Tag: telecoms
Ofcom fines BT £17.5m for 999 call-handling failures
Network disruption affected 14,000 emergency calls in June 2023 and lasted 10.5 hours Law requires networks to take appropriate steps to prepare for potential outages Ofcom finds that BT was not properly prepared to handle the incident Ofcom has today fined BT £17.5 million for being ill-prepared to respond to a catastrophic failure of its emergency…
Telecoms firms must ditch ‘outrageous’ price rises, Which? warns
Broadband and mobile users face being trapped this Spring between price rises of potentially more than £60, or contract exit fees which may exceed £500, Which? research has found. The consumer watchdog is calling on telecoms firms to scrap these grossly unfair plans for April 2024 inflation-linked hikes that regulator Ofcom clearly determined cause 'substantial…
Telcos agree to protect personal alarm users when upgrading to digital
UK phone providers agree new measures to protect vulnerable customers when upgrading phone lines to digital Technology Secretary asks all providers not to force people to switch over until protection in place Vulnerable households will have better access to emergency services during power outages The most vulnerable people across England will be better protected following…
Ofcom records increase in complaints about telecoms providers
TalkTalk was the most complained-about landline and broadband provider Latest figures from telecoms regulator Ofcom show a slight increase in complaints it has received about the UK’s main landline, mobile, broadband and pay-TV providers. This latest quarterly report covers the period from January to March 2023. During this period, complaints to Ofcom increased…
Ofcom and UK’s biggest telecoms firms commit to recruit more women
Ofcom and the UK’s biggest telecoms companies have come together to sign a new pledge, committing to help get more women build technology careers across the industry. The telecoms sector has been historically male-dominated – particularly in more senior technology-based positions. But Ofcom and seven of the biggest companies in the sector – BT, Openreach,…
Office phone ‘will be extinct by 2036’ predicts Ringover
Business communications group Ringover predicts that although the pandemic gave new life to traiditional office phones, they’ll be no more by the year 2036. Data from Ofcom has shown that the number of business landlines in the UK has dropped by 44.1% from 10.2 million in 2009, to just 5.7 million in 2021, with the trend set…
Ofcom reveals best and worst telecoms customer service
Customers can today find out which phone and broadband providers take the longest to answer their calls, as Ofcom publishes its latest report into customer service levels across the telecoms industry. Ofcom’s seventh annual comparing customer service report paints a mixed picture of how providers performed in 2022. It reveals that people were more likely to…
Telecoms companies urged to improve customer service: where to start?
For a long time, companies in the telecoms industry have been criticized for low transparency, unfair prices and bad customer support. Large companies are dominating the market share, which means that they can do almost as they please. The telecoms industry is difficult to compete in as a startup, as you either need a lot…
BT Openreach says ‘we’ll do better – promise’
BT Openreach – the phone and broadband company that we all love to hate – is promising to do better. Back in June, the UK telecoms giant was told by watchdog Ofcom that it could face fines if it did not meet new targets to repair its extensive UK telephone and broadband network. Under new…
Mobile termination charges to be cut by 80% – but will it mean cheaper phone bills?
Mobile termination charges, or the amount mobile companies charge each other for dealing with calls stemming from other networks, will fall 80% over the next four years. The move is expected to cost the telecoms industry £2 billion. But…
