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Change to emergency calls made from mobile phones welcomed
Plans to make it easier for people to call the emergency services on mobile phones wherever they are in the UK have been unveiled by communications watchdog Ofcom.
Ofcom has given details of proposals to develop a service where emergency calls automatically "roam" on to an available network if there is no coverage from a customer's own mobile service. The proposals are outlined in a consultation document on improving access to communications services and have been welcomed as a potential "lifesaver" by ramblers and mountain rescue groups.
Mobile calls to emergency numbers can currently only be connected if the caller's own network is available in an area. In some parts of the UK, particularly in Scotland and Wales, emergency mobile calls cannot be connected from certain mobile networks. If technical trials by the mobile network operators are successful, Ofcom said it expects the service to be in place by the end of the year and said the move would give added reassurance to consumers should they need to call 999 or 112.
Roger Wild, mountain safety adviser with The Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said: "This proposal will greatly increase the chances of getting a message through to the mountain rescue services in the event of an emergency. The benefit of being able to phone for help rather than walk off the hill to raise the alarm cannot be overstated. Introducing an emergency mobile roaming service in the UK could save lives."
Tom Franklin, chief executive of The Ramblers, said: "The Ramblers warmly welcomes this proposal. Most of us now carry mobile phones, and it will now be much easier for walkers to call for help if they get into genuine difficulties in the countryside. Accidents can happen to even the most experienced walkers and this new initiative may well prove a lifesaver."
