The Public Telecommunications Operators' licence requires operators to take all reasonably practicable steps to maintain, to the greatest extent possible, the availability and integrity of fixed public telephone systems and publicly available telephone services. It also requires that any restrictions on access and use of these systems are proportionate, non-discriminatory and based on objective criteria identified in advance.
The new guidelines on the essential requirements for network security and integrity set out guidance for operators to ensure they meet their licence requirements at all times.
Oftel has also separately published model criteria which operators can use, if required, to restrict calls to their networks on the grounds of integrity or security. One example would be to filter calls generated by a mass calling event, such as a TV show phone vote, to avoid the telephone network becoming overloaded.
The following documents are available on Oftel's web site: