New British Emergency Net Telephony Rules

Remarkable as it might seem, British VoIP companies have not been required to connect to emergency numbers (which are 999 in Britain and 112 in continental Europe).

 

That is due to change, however, as British government communication watchdog Ofcom has issued orders that all VoIP companies that connect to normal phones –both landline and mobile - must begin offering the service by September next year.

 

The ruling follows an Ofcom survey in which 78% of respondents who used VoIP already believed that such a survey was possible, leading the group to believe that those relying on VoIP for communications could face a problem in the event of an emergency.

 

Services that only connect to other VoIP customers or receive outside calls from mobiles and landlines are not affected.