Yesterday's comments, from the Internet Telephony Service
Providers' Association (ITSPA), were made in response to the
telecoms watchdog's February consultation on regulating the market
for Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, services, in the UK.
ITSPA has 50 members including Centrica, AOL, freetalk,
Spiritel, Tesco and Cisco. It points out that VoIP has flourished
in the UK over the past two years under the existing regulatory
principles – and a heavy hand is unnecessary.
Ofcom has proposed a new code for VoIP service providers to
ensure customers are given important information about service
capability. ITSPA has its own Code of Practice that addresses the
need to provide information.
Ofcom also wants to include information about reliability,
whether access to emergency calls is offered, and the reliability
of such access, the portability of telephone numbers and whether
information such as directory listing is offered. Ofcom is updating
its guidance to encourage VoIP providers to offer access to 999
emergency services and to help them comply with existing regulation
of voice services, including requirements for Publicly Available
Telephone Services (PATS).
ITSPA members have some concerns, however. While it agrees with
the need to ensure maximum access to emergency services in the UK,
ITSPA members are concerned that Ofcom’s proposals "will conversely
raise the barriers to the provision of emergency access by VoIP
providers."
It points out that VoIP has already proven to be a vital third
means of communication (in addition to mobile and traditional fixed
line networks). For instance, after the London bombings on 7th July
2005, many citizens found that the only means of communicating with
friends and relatives was via VoIP, as the number of calls being
made overwhelmed mobile networks. ITSPA is keen to ensure that this
public benefit can be further extended.
ITSPA's response to Ofcom’s consultation highlights the
following key issues:
- ITSPA believes in the need to ensure maximum access to
emergency services and that VoIP services offer a vital third means
of access (along with traditional fixed line and mobile).
- Ofcom must ensure that regulation is enforceable on
extraterritorial service providers, otherwise UK VoIP providers
could be at a competitive disadvantage, yet UK consumers would not
be offered the same protection from unscrupulous offshore service
providers.
- In the interest of consumers and businesses, number portability
should be made as easy and transparent as possible: regulatory
definitions of services are irrelevant to the end user.
- The proposals should be proportionate to all voice service
providers and Ofcom should not implement excessive regulation on an
industry that hasn't fully matured.
- ITSPA believes that its self-regulatory initiatives, which are
already in place, ensure consumers are properly and appropriately
informed about VoIP services. Ofcom should consider these
initiatives before other regulatory proposals are implemented.
