UK telecoms regulation, Ofcom, General Conditions, numbering, spectrum, switching, enforcement
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…
In short: Telecoms security incident reporting could be recalibrated. Ofcom’s draft statement of policy under section 105Y of the Communications Act 2003, published on 12 May 2026 and out for consultation until 4 August 2026, proposes cell site thresholds for mobile reporting, a single-site trigger for rural areas, and a new severity taxonomy of critical,…
In short: DUAA smart data schemes operate under Part 1 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Section 2 lets the government make regulations requiring data holders to share customer data with authorised persons; section 4 does the same for business data. Sections 6, 7 and 8 add decision-makers, interface bodies and enforcement. The…
In short: The European Commission’s first review of the Digital Markets Act, published on 28 April 2026 as COM(2026) 178 final under Article 53 of the Regulation, concludes that the law is working and proposes no legislative amendment. Cloud computing and AI are named as the next enforcement focus. The UK runs a separate regime…
In short: Telecoms ombudsman regulatory powers do not exist as a separate statutory regime. Communications Ombudsman and CISAS are private bodies approved by Ofcom under section 54 of the Communications Act 2003 to resolve individual consumer complaints. Statutory regulatory and enforcement powers, including penalties up to 10 per cent of turnover, sit with Ofcom alone….
EU Merger Guidelines telecoms reset: the draft elevates scale, innovation and resilience as procompetitive factors. What it means for UK M&A with EU jurisdiction.
In short: DSIT set Ofcom’s regulatory direction for the next five years by designating its statement of strategic priorities for telecoms, spectrum and postal services on 27 April 2026. Under section 2B of the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom must have regard to it, and must say by 6 June 2026 what it proposes to do….
In short: FOIA section 44 keeps the disclosures regulated firms make to Ofcom in investigations and enforcement out of Freedom of Information requests. Babbs v The Information Commissioner & Ofcom [2026] UKFTT 389 (GRC) confirms that Communications Act 2003 section 393 covers voluntary as well as compulsory submissions, applies across telecoms, broadcasting and online safety,…