Companies providing VoIP telephony will be bound by new rules set by Ofcom from today.
The regulator, which announced the new rules in March, has demanded that providers of VoIP are clearer to their customers about the limitations of the service, with fines of up to ten per cent of turnover as a penalty for failure to comply.
Companies will have to make sure customers sign a document testifying they know that emergency numbers are unavailable over VoIP during power cuts and equipment provided must also be labelled with these warnings.
The Internet Telephony Service Providers’ Association (ITSPA), told the CB Magazine website that the new rules made the VoIP telecoms sector the most regulated technology in the telecommunications industry.
It also expressed its concern that foreign companies would not be subject to the same restrictions, posing a threat to UK consumers.
Meanwhile, recent research has shown that Scottish customers use VoIP more than other UK residents.
About 19 per cent of Scottish internet users use VoIP, compared to 18 per cent in England. [via]
