UK telecoms regulation, Ofcom, General Conditions, numbering, spectrum, switching, enforcement
In short: The PSTN switch-off on 31 January 2027 will retire the copper telephone network, and Ofcom’s Communications Market Report 2026, published on 30 June 2026, shows the migration is well advanced. Full fibre reached 42% of broadband lines (12.3 million) and managed internet voice rose to 12.9 million connections. The regulatory work now sits…
In short: the 1.4 GHz spectrum auction will offer a single 25 MHz block, the range 1492 to 1517 MHz, of supplementary downlink capacity for 4G and 5G mobile. Ofcom decided on 11 June 2026 to sell it by sealed-bid auction with no spectrum cap and a £5m reserve. It expects to consult on the…
In short: Ofcom’s network resilience guidance, revised on 16 June 2026, now sets out what Ofcom expects of mobile operators on power backup at radio access network sites. It does not set a fixed number of hours of battery. The duty flows from section 105A of the Communications Act 2003 and Regulation 3 of the…
In short: Ofcom satellite spectrum proposals, published on 16 June 2026, open two consultations. One gives Viasat and EchoStar a three to five year transition in the 2 GHz MSS band after their May 2027 licence expiry, plus flexibility for new entrants. The other adds Ku and Ka band uplink for ships and aircraft. Responses…
In short: The Ofcom AI strategy for 2026/27, published on 4 June 2026, sets out how Ofcom will regulate AI in the sectors it oversees. Telecoms operators are under a duty to keep their networks secure under the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, and that duty covers the AI they run on those networks. Ofcom doesn’t…
In short: The Openreach FTTP pricing and Ethernet offers notified to Ofcom on 2 June 2026 are not subject to approval. Under the Telecoms Access Review 2026-31, Ofcom decides only whether to intervene on competition grounds, and on the Equinox record it rarely does. Its Call for Inputs closes on 19 June 2026. By Rob…
In short: The Telecommunications Security Code of Practice is being rewritten. On 1 June 2026 DSIT published its consultation response, confirming a revised draft that softens several proposals and pushes most new measures to March 2028, December 2028 and December 2029. The updated Code will be laid before Parliament under section 105F before it takes…
In short: Upper 6 GHz fixed links in the busiest urban areas face revocation on five years’ notice as Ofcom clears 6585 to 7125 MHz for mobile. Around 206 links held by some 20 licensees are in scope, alongside a slice of programme-making spectrum and a cap to protect radio astronomy. Relocation costs fall on…
In short: Subsea cable security in the UK is set for its biggest legal change in 140 years. On 29 May 2026 the government announced plans to replace the Submarine Telegraph Act 1885 with new legislation criminalising reckless cable damage, to place security duties on cable operators modelled on the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 (TSA),…
In short: geographic market definition CMA practice asks where customers would switch if a hypothetical monopolist raised price by 5 to 10 per cent. The CMA’s 21 May 2026 Welltower decision found competition concerns in 30 local catchment areas. The CMA reaches the finding through postcode-level overlap mapping and drive-time isochrone analysis, a methodology that…
In short: The telecoms loyalty penalty class action against Vodafone, EE/BT, Three and O2 was certified by the Competition Appeal Tribunal on 14 November 2025 in its Certification and Limitation Judgment. Certification is procedural and does not validate the pleaded abuse theory. The post-certification CMC listed for 1 July 2026 will address procedural directions. Non-defendant…
In short: Ofcom Plan of Work 2026/27, published on 20 March 2026, maps the year’s regulatory deliverables for telecoms and online services operators. Key items: the connectivity work programme in spring 2026, the Online Safety Act categorisation register and additional duties consultation in July 2026, four clustered spectrum decisions, and UK preparations for WRC-27. By…