Ofcom opens investigation into Gigaclear over Emergency Calls

Ofcom has opened an investigation into whether broadband network provider Gigaclear breached its regulatory obligations by failing to provide accurate and reliable caller location information to emergency organisations.

Under Ofcom’s rules (called the General Conditions), when someone calls 112 or 999 using a landline with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection, their telecoms provider must – to the extent it is technically feasible – make accurate and reliable information about the caller’s location available to the emergency organisation handling the call at the time it is answered.

Gigaclear notified Ofcom of various issues with its caller location information between January 2022 and 11 March 2024.

At this stage, Ofcom is not aware of any harm to members of the public that arose as a result. However, it takes compliance with these requirements extremely seriously, due to the potential harm that may occur.

Ofcom’s investigation will seek to establish the facts surrounding this matter and examine whether Gigaclear failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.