UK Telecoms Lawyer | Data | Payments | Regulation | Transactions

Specialist UK Telecoms, Data and Payments Regulation Lawyers

Clear, senior-level regulatory and commercial advice for telecoms, data protection and payments

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Bratby Law is a specialist UK telecoms, data protection and payments regulation practice. The firm is led by Rob Bratby, an English solicitor with over 30 years’ experience across UK telecoms regulation, data protection and payments regulation. He advises communications providers, fintechs, technology companies and investors on regulatory compliance, commercial transactions and enforcement matters.

The firm’s practice is organised across four areas: Telecoms Regulation, Data Protection, Payments Regulation and Transactions. Clients instruct the firm through three engagement models: Direct Legal Advice for specific regulatory or transactional matters, Specialist Co-counsel where another firm needs sector expertise, and Fractional General Counsel for ongoing senior legal support. Each model provides direct access to an experienced specialist without the overhead of a larger firm.

Rob Bratby’s experience spans private practice, the UK telecoms regulator and senior in-house roles. That combination of regulatory, operational and advisory experience is unusual in a single practitioner and shapes the firm’s approach to every instruction.

An end-to-end regulatory perspective

Rob Bratby’s experience spans three perspectives that are seldom combined in a single advisor:

The Regulator’s Perspective

Work at Oftel, the predecessor to Ofcom, provides first-hand experience of how UK communications regulation is developed, interpreted and enforced. This includes leadership of the project to liberalise the UK’s international telecoms infrastructure market (subsea cables and satellite), and a detailed understanding of regulatory intent and enforcement dynamics.

The Operator’s Perspective

Fractional General Counsel appointments at regulated telecoms and payments businesses, and embedded general-counsel roles within industry-wide joint ventures, provide practical insight into how businesses are run, where risks arise, how compliance is operationalised and how commercial and regulatory decisions are made inside carriers, fintechs and infrastructure operators.

The Advisor’s Perspective

Senior partnership and management roles at international US and UK law firms in both London and Singapore provide a deep understanding of how high quality legal advice is delivered and translated into commercial and regulatory decisions at board level.



This combination enables advice that is legally rigorous, commercially aligned and technically grounded.

Core credentials

Rob Bratby’s experience spans regulation, operations, private practice and current market appointments:

Rob Bratby worked at Oftel, the predecessor to Ofcom, gaining direct experience of how UK communications regulation is developed, interpreted and enforced. That background informs how the firm reads regulatory intent and anticipates enforcement direction.

Fractional General Counsel appointments at regulated telecoms and payments businesses, including Core Communication, TelXL, The One Touch Switching Company (TOTSCo) and UK Payments Initiative Limited, provide a working understanding of how businesses operate, how compliance is operationalised, and how regulatory and commercial decisions are made inside carriers, fintechs and infrastructure operators.

Partnership roles at international law firms included leading advice on major transactions, regulatory matters and infrastructure projects across Europe and Asia. That experience informs the firm’s approach to cross-border and multi-jurisdictional mandates.

Rob Bratby holds a General Counsel appointment at UK Payments Initiative Limited, providing direct engagement with the PSR, FCA and scheme governance frameworks. That appointment grounds the firm’s payments regulation practice in current, operational regulatory experience.

Recognised as a leading practitioner in data protection and privacy law, with experience advising on UK GDPR compliance, data protection impact assessments, controller and processor frameworks, and data protection considerations for AI-enabled products and services.

A science degree before law, subsequent intellectual property qualifications, an MBA and completion of the INSEAD International Directors Programme give the firm an unusually broad technical and governance foundation for a specialist regulatory practice.

Telecoms, data protection and payments regulation lawyers

Bratby Law advises on telecoms regulation, data protection, payments regulation and transactions across the communications, financial services and technology sectors.

