Written by Armita Satari
Following reports of serious incidents of device failures caused by the switchover, the Technology Secretary, Michelle Donellan, set up a meeting with the telcos and regulator Ofcom.
The phone providers who were asked to pause any forceful transition signed a charter which commits them to a set of measures ensuring to protect vulnerable households. These specifically include those that use personal alarms, also known as telecare, offering remote support to elderly, disabled, and vulnerable people.
“The move represents a positive step by industry to make sure safety continues to be at the heart of the nationwide switchover and provides reassurance to vulnerable households,” reads the statement by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The irony being that the transition from analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital telephony through an internet connection, eg Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is to deliver “a modern network which is secure, efficient, and fit for the future.”
But a number of telecare users had reported device failure when trying to use their devices after the so-called upgrade had taken place.
