Thousands of phone boxes around the UK will be protected from closure, under Ofcom plans announced today.
The watchdog said it will ban BT from closing down 5,000 public phone boxes in areas of poor mobile signal, high accident rates and higher-than-average use.
Almost 150,000 calls were made to emergency services from phone boxes in the year to May 2020, while 25,000 calls were made to Childline and 20,000 to Samaritans.
If no payphone is needed, communities will be able to purchase the iconic red boxes for £1 and use it for a local service such as a community library, or to house public defibrillators.
The way people make calls has completely transformed in the past few decades, with 96% of UK adults now owning a mobile phone and 5G being rolled out UK-wide.
In response, BT is upgrading its network and decommissioning booths which are no longer needed.
But under the current process for removing payphones, some that are needed by local communities risk being withdrawn.
Today’s changes mean a phone box cannot be withdrawn if it its location is not already covered by all four mobile networks or it is located at an accident or suicide hotspot.
In addition, if more than 52 calls have been made from that box in the past year, it will be safeguarded from closure.
Ofcom estimates that around 5,000 phone boxes would be protected from removal by the new rules.
BT and KCOM can propose to remove phone boxes that do not fall within this strict criteria, but would need to formally consult with local communities before any action is taken.
Selina Chadha (pictured), Ofcom’s director of connectivity, said: “Some of the call boxes we plan to protect are used to make relatively low numbers of calls.
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“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.
“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.”
Under the plans, BT and KCOM – which operates Hull’s unique white phone boxes – must also install batteries in some payphones, so they can still be used during a power cut.
There are currently around 21,000 call boxes across the country.
For people without a mobile, or for those in areas with poor mobile coverage, these can be a lifeline for making calls to friends and family, helpline services and accessing emergency services.
A BT spokesperson said, “BT welcomes Ofcom’s consultation on the public call box Universal Service Obligation (USO).
“BT takes its regulatory obligations seriously in providing a public phone box service. Any phone box removals are carried out in strict adherence to Ofcom guidelines and, where appropriate, with the consent of local authorities.
“We also know many communities love their red kiosks and, to date, more than 6,500 have been adopted across the UK via our continuing Adopt a Kiosk scheme - turning them into lifesaving defibrillator units, mini libraries, and many other new uses.
“BT looks forward to working constructively with Ofcom throughout the consultation process to ensure the USO meets the needs of the public today.”
At the same time, the services people need from public call boxes are changing.
A new generation of street hubs being rolled out by BT offer services such as free Wi-Fi and free charging.
