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 UK telecoms 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, Telecoms & Media
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 across the telecoms, data and payments sectors. 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 a secondment to Oftel, senior in-house roles at UK telecoms 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 for Telecoms in London (TMT: IT and Telecoms). The Legal 500
- Lexology: Rob Bratby is recognised in the Lexology Index as a Global Elite Thought Leader for telecoms and media, and as a Thought Leader for data privacy and protection: Lexology
Ready to discuss your matter?
What clients say about Bratby Law:
Insights
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Funds for liabilities: Ofcom opens an enforcement programme into code operator compliance
In short: Ofcom opened a funds for liabilities enforcement programme on 16 July 2026 into code operators’ compliance with regulation 16 of the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) Regulations 2003, with immediate investigations into six operators it has reasonable grounds to believe may not have complied. The most recent annual certificate deadline was 1…
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DMA specification decisions on Google: the access rules the CMA has not written
In short: DMA specification decisions adopted by the European Commission on 16 July 2026 tell Google exactly how to comply with two Digital Markets Act obligations: opening eleven defined Android features to rival AI assistants by 1 August 2027 at the latest, and sharing anonymised Google Search ranking, query, click and view data with competing…
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Revised Telecommunications Security Code of Practice 2026: now issued
In short: The revised Telecommunications Security Code of Practice was issued on 14 July 2026 as version 1.1, replacing the December 2022 Code as the guidance Ofcom measures Tier 1 and Tier 2 public telecoms providers against. The underlying law is unchanged, and the genuinely new measures carry compliance timeframes running to March 2028, December…
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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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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