Firms to face new £2m fine for silent calls

Companies that pester members of the public with silent and abandoned calls could face fines of as much as £2m under plans unveiled by the Government yesterday.

Silent calls are generated automatically by call centre systems using predictive dialling systems that often connect more lines than staff available, leaving the person that answers the call with a silent line. The new fine is 40 times bigger than the previous £50,000 limit.

The regulator Ofcom will be responsible for imposing fines.

Ed Vaizey, the Communications minister, said: "Ofcom can now put this fine into action in the most serious of cases, and they will also work with us to ensure consumers know where to get help if they are a victim of persistent silent and abandoned calls."