Specialist UK Telecoms, Data and Payments Regulation Lawyers
Clear, senior-level regulatory and commercial advice for telecoms, data protection and payments
If your business operates in UK telecoms, processes personal data, or provides payment services, regulation determines what you can build, how you can compete, and what risks you carry. Bratby Law provides specialist regulatory and transactional advice across telecoms, data protection and payments, led by Rob Bratby, a Chambers Band 2 telecoms lawyer with over 30 years’ experience including a one-year secondment to Oftel, senior in-house roles at network operators, and partnership at international law firms. Clients instruct the firm through three models: Direct Legal Advice, Specialist Co-counsel and Fractional General Counsel.
Chambers & Partners Band 2 Telecoms (UK Guide 2026)
Legal 500 Leading Partner, Telecoms (London)
Lexology Global Elite Thought Leader, Data Protection
When clients instruct us
New product launch in a regulated sector
Regulatory compliance review, licensing requirements and go-to-market risk assessment for telecoms operators, fintechs and platforms launching new services. Product launch advice
Regulatory due diligence on an acquisition
Telecoms, data protection and payments risk assessment for investors and acquirers in regulated sectors. Due diligence
AI product launch or data compliance review
DPIA, controller/processor analysis and UK GDPR compliance for technology companies deploying AI-enabled products. AI and data advice
FCA or PSR authorisation application
Payment services and e-money authorisation, safeguarding requirements and PSR scheme compliance. Authorisation advice
Ongoing senior regulatory counsel
Fractional General Counsel for telecoms, fintech and data businesses that need board-level legal support without a full-time hire. Fractional GC
Your firm lacks sector expertise
Specialist co-counsel for law firms handling telecoms, data or payments matters that require regulatory depth. Co-counsel
An end-to-end regulatory perspective
Rob Bratby’s experience spans three perspectives that are seldom combined in a single adviser: the regulator’s, from work at Oftel on how UK communications regulation is developed and enforced; the operator’s, from fractional General Counsel appointments at regulated telecoms and payments businesses and embedded roles inside industry joint ventures; and the adviser’s, from senior partnership at international law firms in London and Singapore. The combination produces advice that is legally rigorous, commercially aligned and technically grounded. Why Bratby Law sets out how the three perspectives work together.
Telecoms, data protection and payments regulation lawyers
Bratby Law advises on telecoms regulation, data protection, payments regulation, transactions and digital regulation across the communications, financial services and technology sectors.
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 environment, 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.
Current appointments
Rob Bratby currently holds fractional General Counsel appointments at TOTSCo, TelXL, Core and the UK Payments Initiative. These ongoing roles keep his advice grounded in how regulated businesses run day to day.
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
Ready to discuss your matter?
What clients say about Bratby Law:
Insights
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The EDPB AMLA guidelines: what they mean for AML information sharing and UK firms
In short: The EDPB AMLA guidelines will set out how AML information sharing partnerships work under GDPR once Article 75 of the EU AML Regulation takes effect on 10 July 2027. The EDPB and AMLA announced the joint drafting project on 1 July 2026, with a draft consultation due in the first half of 2027….
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Agentic payments: consent and liability under UK payment law
In short: agentic payments create uncertainty about how payer consent, strong customer authentication and liability apply when an autonomous agent initiates a transaction. HM Treasury’s Financial Services AI Adoption Plan and Modernising Payment Services Regulation consultation ask whether the PSRs 2017 need to change. The consultation closes on 6 October 2026. By Rob Bratby, Managing…
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Section 172 good faith governs conduct as well as belief: Saxon Woods v Costa
In short: in Saxon Woods v Costa [2026] UKSC 21, the Supreme Court held that section 172 good faith governs a director’s conduct as well as honest belief. A director may challenge the board’s strategy but may not secretly frustrate it. The ruling has practical implications for nominee directors, joint ventures and industry-owned companies. By…
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Consumer Duty monitoring for payment firms: CP26/23 may narrow the scope, but not the need for evidence
In short: Consumer Duty products and services monitoring asks a payment or e-money firm to show, not just assert, that its products give customers good outcomes. The FCA’s review of 10 July 2026 found firms that could describe their processes but could not demonstrate their interventions had worked. CP26/23 may make monitoring more explicitly proportionate…
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Online safety fees: who pays for Ofcom’s online safety regulation
In short: Online safety fees are payable to Ofcom by providers of regulated services with a qualifying worldwide revenue of £250m or more, from the charging year beginning 1 April 2026. Until then Ofcom funded the regime from spectrum receipts it was permitted to retain. Its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025/26, published on 9…
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Finfluencer financial promotions: which activities are caught
In short: Finfluencer financial promotions are caught by the restriction in section 21 FSMA where they concern a controlled activity or a controlled investment, which covers consumer credit, qualifying cryptoassets and investments. The authorised firm behind the affiliate is responsible for the post, because section 21(13) treats causing a communication to be made as communicating…
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Regulator and legislation links
- Ofcom – UK Communications Regulator
- Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – Data Protection and Privacy
- DSIT – UK Government: Digital, Telecoms and Data Policy
- Communications Act 2003
- Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006
- Data Protection Act 2018
- UK GDPR
- EU GDPR
- EU AI Act
- PECR
- Online Safety Act 2023
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)
- Payment Services Regulations 2017
- Electronic Money Regulations 2011
- Financial Services (Banking Reform) Act 2013