Latest news with #Gigaclear
Rhyl Journal
30-07-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Broadband provider fined over giving inaccurate caller locations in 999 calls
Gigaclear will pay £122,500 due to the issues with its caller location information for calls made between January 2022 and March 2024. 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.'
Glasgow Times
30-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Broadband provider fined over giving inaccurate caller locations in 999 calls
Gigaclear will pay £122,500 due to the issues with its caller location information for calls made between January 2022 and March 2024. 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.'
The Independent
30-07-2025
- The Independent
Broadband company hit with fine for customers' 999 call issues
Broadband provider Gigaclear has been penalised £122,500 by Ofcom for failing to supply accurate location data for nearly 1,000 emergency calls. The issue affected 948 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls made to 999 or 112 between January 2022 and March 2024, where inaccurate location details were transmitted. Ofcom deemed the breach serious, stating that providing accurate location data can mean the difference between life and death, and Gigaclear put customers at "unacceptable risk". The investigation found Gigaclear failed to ensure its third-party supplier correctly configured systems, conduct effective testing, or properly investigate a customer complaint. Gigaclear has since rectified the configuration issue and expressed regret; the fine, reduced by 30 per cent for admitting fault, will be passed to the Treasury.
BBC News
30-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Abingdon-based broadband provider fined over 999 calls fault
A broadband provider which failed to provide accurate location data for 999 calls has been fined £122, regulator Ofcom said Abingdon-based Gigaclear gave faulty information to emergency services in 948 calls between January 2022 and March the regulator said no callers were reported to have suffered significant said it "deeply regretted" the issue, which it had already corrected by the time it alerted Ofcom in April 2024. Announcing the fine, Ofcom said call location information could "mean the difference between life and death".It said Gigaclear did not test its systems, which had been wrongly configured by a third-party firm also failed to appropriately investigate a customer complaint relating to the issue, the regulator a statement, the provider said: "Gigaclear deeply regrets the historic configuration issue with our VoIP [Voice over Internet Protocol] service."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."Gigaclear operates a full fibre broadband network in rural areas across central and southern England. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
South Wales Guardian
30-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Broadband provider fined over giving inaccurate caller locations in 999 calls
Gigaclear will pay £122,500 due to the issues with its caller location information for calls made between January 2022 and March 2024. 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.'
