By Dan Ilett, 3 November 2005 13:10
NEWS
Large London financial institutions are to be given priority access to telephone networks in the event of a disaster.
The Tripartite Financial Authorities (made up of the Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority and HM Treasury) has published a report stating that large City organisations should be given priority over all non-999 telephone traffic as from 2006.
The group is building what it calls the Enhanced Government Telephone Preference Scheme (EGTPS) in the wake of disruptions to phone lines that occurred after the London 7 July bombings.
The report said: "Although the landline network is generally resilient, it too can become congested following major disruption, as happened on 7 July. For this reason, there is benefit in ensuring landline communication can be maintained by way of a priority user scheme... This scheme will ensure that calls from EGTPS numbers are given priority over all other non-999 traffic. It will therefore provide a highly resilient landline communication for use in a crisis."
But some security experts are unsure how the scheme would affect workers trying to contact loved ones.
"I guess what they should do is allow these firms to make calls but not at the expense of other people making calls," said former financial services security manager Alan Phillips, CEO of training firm 7Safe. "If it's on a separate network that's fine. But it's not a nice gesture, is it?"
Priority phone access will be given to companies chosen to be included in the government's critical national infrastructure (CNI), which is supported by public funds, the report said.
"The intention is for CNI firms to be sponsored on to the scheme at cost by the relevant department (the Treasury for the financial sector)," said the report.
Comments
There are 4 comments. Join the discussion
1. Peter Croft
Money first, people second?
2. John
As with most limited resources, priorities have to be decided.
Swamping networks with calls from "loved ones" is not productive.
They'll find out in due course if someone's been killed or injured.
3. Guy reynolds
Why, they don't keep people alive?
This is one of the ill thought out ideas over what is essential in times of crisis and disaster and what isn't.
I work for for a plastic packaging firm which supplies the food industry with packaging on a just-in-time basis, but we are considered non-essential, and come way down the list when it comes to getting fuel, power and services in time of crisis.
However, if we do not delivery our product to the food insutry, they have nothing to pack the food in. If they can not pack it, they can not get it to the supermarkets. If the is no food on the supermarket shelves, we end up with food shortages and starve.
But hey who cares that the population is starving because the the banks are still able to make a profit.
4. Roger Huffadine
There has always been a priority phone service.
All that this announcement reveals is that firstly security within government is absolutely nil ['cos we shouldn't be told who is on the service and who is not] - and - that years after 9/11 our government has eventually woken up to the fact that financial disruption by a terrorist organisation could bring the Western World to its knees. Personally I was in my bank fairly rapidly after 9/11 to make sure that I had sufficient 'reddies' to survive any financial terrorist attack - because the financial institutions are THE obvious target.