Phone boxes: New Ofcom rules to protect NI payphones

There are currently 1,200 public payphones in NI, including 157 red phone boxes

At least 90 phone boxes in Northern Ireland are expected to be protected from closure under new Ofcom rules.

That's because they are located in areas with poor mobile signals, the UK telecoms regulator said.

It's one of a number of new criteria being used to assess the long-term viability of phone boxes across the UK.

According to BT, there are currently 1,200 public payphones, including 157 traditional red boxes, in Northern Ireland.

Under Ofcom's new rules, a phone box will be protected from closure if it fits one of the following criteria:

• It is located in an area not covered by all four mobile networks

• It is located in an area with many accidents or suicides

• More than 52 calls have been made from it over the past 12 months

• It is otherwise providing a vital service, such as being used to make calls to Childline or the Samaritans

Ofcom estimates about 90 phone boxes will be saved in Northern Ireland because of poor mobile signal.

It is not yet known how many phone boxes will be protected by Ofcom's other criteria.

An individual assessment will be carried out on each of Northern Ireland's payphones.

A BT spokeswoman said it was reviewing "the specific changes and any impact this will have on the payphone service we offer".

• Red phone box numbers fall below 200

"BT takes its regulatory obligations seriously in providing a public payphone service and will adhere to Ofcom's new guidelines around the removal of any phone boxes," she added.

Payphone use has declined sharply over recent years but Ofcom said they can still be vital to local communities.

Selina Chadha, Ofcom's director of connectivity, said phone boxes "can still serve as a vital lifeline - perhaps to call a helpline or the emergency services - when no other options are available".

She added: "Our new rules will ensure that many thousands of phone boxes will be protected for as long as they are needed."

Ofcom estimates there are at least 1,400 phone boxes in areas without good mobile coverage across all four UK regions.