A TELEPHONE numbering issue that would have had “serious implications” for Islanders and local businesses has been resolved, the Economic Development Minister has confirmed following the approval of emergency legislation earlier this year.
The update from Deputy Kirsten Morel follows amendments to the Telecommunications (Jersey) Law 2002, which were backed by States Members in October.
Deputy Morel proposed the changes after UK regulator OFCOM discovered there was no legal basis for its practice of allocating numbers in Jersey or the other Crown Dependencies – and would be unable to continue doing so unless this was in place.
At the time, the minister warned that the inability to allocate new phone numbers was “likely to disrupt critical telecommunications infrastructure projects, such as network transformation programmes and the launch of services”.
Additionally, he explained that without the “necessary legal framework”, OFCOM and the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority would not be able to enforce new security requirements regarding the use of +44 numbers.
Following questions from the JEP on whether the issue had been fixed since the amendment regulations were approved, Deputy Morel said: “I’m pleased to confirm that it has been resolved, and would like to thank scrutiny, officers and OFCOM for their support.”
He added: “Had this not been resolved, there would have been serious implications for Islanders and local businesses.”
The UK communications regulator has been responsible for the allocation of telephone numbers in Jersey since 2003.
