It is confirmed that VoIP services should provide access to 999 or 112 services from 8th September, 2008, according to the statement released by Ofcom. Currently, more than three-fourths of VoIP users (78%) are not allowed to call emergency services like 999 or 112 while majority of them are even not aware of the unavailability of these services to them. This often makes the VoIP users to find an alternate service to make emergency calls at critical situations.

In this regard, Ofcom issued an important statement earlier instructing all VoIP users to provide access to these emergency services for their customers. The latest statement which has put the deadline in the late next year, further confirmed Ofcom’s decision to protect the interests of VoIP users.

Accordingly, the VoIP services which provide free use of their services like Skype will not be subjected to the new rules. However, the VoIP Out providers and ‘Two way VoIP’ providers will have to adhere to the new rules framed by Ofcom.

Ed Richards, the Chief Executive of Ofcom commented:
”As new voice services develop and become more mainstream, regulation must evolve too. In the future, consumers will be confident that if they can make calls to ordinary national numbers using their VoIP service then they will be able to call 999 or 112 in an emergency”.