New VoIP legislation 'will benefit the industry'
The forthcoming requirement for voice over IP (VoIP) service providers to provide access to emergency numbers could give the overall industry a significant boost, some experts have predicted.
Just recently the telecommunications industry watchdog Ofcom ruled that all VoIP providers will be forced to provide access to emergency numbers in 2008.
While some industry insiders have expressed concerns that such legislation will work to hamper the growth of the sector in the short-term, as providers become reluctant to support incoming calls, the watchdog has argued that the sheer strength of the market forces will ensure that compliance will be widespread.
Furthermore, according to IT Week, the initiative is likely to further drive the take-up and deployment of VoIP technologies across the UK and help to improve and widen the scope of services offered by providers.
Commenting on the ruling made earlier this month, Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said: "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."
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