Fax for the memories: Ofcom backs death warrant for 80s office staple

As ubiquitous as fax machines were in the 1980s and 90s, their obsolescence comes amid the industry-led migration from the public switched telephone network to all-internet protocol (IP) telephony, which means that fax machines will no longer work in the same way.

Ofcom is giving those who feel strongly that the fax machine should live to beep another day just one month to state their case. But based on their last consultation, the result is a slam-dunk: only 13 responses were made to the two-month, UK-wide consultation in November 2021, with nine respondents agreeing that the fax machine should be relegated to the great technology graveyard in the sky.

There was also a concern that the removal of the fax obligation could have serious consequences for those who rely on other voice band data applications such as telecare alarms for elderly or vulnerable people.

The aim of the USO is to ensure that a minimum set of telephony services are available to people who need them, particularly those in remote or rural areas, or vulnerable customers, who the market might not otherwise choose to serve, and where there would otherwise be a risk of social or economic exclusion arising from the lack of such access.