BSIA: Alarm Receiving Centres to Pass Numbers to BT Consumer

The British Security Industry Association is encouraging Alarm Receiving Centres to provide their incoming telephone numbers - the number the alarm device dials - as soon as possible to BT Consumer to ensure devices are not left without service.

BT announced their intention to move all voice communications to IP back in 2017 with a proposed end target of 2025. This means moving telephony services to an all IP network, similar to the UK switch to digital TV. Roll out changes are happening now, which means existing alarm devices will be affected before the 2025 deadline.

BT will look for these numbers in their calls records to identify the customers who have dialled them in the last 12 months and will put a marker in their account, assuming that any calls to this number would be from a device of some sort. They will not note the supplier, type of service or make and model of any special services device on those customers’ lines, just the fact that it is likely that there is a special services device on that line. Furthermore, it will allow BT to take extra care with those customers at the time of upgrading them onto digital voice services. Perhaps most importantly, no numbers or customer information will be shared with anybody else and BT Consumer will put in place a Non-Disclosure Agreement if required.

“The deadline for the All IP switchover will reach us sooner than we think and with the recent announcement from BT Consumer launching their new digital service, we will start to see the impact of the transition where end-users buy the service”, said David Wilkinson, Director of Technical Services at BSIA. “We will continue to work with key stakeholders and encourage our industry members and the wider security community to prepare for this digital evolution across the UK telephone network.”

Sodhi Dhillon, who heads up the engagement team for BT said: “It’s really important that we get the message of the switchover out to the industry as quickly and as widely as possible. It’s a massive programme of change, bigger than the switch over from analogue TV to digital TV, and we want to make sure nobody is left vulnerable when the analogue systems stop working.”

Alarm Receiving Centres can provide their incoming telephone numbers or request further information from BT by email at btdigitalvoice@bt.com. With Openreach trials planned for Salisbury and Mildenhall next year it is considered most important that all ARCs provide the numbers as soon as possible.