Telecoms regulation

We advise communications providers, operators, infrastructure investors and platforms on UK telecoms regulation. Our work covers authorisation, General Conditions, numbering, switching, security and resilience, spectrum, access and interconnection, and Ofcom enforcement and disputes.

Data Protection

We advise organisations on UK GDPR compliance, data protection impact assessments, controller and processor arrangements, international transfers and ICO engagement. We also advise on data protection for AI-enabled products and services.

Payments Regulation

We advise payment service providers, fintechs and scheme participants on PSRs 2017 compliance, FCA and PSR authorisation, open banking, cVRPs and scheme governance. Our payments regulation practice is anchored by a fractional General Counsel appointment at UK Payments Initiative Limited.

Transactions

We draft and negotiate commercial and corporate agreements across the telecoms, data and payments sectors. Our work spans network-sharing, MVNO and wholesale agreements, digital infrastructure projects, SaaS and platform contracting, data commercialisation, and joint ventures and M&A.

Why Choose Bratby Law?

Sector expertise

Bratby Law advises exclusively on telecoms regulation, data protection, and payments regulation. That concentration means deeper knowledge of the regulatory landscape, faster analysis, and advice that reflects how regulators actually behave: not how the textbook says they should.

Senior delivery

Every instruction is handled by Rob Bratby personally. With 30 years’ experience spanning Oftel, senior in-house roles at network operators, and partnership at international law firms, you receive the analysis directly: not through a junior team. The firm uses AI tools to extend research capacity and accelerate document review, so senior judgment is applied to more of your matter, not less.

Unique perspective

Rob Bratby has sat on all three sides of the regulatory table: as a regulator at Oftel, as General Counsel at major operators, and as external counsel. That inside-out perspective informs every piece of advice. He currently holds fractional General Counsel appointments at TOTSCo, UKPI, TelXL, and Core.

Independent directory rankings

Our specialist expertise is recognised in major independent legal directories:

  • Chambers & Partners: Rob Bratby is ranked as a band 2 lawyer in the UK Guide 2026 in the “Telecommunications” category: Chambers
  • The Legal 500: Rob Bratby is listed as a “Leading Partner – Telecoms” in London (TMT – IT & Telecoms): The Legal 500
  • Lexology: Rob Bratby is featured on Lexology’s expert profiles as a Global Elite Thought Leader for data: Lexology
Chambers and Partners accreditation
Legal 500 accreditation

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What clients say about Bratby Law:

  • “I would highly recommend Rob and his team.”

    “I have had the pleasure of working with Rob now on a number of occasions and engagements with clients. Rob is one of the most knowledgeable people I have come across in the Telecommunications industry, both in his comprehensive understanding of the law for various countries and in the application of this law and what it means for Operators. This is complemented by his generosity with sharing his knowledge, and the friendly style with which he works. I would highly recommend Rob and his team.”
    Nick White
    (Former) Deloitte

  • “I would recommend Rob for any major Telecoms project”

    “I worked with Rob to introduce One Touch Switching for broadband and fixed voice, which launched successfully with almost two million customers using the service to date. Rob is a first class Legal Counsel with exceptional legal and regulatory knowledge enabling him to give insightful strategic guidance to the ExCo and the Board. He is highly trusted by Directors and easy to work with. I would recommend Rob for any major Telecoms project.”
    Toby Lovell
    (Former) Chief of Staff, The One Touch Switching Company

  • “…he has an outstanding understanding of the telecoms market…”

    “Rob has been my lawyer for over 25 years. He has advised us through every stage of the business, from international voice through to SIM distribution and eSIMs. He knows our business inside out, he has an outstanding understanding of the telecoms market and he gives us direct, practical advice without the overhead of a full-time hire.”
    Tony Greaves
    CEO, Core Communication Holdings Limited

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UK Telecoms Lawyer | Data | Payments | Regulation | Transactions

Specialist UK Telecoms, Data and Payments Regulation Lawyers

Clear, senior-level regulatory and commercial advice for telecoms, data protection and payments