Communications regulator Ofcom have launched an official enquiry into BT over their delay in providing a replacement telephone service for deaf people and people with a speech impairment.
A new service was due to be launched on April 18th but was delayed when testing showed problems in the way the new service, knows as Next Generation Text Relay, handled emergency calls. BT have not been able to provide an exact date when the service will now be launched but have announced recently that it is expected in early October, six-months overdue.
As a result, Ofcom have launched and enquiry into the media giant and hope to have it complete within ten months. Ofcom can demand to see documentation and evidence from BT as part of the investigation. As we revealed last week, Ofcom could fine BT for the delay which is a breach of a binding agreement to provide the service.
Current textphone technology
Joff McGill, of the UK Council on Deafness Deaf Access to Communications group, said: “We welcome Ofcom’s investigation into BT. Deaf people have been let down by the failure to provide a next generation text relay service and this shows it is being taken seriously.
“Our main concern is that the new service is fit for purpose and launched as soon as possible. Modern telecommunication is central to our lives and deaf people should have equal access to its benefits.
“The Deaf Access to Communications group is meeting regularly with both BT and Ofcom to monitor progress.”
The existing service, known simply as Text Relay or TypeTalk, will still run in its current form until the eventual launch of the Next Generation Service. At present, Text Relay handles 77,000 calls every month. A spokesperson for BT expressed the company’s disappointment:
He said: “BT is disappointed by Ofcom’s decision to investigate the delay of the Next Generation Text (NGT) launch. We had to postpone the launch of the service, for people with hearing and speech impairments, because of a safety issue with the quality of emergency calls that could have put users at risk.
“We apologise to customers who are waiting for the launch. We have been attempting to fix this issue as quickly as possible and hope to be able to launch the service in the autumn, following testing to ensure that it is completely safe.”
Andy is Chairman of the Peterborough and District Deaf Children’s Society and teaches sign language in primary schools. Contact him on twitter @LC_AndyP
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Natalya D
June 25, 2014
Good!
I am really disappointed in BT over this. The fact they didn’t realise there was a problem reveals major issues with their testing systems which many deafies were saying happened AWFUL late.
BT are still giving naff all information to us deaf users about what is going on which simply isn’t good enough. If the problem is *so* bad that it takes 6 months extra to fix that’s not a “ooops” that’s a major major systematic problem.
Also the current relay is much harder to use cos it’s all weird and fast. If I didn’t have a printer on my Minicom I wouldn’t be able to read cos the text spurts through in fits rather than happening smoothly. VERY odd indeed. Would be fine on a proper computer screen, but that’s what we DON’T HAVE yet!
(Yes, I’m cross, I think this is poor service and BT owe us an apology)
Andy, not him, me
June 25, 2014
Would it have been so terribly hard to launch it *without* the emergency services? This smacks very much of an excuse. I never thought they would launch on time when they announced it. Pity I was right.
Marcus Turley
June 26, 2014
That’s such a shame since all telecom providers in this country are required by Ofcom to pay BT around 69p per minute to allow their own Deaf and HoH customers to use BT TextDirect via the phone line. Yet BT have failed to upgrade their system to ensure that Deaf customers of all telecom providers are getting better service and value for money, as promised. Such a disappointment and BT should be ashamed of themselves for putting profits before honouring their promises and thanking Deaf and HoH customers for making their brand even bigger! I really loathe Typetalk as it is the worst relay service provider especially their operators who are often rude and ignorant.
When I launched European Relay Services back in 2006 it was because I had had enough of Typetalk and the rudeness of TT operators e.g. controlling my calls when in fact it is my call and not theirs. …and I hate ‘GA’ because it costs me more money, when I know exactly what the receiving party is talking about. As a result, I launched ERS, where the features are exactly the same as hearing people receive from their providers, such as my own hometown phone number, voicemail and so on and where hearing people can call me direct instead of using a prefix number like the existing system, which is a joke and embarrassing.
I hope that Ofcom investigates, to find that BT is not able to produce any evidence that they were actually upgrading. This will probably force Ofcom to decide to open the market so any of telecom provider can develop their own relay platform so they don’t have to pay BT 69p per minute!