Ofcom opens 999 monitoring system for telecom firms as UK pushes forward with digital transformation
Ofcom have opened a new monitoring programme to ensure telecoms giants are giving Brits access to 999 at all times.
It comes as the UK’s networks undergo a substantial digital shift, with landline customers moving away from traditional telephone networks towards newer digital tech known as ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ (VoIP), which carries calls over a broadband connection.
Although this shift is being led by the broadband and phone firms, Ofcom rules state that providers must still offer a way for landline-dependent customers to contact emergency services. The watchdog also said firms should take steps to identify who these customers are and offer them a suitable solution.
Thousands of people were cut off during Storm Arwen and Eunice in recent years, showing the dangers of new tech developments for elderly and vulnerable people, who may still be completely reliant on landline phone services.
There are now around 22 million landline connections in the UK, down 15 per cent from its peak in 2000, when 95 per cent of homes had one, according to 2021 data from Uswitch.
More than 95 per cent of the over-65s have a landline phone, but these numbers fall to 82 per cent between the ages of 35 to 54 and 52 per cent among under 25s.