VoIP must offer emergency calls
2007-07-27 09:30
London - Anyone using the internet to
make cheap telephone calls should be able to dial the 999
emergency services number, the media regulator said on Thursday.
Ofcom said more than a third of households using their
computers as phones can't call 999, although most are unaware of
the restriction.
The watchdog wants to change the system to allow everyone
who uses the internet for calls to landlines or cellphones to be
able to ring 999 by early next year.
"Ofcom is concerned that consumers and citizens are confused
about whether they can call 999," it said in a consultation
paper. "That could cause delays in contacting the emergency
services, which could result in serious harm."
The number of households using internet telephony doubled
last year to more than 2.4 million and is still rising.
Service providers offer cheap, and sometimes free, calls
with a system known as VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol.
Some VoIP providers bar 999 calls to avoid the expense of
meeting extra regulations imposed on firms offering the service,
according to evidence outlined in an Ofcom report.
The Internet Telephony Services Providers' Association, an
industry body which represents 60 members, said it was
considering its response to the Ofcom proposal.
The Ofcom consultation paper is at
www.ofcom.org.uk.
- Reuters