Ofcom has approved a single provider, Sign Language Interactions, to run emergency video relay in the UK, with the service due to go live in June 2022. The regulator set out its decision to introduce the service and the approval in a statement published on 27 January 20221.
Emergency video relay allows a deaf person to contact the emergency services through a video call with an interpreter. Ofcom states that the service must meet its approval criteria "so it is equivalent to voice 999"1. Under those criteria it must be available 24 hours a day, use qualified and experienced interpreters, and have the highest technical and quality standards1.
Ofcom says it has approved one service which meets the approval criteria: Sign Language Interactions1. The regulator has published a statement and a British Sign Language video about the decision, along with transcripts of its BSL videos covering the approval and the earlier consultation1.
"Emergency video relay will go live in June 2022."
Ofcom gives an email address, emergencyBSL@ofcom.org.uk, for questions about the service, and says it can also be contacted by text relay on 020 7783 4079 or by video relay1.
Why it matters for households
The change affects deaf households and anyone who relies on British Sign Language to make calls, rather than the general population. From June 2022, the approved route for contacting the emergency services in BSL by video is the Sign Language Interactions service, operating to Ofcom's approval conditions on availability, interpreter qualifications and technical quality1. Ofcom has not reported in this material how households register for or access the service, what equipment or app is needed, or whether there is any cost to the caller; those details have not been reported.
For households that keep a written list of emergency numbers, the new service adds a route that does not depend on speech. Ofcom's contact details for questions about emergency video relay are given above1. General guidance on keeping emergency contact information on paper is set out in the guide to emergency and non-emergency numbers to keep on paper, part of the staying informed hub.
What happens next
The service is scheduled to go live in June 20221. Ofcom has not reported any further dates beyond that in this material.
Sources (1)
- Video relay for 999 emergencies, ofcom.org.uk
