Ofcom launches investigation into BT after disruption to 999 emergency call service
An as yet unspecified technical error resulted in a backlog of 999 calls
Regulator Ofcom has initiated an investigation into BT following a nationwide disruption to emergency 999 call services on June 25, 2023.
On Sunday morning, emergency services across the country reported a failure to connect 999 calls. BT, which is responsible for managing the 999 phone system, had to switch to a backup system around 90 minutes later.
Although BT was able to see incoming calls to 999 and redirect them to the backup solution, it acknowledged that there was a period when calls were unable to go through. The exact cause of the problem with the 999 service remains uncertain, and the issues persisted even after BT transitioned to the backup system. Over 50 regions and counties reported the problem, highlighting its widespread impact.
During the incident, police, fire, and ambulance services advised the public to use alternative numbers such as 101, typically used for non-emergencies, and local contact numbers.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service cautioned about a 30-second delay in connecting to 999, while Suffolk Police reported that their system was not functioning at full capacity.
Difficulties were also experienced by the Metropolitan Police and Bedfordshire Police.
The government disclosed on Monday that it received information from BT about the issues nearly three hours after the system was initially affected at 6:30 am.
Viscount Camrose, a minister at the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, stated that a "technical issue" with the service was reported to the government at 9:20 am on Sunday.
Speaking in the House of Lords, he acknowledged that an inquiry would investigate the timeliness of BT's notification.
"I understand that the government were informed as quickly as was practically possible. One area that the inquiry will look into is whether that should or could have been faster," he said.
BT has apologised for the problems encountered and stated that the issues were successfully resolved by Monday.
On Wednesday, Ofcom announced that its investigation would focus on determining the facts of the incident and assessing whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that BT failed to fulfil its regulatory obligations.
According to Ofcom's regulations, BT and other network providers are obligated to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations as part of the call services they provide.
"They also require providers to take all necessary measures to ensure the fullest possible availability of calls and internet in the event of catastrophic network breakdown or in cases of force majeure," Ofcom said.
"Separately, providers are required to take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify and reduce the risks of, and prepare for the occurrence of, anything that compromises the availability, performance, or functionality of their network or service."
BT is conducting its own investigation into the cause of the technical error and plans to share its findings with the government, Ofcom, and emergency services later today.
"This will examine the technical aspects of what triggered Sunday's incident, the process of moving over to the back-up system and the timings of communications to the emergency services, Ofcom and government," a company spokesperson said.