Investigation in Vonage Business Ltd's compliance with Ofcom's General Conditions

Ofcom has today opened an investigation into Vonage’s compliance with its obligations under the General Conditions of Entitlement (GCs). The investigation relates to concerns that telephone numbers Vonage holds are/were being misused, including o facilitate scams. This has given us concerns as to whether Vonage is complying with its obligations, specifically: 

• GC B1.6 which states that “where Telephone Numbers have been Allocated to the Communications Provider, that provider shall secure that such Telephone Numbers are Adopted or otherwise used effectively and efficiently”;  
• GC B1.8 which states that “the Communications Provider shall take all reasonably practicable steps to secure that its Customers, in using Telephone Numbers, comply (where applicable) with the provisions of [GC B1], the provisions of the National Telephone Numbering Plan and the Non-provider Numbering Condition”; and  
• GC B1.9(c) which states that “the Communications Provider shall not transfer use of Telephone Numbers from the National Telephone Numbering Plan unless… the Telephone Numbers are Adopted or otherwise used effectively and efficiently”.

This investigation will seek to establish the facts surrounding this matter and examine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that Vonage is contravening, or has contravened, the above GCs.  

We will gather further information and publish an update to our investigation in due course.