Friday 29 March 2024
 5.9°C   SSE Gentle Breeze
Ocean Kinetics - The Engineering Experts

Community / Stronger protection for public phone boxes

There are 47 payphone in Shetland within 400 metres of the coastline. Photo © Mike Pennington (cc-by-sa/2.0)

MANY of Shetland’s under-used, neglected and abandoned payphones may receive a new lease of life after regulator Ofcom brought in stronger protection for essential phone boxes.

Changes brought in earlier this week mean that phone boxes will be safeguarded against removal if they are needed by the community or provide an essential service in areas with a poor mobile signal.

There is also a commitment to protect payphones in coastal areas. In Shetland there are 47 within 400 metres of the coastline.

BT said it had generally protected coastal payphones as a voluntary commitment and the new regulations could mean that it would not be possible to remove a payphone after consulting with local authorities.

A spokesperson said the company is carrying out maintenance visits at its boxes in Shetland and will repair any that are out of order.

There are 64 operational payphones in Shetland, and they will all have had a visit from maintenance teams.

There are no plans to reinstate public payphones that have been removed.

The BT spokesperson said: “We will now review the specific changes and any impact this will have on the payphone service we offer.

“BT takes its regulatory obligations seriously in providing a public payphone service and will adhere to Ofcom’s new guidelines around the removal of any phone boxes.”

The changes to the telephony universal service obligation in relation to public call boxes can be found here.

Isles MP Alistair Carmichael said rather than maintaining phone boxes BT should invest more in its mobile network.

“I was brought up in the age when people actually used phone boxes. I think with every year that passes it becomes more difficult to sustain them, because you see the number of people who are actually using them,” he said.

“The public have kind of voted with their feet. So what you need to be doing is improving the mobile networks – the Shared Rural Network for example makes perfect sense.”

Become a supporter of Shetland News

 

The BT spokesperson added: “We also welcome Ofcom’s proposals around the greater flexibility on payphone removals as we look to replace a proportion of our traditional payphone network in urban areas with our next generation Street Hub units.

“These are bringing wide ranging benefits to communities, including free ultrafast WiFi and landline calls, access to 999 and charity help lines, advertising for local businesses and air quality monitoring.”

Become a supporter of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.

Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has  over 600 supporters  who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.

Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -

  • Bring you the headlines as they happen;
  • Stay editorially independent;
  • Give a voice to the community;
  • Grow site traffic further;
  • Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.

 

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a supporter of Shetland News

We're committed to ensuring everyone has equitable access to impartial, open and quality local journalism that benefits all residents.

By supporting Shetland News, you play a vital role in ensuring we remain a pivotal resource in supporting the community.

Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.