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
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Report: 'Trump accounts' for newborns could grow to $1.9M
Babies born this year could become millionaires before they turn 30, thanks to the 'Trump accounts' established when President Donald Trump signed the 'big, beautiful bill' into law earlier this month. Fox Business reported Wednesday that the one-time government investment of $1,000 per child could grow to as much as $1.9 million by the time that individual turns 28 if the account if fully funded and left untouched. The Treasury assessment found that if a maximum contribution is made each year on the child's birthday through age 17 the account could grow to between $191,500 and $676,400. The money can't be used until the individual turns 18. A child's Social Security number has to be provided in order for parents to sign up. The current law applies to children born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028. Democrats have raised concerns about the program due to a comment uttered Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. 'In a way, it is a back door for privatizing Social Security,' Bessent said at an event hosted by Breitbart News. 'If, all of a sudden, these accounts grow and you have in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for your retirement, that's a game-changer, too,' he added. On Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gave a floor speech on the matter. 'Yesterday, the Trump administration did something they rarely do – they told the truth. It wasn't Donald Trump, but it was one of his minions. They told the truth,' the New York Democrat said. 'The Trump administration, in this case, was talking about wanting to privatize Social Security.'
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Government defends Online Safety Act after X claims it threatens free speech
The Government has defended the Online Safety Act after Elon Musk's X said the legislation was threatening free speech. In a post titled What Happens When Oversight Becomes Overreach, the platform, formerly known as Twitter, outlined criticism of the act and the 'heavy-handed' UK regulators. The Government countered that it is 'demonstrably false' that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech and said it is not designed to censor political debate. Under rules that came into effect on July 25, online platforms must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide. This includes a new duty for online providers to reduce the risk that users encounter illegal content as well as age verification measures in the UK to access pornographic content. 'As a result, the act's laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach. Without a more balanced, collaborative approach, free speech will suffer,' X said. It accused regulators of taking a 'heavy-handed approach' and said that 'many are now concerned that a plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public's right to free expression'. Ofcom said this week it had launched investigations into 34 pornography sites for new age-check requirements. The company said 'a balanced approach is the only way to protect individual liberties, encourage innovation and safeguard children'. A Government spokesperson said: 'It is demonstrably false that the Online Safety Act compromises free speech. 'As well as legal duties to keep children safe, the very same law places clear and unequivocal duties on platforms to protect freedom of expression. Failure to meet either obligation can lead to severe penalties, including fines of up to 10% of global revenue or £18 million, whichever is greater. 'The Act is not designed to censor political debate and does not require platforms to age gate any content other than those which present the most serious risks to children such as pornography or suicide and self-harm content. 'Platforms have had several months to prepare for this law. It is a disservice to their users to hide behind deadlines as an excuse for failing to properly implement it.' Technology Secretary Peter Kyle became embroiled in a row with Nigel Farage earlier this week over Reform UK's pledge that it would scrap the Act if the party came into power. He said the Reform UK leader of being on the side of 'extreme pornographers'.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour's hopes of a building boom are fading
The Government's entire economic strategy can be summed up in one phrase: planning reform. This is front and centre of every response to poor GDP figures, in every speech on the economy and high up in any list of government 'achievements'. It doesn't seem to matter that taxes on business have gone up massively and employment regulation is about to do the same. That is all fine because of planning reform. In her Spring Statement for instance, the Chancellor stated that these reforms would mean the Government was now 'within touching distance of delivering our manifesto promise to build 1.5 million homes in England in this Parliament'. The result of all this housebuilding would be, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), an increase in GDP worth 'an additional £3.4bn' by 2029/30. Delivering this level of housebuilding is therefore crucial to the Government's economic and political success. The early signs are not good, and this should be a major cause for concern in the Treasury. First, the OBR's assumptions for this economic impact are nothing short of heroic. They state that net additions to the housing stock will increase from 192,000 this year to 305,000 by 2029/30. A near-60pc increase and a 40-year high in terms of net additions. They are also forecasting a booming property market with transactions rising from 1m in 2023 to 1.472m in 2029. Turnover rate in the housing market will apparently rise to 4.58pc by 2029. Other than the Covid market surge in 2021 – when stamp duty was eased – that would be the highest annual turnover rate in 20 years. No one in the industry thinks these forecasts are realistic. And for good reason. The Home Builders Federation's recent housing pipeline report shows that the number of residential planning approvals actually fell by 37pc during the first quarter of 2025. The 50,610 units that these approvals will deliver was the lowest quarterly figure in nearly 12 years. In certain key regions things are even worse. Data from Molior shows that in London, where Labour has been in charge for years, just over 2,000 private homes began construction during the first half of this year. That is just 4.9pc of the Government's 44,000 half-year target. It could be fairly argued that the Government's planning reforms have yet to kick in. The OBR says most of the increase will happen from 2026/27. But things do not look good on that front either. Molior is forecasting that London will deliver just over 5pc of the 176,000 homes that the Mayor is targeting over the next two years. And if that were replicated across the country it would be nothing short of disastrous. If things continue along at the sort of rate we've seen since Labour came to power, rather than that which is currently in the OBR forecast, it will only be a matter of time before they look again at the numbers. They do in fact warn that their projections for housebuilding contain 'several significant uncertainties' including constraints within the sector and local opposition to the reforms. To that they should add other government policies because since these reforms were announced ministers have done everything they can to hamper them. They've already watered down some of their plans in the face of backbench opposition so environmental and nature campaigners will still be able to easily block new developments. Any hope that Government backed affordable housing would help reach the target have been ended after the Spring Statement confirmed most of the £39bn trumpeted for this programme is back loaded into the next parliament. There's actually less money for affordable housing in the next crucial few years. Added to all of this, the Government is actively making it more expensive to build new homes. New levies, inherited from the previous Government, will add a few thousand pounds to the cost of each new home. And Treasury officials have managed to slip through a massive increase to the landfill tax, something the previous government rejected, that will halt many brownfield developments in their tracks. So unless we see some new, additional and radical planning reforms for the OBR to take into account, at some point they will revise down the number of net additions they are currently forecasting. At which point the Government won't have an economic strategy left. The minor planning reforms they have half implemented will count for nothing. Instead of a housebuilding boom that delivers the economic growth that the Chancellor has promised, we are going to see the sector limp along like the rest of the economy because this Government simply doesn't understand that tax and regulation matter.
