Ofcom hits BT with £17.5M fine over emergency call system failure

Ofcom has imposed a £17.5 million fine on BT for its inadequate preparedness in handling a major disruption to its emergency call service last summer. The incident, which occurred on 25 June 2023, left nearly 14,000 emergency call attempts unsuccessful and potentially put lives at risk.

The failure, described as “catastrophic,” affected BT’s ability to connect calls to emergency services for over 10 hours, from 06:24 to 16:56. During this period, 12,392 different callers were unable to reach emergency services through the 999 and 112 numbers.

Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, emphasised the gravity of the situation: “Being able to contact the emergency services can mean the difference between life and death, so in the event of any disruption to their networks, providers must be ready to respond quickly and effectively.”

The incident unfolded in three phases, beginning with a configuration error in BT’s server file that caused call handling systems to malfunction. The situation worsened when attempts to switch to a disaster recovery platform failed due to human error and poorly documented instructions. Even after successfully migrating to the backup system, the platform struggled to handle the volume of calls.

Ofcom’s investigation revealed several shortcomings in BT’s preparedness. The company lacked sufficient warning systems, adequate procedures for assessing incidents, and a disaster recovery platform with enough capacity to handle expected demand. Moreover, the disruption affected text relay calls, leaving deaf and speech-impaired users at increased risk of harm.

“In this case, BT fell woefully short of its responsibilities and was ill-prepared to deal with such a large-scale outage, putting its customers at unacceptable risk,” said Cater.

While there have been no confirmed reports of serious harm resulting from the incident, Ofcom emphasised the potential for significant harm. The regulator considered various factors in determining the fine, including the seriousness and duration of the incident, as well as steps taken by BT to address the issues.

BT has since implemented improvements, including fixing the error that caused the disruption, enhancing fault monitoring, upgrading the disaster recovery platform, and documenting a clear process for switching to it. The company also self-reported the incident and cooperated fully with the investigation.

“Today’s fine sends a broader warning to all firms –- if you’re not properly prepared to deal with disruption to your networks, we’ll hold you to strict account on behalf of consumers,” added Cater.

This incident highlights the critical importance of robust emergency communication systems and the need for thorough preparation in the face of potential disruptions. Telcos must remain vigilant and proactive in ensuring the reliability of these essential services.

(Photo by Richard Bell)

See also: Ofcom cracks down on unpredictable telecom price hikes

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Tags: bt, connectivity, emergency calls, europe, fine, Networks, ofcom, regulation, uk