§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the implications for the telecoms sector of the increasing use of internet telephony. [178716]
§ Mr. TimmsNew services that can offer consumers lower prices and advanced features are welcome additions to a competitive telecommunications market. Ofcom, the telecommunications and broadcasting regulator, is currently considering the regulatory issues concerning voice over broadband (VoB) services as part of a wider strategic review of telecommunications. It has also consulted on specific issues such as numbering arrangements and runs a VoB industry group.
The Ofcom Strategic Review of Telecommunications can be found at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/telecoms_review/index.htm
Details of the VoB industry group can be found at: hap: //www.ofcom.org.uK/ind_groups/ind_groups/telecommunications/vob/?a =87101