Broadband provider fined over giving inaccurate caller locations in 999 calls
It related to phone calls made over the internet, rather than a regular phone line – known as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
During this period, when any of Gigaclear's VoIP customers called 999 or 112, inaccurate information about the caller's location was made available to the emergency services, the communications watchdog said.
This affected a total of 948 calls.
Ofcom said no members of the public reportedly experienced significant harm as a result, but said the breach of its rules warranted the penalty.
George Lusty, Ofcom's enforcement director, said: 'Providing the emergency services with accurate location data can mean the difference between life and death.
'So it's vital that telecoms companies set up their systems correctly and test them thoroughly to make sure this happens.
'We won't hesitate to hold companies to account, and Gigaclear fell short on a number of basic levels, putting its customers at unacceptable risk for a prolonged period of time.'
Gigaclear provides broadband for homes and businesses with a network across the south east and south west of England and the Midlands, focusing on rural communities.
Ofcom's investigation found that Gigaclear failed to ensure its third-party supplier had correctly configured the systems that provide a caller's location to the emergency services.
It also said the firm did not carry out effective testing, nor did it properly investigate a customer complaint relating to the issue.
Gigaclear has since reconfigured its systems and taken action to prevent future issues, Ofcom said.
The fine, which was reduced by 30% because of Gigaclear admitting to the issues and agreeing to settle the case, is passed onto the Treasury when it is paid.
A spokesperson for Gigaclear said the firm 'deeply regrets the historic configuration' issue with its VoIP service.
'By the time we self-reported the issue to Ofcom in April 2024, we had already identified and rectified the error,' it said.
'We have undertaken a full post-incident review to implement the learnings from this incident and put in place processes to ensure that no similar issues arise again.
'At all times before and after the issue was fixed, all emergency calls placed by our VoIP customers were successfully connected.
'We are not aware of any actual harm to customers as a result of the issue, but we acknowledge the seriousness of the error and the importance of ensuring accurate caller location information is available to emergency services.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Gold falls as hot US data lifts dollar, yields; cools hopes for jumbo Fed cut
Aug 14 (Reuters) - Gold prices fell on Thursday as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data and a drop in jobless claims lifted the dollar and Treasury yields, trimming the odds of a supersized September rate cut. Spot gold fell 0.7% to $3,331.03 per ounce as of 12:20 p.m. ET (1620 GMT). U.S. gold futures for December delivery were down 0.9% to $3,376.50. The dollar index (.DXY), opens new tab gained 0.5% from an over two-week low, making bullion less attractive for non-U.S. buyers, while benchmark 10-year yields rose from a one-week low. Stronger U.S. wholesale price data tempered bets on a larger, half-point cut next month. The Labor Department reported the producer price index rose 3.3% year-on-year in July, beating forecasts of 2.5% while weekly jobless claims came in lower than expected, at 224,000 versus 228,000 forecast. "Gold trades lower as the stronger than expected U.S. PPI print may lower rate cut expectations as they feed into a higher Core PCE inflation print for July as well, likely keeping the Federal Reserve cautious on rate cuts," said Saxo Bank's head of commodity strategy, Ole Hansen. "Overall, the print does not alter our bullish view on gold as the Fed eventually will have to choose between fighting inflation or supporting the economy." Traders are now leaning toward a quarter-point move next month with another in October, reinforcing comments from Fed's Mary Daly pushing back against the need for a 50-basis-point cut in September. Gold, a traditional refuge in times of economic or geopolitical strain, tends to benefit from low interest rates. "We don't think the rally has stalled — it's just consolidating, with bulls waiting for a new catalyst. Interest rate cuts would be the one to reignite the rally," said Kiril Kirilenko, senior precious metals analyst at CRU. Gold will likely retest the $3,500 record high by year-end or early next, Kirilenko added. Elsewhere, spot silver lost 1.5% to $37.90 per ounce, platinum gained 0.8% to $1,349.84 and palladium rose 2% to $1,145.06.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
Reeves scraps £600k ‘value for money' quango after just one year
Labour's cost-cutting quango is set to be scrapped just one year after being unveiled, The Telegraph understands. The Office for Value for Money (OVfM) was formed in 2024 to assess government spending, identify inefficiencies and scrutinise investment proposals to safeguard taxpayers' money. In that time the chairman, David Goldstone, was paid £950 a day and expected to work a monthly average of one day a week. Mr Goldstone also could not give advice on HS2 and the development of the Royal Navy's new Dreadnought submarines due to conflicts of interest – despite both projects having huge cost overruns. The OVfM was always planned to have a lifespan of at least one year, a Treasury official said. Documents published last year stated Mr Goldstone's remit of providing spending advice to Rachel Reeves came with the 'possibility of extension' – but the official confirmed there would be no such extension. The OVfM was formed in October last year and will be shut down around the same time this year. The closure comes after a damning report by MPs in January criticised the newly-formed taskforce and asked it to justify its cost to taxpayers. When the OVfM was launched, Labour said the independent body would conduct assessments of 'where and how to root out waste and inefficiency' and scrutinise Whitehall spending with a 'ruthless focus [on] realising benefits from every pound of public spending.' Bob Blackman, a senior Conservative MP, said: 'This was a gimmick to start with and it's not surprising it hasn't gone anywhere. When they are looking for dramatic savings, not wasting money might be a good idea to start with.' Richard Tice, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: 'This Value for Money tsar was a ludicrous virtue-signalling slogan which has wasted even more money and achieved nothing. It is being abandoned because Labour know their backbench MPs will not tolerate any cutbacks. This Government is bankrupting our economy.' Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, said: 'It seems to me to have achieved nothing in a year so perhaps it is at last achieving value for money by being shut down.' A Treasury review is now under way into whether the OVfM lived up to expectations and represented value for money for taxpayers, with the findings scheduled to be published in October. Labour outlined plans in April to cut dozens of quangos in an effort to reduce the size of the state. The announcement came after 27 new recommendation-making agencies were formed in the first eight months of Sir Keir Starmer's time in Downing Street. In January, MPs on the influential Treasury Select Committee published a report questioning whether the OVfM was a useful initiative, describing it as a 'red herring'. The cost to taxpayers of running the taskforce so far is £598,474, according to Treasury accounts published in March. This was less than its overall budget of £611,489. Mr Goldstone was paid £23,000 as chairman in the financial year ending in 2025. His full remuneration package amounts to £49,400 a year. This is equivalent to a full-time salary of £247,000, or £950 a day, and significantly more than Sir Keir Starmer's £166,786 salary. Dame Meg Hillier, the Treasury Select Committee's chairman, said at the time that the OVfM was 'an understaffed, poorly-defined organisation which has been set up with a vague remit and no clear plan to measure its effectiveness. 'All of which leads me to feel this initiative may be something of a red herring,' she added. The report recommended that estimates of how much the OVfM had cost the taxpayer be made public. It called on the quango to explain how it was working with existing Whitehall organisations and would avoid duplicating existing cost-cutting plans. As of December, the OVfM had 12 full-time members of staff, not including Mr Goldstone. It had the power to hire as many as 20 officials and considered using external consultants to fill any gaps in expertise, according to the select committee report. In its response to the report, the OVfM said it was 'committed to transparency of its costs' and that there was no intention to hire any external consultants. The OVfM has published studies with recommendations about budgeting for so-called 'mega projects' like the Sizewell C nuclear plant and the procurement of short-term residential accommodation by the public sector. Mr Goldstone was not involved in discussions that could be linked to his roles on the board of HS2 and as non-executive director the Submarine Delivery Authority – responsible for delivering the new Dreadnought-class submarine fleet – during his time at the OVfM, according to details of his employment published by the Government. The costs of HS2, the delayed high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham, was initially projected to be £38bn but will now likely exceed £100bn. The updated submarine fleet is likely to spend its extra £10bn 'contingency' funding on top of a £31bn budget, according to the House of Commons Library. A Treasury spokesman said: 'For too long, taxpayer money has been squandered, and we are putting an end to it. The Office for Value for Money is a unique, time-limited office based in the Treasury, with an independent chair, which has been working in partnership across government to place value for money at the heart of spending decisions.'
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Peter Kyle launches fresh 'single word' attack on Nigel Farage after Jimmy Savile row
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has said Nigel Farage has not said 'one single word' about how he'll protect kids online after vowing to rip up the UK's online safety laws Peter Kyle has said Nigel Farage has not said 'one single word' about how he'll protect kids online after vowing to rip up the UK's online safety laws. The Technology Secretary has stood by his assault on the Reform UK leader after a huge row erupted when he said Mr Farage is on the side of predators like Jimmy Savile. Mr Kyle told The Mirror Mr Farage 'should have regrets about the position he is taking and the hole he's digging himself into' when asked if he regretted his comment. He continued: ' Nigel Farage wants to overturn that legislation without saying one single word in practical terms how he will keep children safe so he should be deeply regretting the fact that he is causing anxiety to parents and just with his words, risking putting children in deep, deep harm's way.' It comes after a Reform UK police chief's 'dark heart of wokeness' claim came under fire. Pressed if he regretted the Savile comparison, he said: 'No, I don't regret drawing attention to the fact that Nigel Farage is seeking to expose our children to harm, and that includes harm by predators and paedophiles. And if he continues along that path, he is a threat to children and the family life that we, in this country, aspire to tackle and have taken big steps forward to do so.' The Reform UK leader's views on children's safety online have been the centre of debate since Mr Farage last month said his party would abolish the Online Safety Act if it was elected. It would mean removing Ofcom's children's safety codes, which order tech companies to prevent children accessing harmful content, including misogynistic material, extreme violence and pornography. The Reform UK leader even admitted he had no idea how he would keep kids safe online if he abolished online safety laws. Asked how he would, Mr Farage told journalists: "Can I stand here and say that we have a perfect answer for you right now? No." Following the announcement, Mr Kyle said Mr Farage was on the side of people like disgraced predator Savile. He described the Clacton MP as in support of "people out there who are extreme pornographers peddling hate, peddling violence". Mr Farage said the comments were 'so absolutely disgusting that it's almost beyond belief', adding: 'Frankly to say that I would do anything that would in any way aid and abet people like Jimmy Savile, it's so below the belt it's almost not true." On Mr Kyle's latest comments a spokesman for Mr Farage said: '62% of the public thought Peter Kyle's Saville attack on Nigel was inappropriate. More than half said he should apologise. ' Labour 's increasingly desperate strategy to go for the man and not the ball will not succeed.' More in Common polled voters at the start of August.
