VoIP callers must be able to call 999 says Ofcom

Telephone watchdog Ofcom has ruled that VoIP providers that allow users to make calls to national phone numbers must enable 999 and 112 connections.

Until now, VoIP providers – such as Skype – have not had to provide this service but research by Ofcom has shown that more than three quarters of users were not aware this it was unavailable.

The ruling applies to providers that let customers call normal national phone numbers. Excluded are services that only let their customers call other people on the same VoIP network or that only let customers receive calls from normal phone numbers.

Ofcom says the stipulation is needed to ensure that during an emergency people can summon help as quickly as possible, fearing that having to find a phone that can call the emergency services during a crisis might make a serious situation much worse.

Providers have until September 2008 to comply with the ruling.

In an Ofcom survey, 78% of those using net phone services which cannot connect to the emergency services thought that such a call was already possible on that network or were unaware that there might be a problem.