OFCOM SET TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF LONDON’S ICONIC RED PHONE BOXES

Wed 10 November 2021:

The United Kingdom’s telecommunications regulator announced on Tuesday, that, iconic red phone box found in the UK will be will be protected from removal under new rules,

In an age of widespread smartphones, public payphone boxes may appear to be obsolete relics, but regulator Ofcom says they can still provide a “lifeline” for people in need.

The agency is proposing guidelines to avoid the closure of 5,000 call booths in regions with inadequate mobile coverage. Phone booths in regions considered accident or suicide hotspots, as well as those with more than 52 calls made from them in the previous 12 months, would fit the criteria.

Because of the rise of the mobile phone business, approximately half of the phone boxes in the United Kingdom have been removed, according to BT Group, formerly British Telecom.

According to the organization, more than 6,500 unused call boxes have been converted into mini community libraries, art galleries, or storage units for public defibrillators as part of the “Adopt a Kiosk” program, which allows local organizations to buy a red phone box for one pound ($1.40) and turn it into something useful.

Ofcom said there are still around 21,000 phone boxes across the country, and that almost 150,000 calls to emergency services were made from phone boxes from May 2019 to May 2020. Some 45,000 calls were also made to other helplines like the Samaritans.

“Some of the call boxes we plan to protect are used to make relatively low numbers of calls. But if one of those calls is from a distressed child, an accident victim or someone contemplating suicide, that public phone line can be a lifeline at a time of great need,” Ofcom director of connectivity, Selina Chadha said.

“We also want to make sure that people without mobile coverage, often in rural areas, can still make calls. At the same time, we’re planning to support the rollout of new phone boxes with free Wi-Fi and charging.”

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