BT investigated over major 999 call disruption

An probe has been launched into BT pursuing the large disruption to 999 telephone services connected Sunday.

Emergency services crossed the state reported 999 calls were failing to link due to the fact that of a method fault.

BT, which manages the 999 telephone system, apologised for the problems which were resolved by Sunday evening.

The communications regulator, Ofcom, volition present analyse whether BT failed to comply with its regulatory obligations.

In a statement, Ofcom said its rules required BT and different providers to instrumentality "all indispensable measures to guarantee uninterrupted entree to exigency organisations arsenic portion of immoderate telephone services offered".

"They besides necessitate providers to instrumentality each indispensable measures to guarantee the fullest imaginable availability of calls and net successful the lawsuit of catastrophic web breakdown," it added.

"Ofcom's probe volition question to found the facts surrounding the incidental and analyse whether determination are tenable grounds to judge that BT has failed to comply with its regulatory obligations."

While the incidental was ongoing Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service warned of a 30-second hold to link to 999, portion Suffolk Police said its strategy was not moving to afloat capacity.

The Metropolitan Police and Bedfordshire Police besides reported difficulties.

The origin of the problems with the 999 work remains unclear, but the issues persisted adjacent aft BT switched to a back-up system.

The authorities has said it took BT astir 3 hours to alert ministers to the problems it was experiencing.

A BT spokesperson said the steadfast was "nearing the extremity of a full, interior probe and expects to stock the findings with government, the exigency services and Ofcom by Thursday".

"This volition analyse the method aspects of what triggered Sunday's incident, the process of moving implicit to the back-up strategy and the timings of communications to the exigency services, Ofcom and government."

Speaking aft an urgent question was asked successful the Lords astir the incident, Labour adjacent Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent called it "an incredibly disconcerting event".