New rules could protect 5,000 payphones across the UK

Thousands of payphones across the UK could be protected under new rules.

Regulator Ofcom said it is proposing stronger rules to safeguard phone boxes from removal if they meet certain criteria.

The organisation estimates some 5,000 phone boxes could be protected.

There are also exceptional circumstances such as issues related to the location of the phone box, for example those in a coastal location where mobile reception is poor, and those from which helpline numbers have been called.

BT and KCOM – which operates Hull’s unique white phone boxes – can propose to remove phone boxes that do not meet the criteria but Ofcom said there must be formal consultation with local communities before any action is taken.

Ofcom said there are around 21,000 boxes across the country, and that 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.

She said: “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.

“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 wifi and charging.”

Under the plans Ofcom said BT and KCOM must also install batteries in some payphones, ensuring they can be used during a power cut.

The regulator said that under BT’s “Adopt a Kiosk” scheme – which allows local bodies to purchase a red phone box for £1 and use it for something else – more than 6,000 have been converted to things like community libraries, or are used to store public defibrillators.

A spokesperson for BT said the firm “takes its regulatory obligations seriously in providing a public phone box service” and added that it was looking forward to “working constructively with Ofcom throughout the consultation process”.

They said: “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.”