UK regulator fines BT 17.5 mln pounds for emergency call-handling failure

Britain’s Ofcom has fined telecoms provider BT Group 17.5 million pounds ($22.60 million) for network disruption that affected 14,000 emergency calls in June last year, the communications regulator said in a statement on Monday.

“We found that BT did not have sufficient warning systems in place for when this kind of incident occurs, nor did it have adequate procedures for promptly assessing the severity, impact and likely cause of any such incident or for identifying mitigating actions,” Ofcom said.

There were no confirmed reports by emergency authorities of serious harm as a result of the incident, the regulator said, but added that “the potential degree of harm was extremely significant”.

BT connects 999 and 112 calls in the UK and provides relay services for deaf and speech-impaired people.