Three fined almost £2m for serious breach of emergency call network rules

Mobile network operator Three was handed down a mammoth fine of almost £2m on Thursday, after Ofcom discovered a serious weakness in its emergency call network.

The regulator issued the fine, for £1.89m, after it found Three - part of Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison - broke an “important rule” designed to ensure all users could contact emergency services at all times.

On 6 October 2016, Three notified Ofcom of a temporary loss of service affecting customers in Kent, Hampshire and parts of London.

The ensuing investigation found that emergency calls from customers in the affected area had to pass through a particular data centre in order to reach the emergency services, meaning Three’s emergency call service was vulnerable to a single point of failure.

Ofcom said the network should have been able to automatically divert emergency calls via back-up routes in the event of a local outage, but found those backup routes would also have failed because they were all directed through the single point.

To resolve the incident and address the underlying network weakness, Three had since added an additional backup route to carry emergency call traffic.

The regulator did say Three did not act deliberately or recklessly, but added that the large fine reflected the seriousness of the breach, given the potential impact on public health and safety.

Ofcom’s investigation was now considered settled, it said, adding that the penalty included a 30% reduction to reflect the cooperation offered by Three during the investigation, including admitting the breaches identified by Ofcom.

The communications watchdog also acknowledged the steps Three has taken to ensure ongoing compliance with its emergency call service rules.

“Telephone access to the emergency services is extremely important, because failures can have serious consequences for people’s safety and wellbeing,” said Ofcom’s enforcement and investigations director Gaucho Rasmussen.

“Today’s fine serves as a clear warning to the wider telecoms industry. Providers must take all necessary steps to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency services.”

The fine, which must be paid to Ofcom within 20 working days, would be passed on to HM Treasury.