its own initiative after receiving complaints from the public both directly and via BT.
The DMA welcomed the measures and promised a detailed response by the end of the year. In addition it said Thomson Directories, Ant Marketing, Fax Information Services and The Listening Company were DMA members and would be referred to the Direct Marketing Authority.
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