Ref: 64/02
Date: 31 October 2002

Oftel has today welcomed the first companies to become members of the Telecoms Ombudsman Service.

Broadsystem Ventures Ltd, BT, Centrica Telecommunications, NTL Group Ltd, Powergen UK plc, Virgin Mobile Telecoms' Ltd, and Vodafone Limited were admitted as members of the Ombudsman by the Council of the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service.

David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications said today:

"The Ombudsman will provide a valuable service to consumers and I welcome the support of these first seven companies to sign up to the scheme.

"Both consumers and the industry will benefit from an effective Ombudsman offering an independent, fair and speedy service to consumers in dispute with their telecoms company."

Notes to editors

1. The Council of the Telecommunications Ombudsman Service admitted the above companies to membership at its meeting on 22 October.

2. Following its consultation, Developing a Telecommunications Ombudsman, in March 2001, Oftel published a statement, Implementation of a Telecommunications Ombudsman Scheme, on 26 July 2001, which outlined the actions the industry needed to take to implement an Ombudsman scheme by mid 2002 at the latest.

3. As a consequence the industry set up a working group tasked with appointing an independent council. The independent council members were appointed in March 2002 and following their appointment they appointed Elizabeth France, previously the Information Commissioner, as the first independent Telecommunications Ombudsman in June 2002.

4. Otelo, the Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman, was established on 1 October 2002 and is based in Warrington. More information is available from its website at www.otelo.org.uk or by phoning 01925 430049. The Ombudsman will begin accepting complaints in January 2003.

5. The Ombudsman Service will resolve disputes involving voice calls made from both fixed and mobile telephones, including faxes; services associated or supplementary to these, including text messaging (SMS), voice mail and call forwarding; and services and products available to disabled people, including access to text relay and free directory enquiries.