DSIT Statement of Strategic Priorities: What the SSP Means
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.
DSIT set Ofcom’s direction for the next five years on 27 April 2026 by designating its statement of strategic priorities under the Communications Act 2003. Every Ofcom decision on telecoms, spectrum and post over the next five years now sits in a calibration that ranks long-term industry investment ahead of short-term consumer protection where the two pull against each other. The DSIT statement of strategic priorities sets five priority areas, all framed around growth, and replaces the 2019 statement. Ofcom must have regard to it when exercising its functions under the Act.
What the statement is and what section 2B requires
Section 2A of the Communications Act 2003 lets the Secretary of State designate a statement of the government’s priorities for telecoms, the management of the radio spectrum and postal services. Section 2B is the matching duty on Ofcom: the regulator must have regard to a designated statement when carrying out its telecoms functions, its functions for the management of the radio spectrum (principally under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006) and its postal services functions. Parliament added sections 2A to 2C to the 2003 Act by section 98(1) of the Digital Economy Act 2017. They came into force on 31 July 2017.
The duty is one of regard, not direction. The statement does not bind Ofcom to do what it asks. The line matters: the Secretary of State has separate powers to direct Ofcom in defined cases, including on national security, and those operate by command. The statement of strategic priorities operates by policy steer. Ofcom must, within 40 days of designation, publish a written explanation of what it proposes to do (section 2B(3)). For the 27 April 2026 designation, the deadline is 6 June 2026. After that, Ofcom must publish an annual review of what it has done (section 2B(4)).
The five priorities in the 2026 DSIT statement
The DSIT statement of strategic priorities sets five priorities: a transparent, competitive and fair retail market; world-class fixed and wireless digital infrastructure; the widest possible access to spectrum; secure and resilient telecoms infrastructure; and resilient and sustainable postal services. Growth frames each. That is the clearest difference from the 2019 statement, which gave more equal weight to consumer protection and roll-out.
On the retail market, the statement asks Ofcom to look at consumer-protection rules in the round and to act again where needed; to keep customer satisfaction up; and to protect vulnerable and digitally excluded customers. On fixed connectivity, it confirms continued competition between Openreach and other providers, and continued access to Openreach’s physical infrastructure for the fibre roll-out. On mobile, it asks for a stable regime, better Ofcom coverage reporting on network availability and quality, and continued investment in 5G.
How DSIT reframed the 2019 priorities
The 2026 statement of strategic priorities replaces the 2019 statement that DCMS designated under the same section 2A power on 29 October 2019. Six side-by-side comparisons show how DSIT has rewritten the 2019 priorities for the next regulatory cycle.
| Theme | 2019 SSP wording | 2026 SSP wording |
|---|---|---|
| Top-level priority structure | Four priority areas, none with a growth modifier: “Section 1: World-class digital infrastructure; Section 2: Furthering the interests of telecoms consumers; Section 3: Secure and resilient telecoms infrastructure; Section 4: Postal services” (2019 SSP, paragraph 8). | Five priority areas, every one prefixed with growth: “Strategic Priority 1: Supporting growth through a transparent, competitive, and fair retail market for consumers; Strategic Priority 2: Driving growth through world-class fixed and wireless digital infrastructure; Strategic Priority 3: Driving growth through maximising access to spectrum; Strategic Priority 4: Maximising opportunities for growth through secure and resilient telecoms infrastructure; Strategic Priority 5: Supporting growth through resilient and sustainable postal services” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priorities 1-5). |
| Framing of consumer protection | Standalone priority area without a growth modifier: “The Government’s commitment to safeguarding the interests of telecoms consumers, including the vulnerable and less engaged, by ensuring they are better informed and protected” (2019 SSP, Section 2 priority). | Folded into the growth-led retail-market priority: “supporting growth through a transparent, competitive, and fair retail market for consumers”, with Ofcom asked to “stand ready to take further action where necessary… particularly in relation to pricing practices, contract clarity, and switching barriers” while “evaluating the impact and costs of regulatory interventions collectively” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priority 1). |
| Investment over near-term consumer prices | Articulated within the digital-infrastructure priority: “The Government’s view is that promoting investment should be prioritised over interventions to further reduce retail prices in the near term” (2019 SSP, paragraph 18). The “fair bet” principle was first introduced in 2019. | Reaffirmed and broadened: “the ‘fair bet’ principle, which the government continues to support. Regulation should continue to support operators’ investment in the continued roll-out of fibre networks over the next 5 years and beyond” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priority 2). Investment-over-consumer-prices is no longer an in-section caveat but the framing of every priority. |
| Spectrum | Sub-section within the digital-infrastructure priority. Spectrum was treated as a means to mobile rollout. Mobile-coverage and spectrum-sharing sub-priorities sat under “Section 1: World-class digital infrastructure”; spectrum had no top-level priority status. | Standalone Strategic Priority 3: “Driving growth through maximising access to spectrum. We must continually strive to maximise access to and use of spectrum for the growing number of wireless applications across the economy”, with explicit support for “the evolution of spectrum access mechanisms and improvements in spectrum sharing” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priority 3). |
| Openreach physical infrastructure access | “The Government regards effective access to Openreach’s national network of underground ducts and poles as a key enabler of competitive network deployment”; the SSP recorded the introduction of “unrestricted access to Openreach’s physical infrastructure” via Ofcom’s June 2019 statement (2019 SSP, paragraphs 14-15). | The 2019 PIA framework reaffirmed: “Ofcom should ensure that Openreach continues to provide unrestricted access to its physical infrastructure to all communications providers on equivalent terms”; and on the TAR: “Any changes to the PIA framework in the Telecoms Access Review (TAR) should be proportionate, evidence-based, and support competition and investment within the fixed telecoms market” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priority 2). |
| Postal services | Single-sentence priority: “The Government’s commitment to a universal postal service and need for industry and Ofcom to work together to secure the long-term sustainability of the sector” (2019 SSP, Section 4 priority). | Trade-off made explicit: “Ofcom should consider the reasonable needs of users of postal services, particularly vulnerable customers and businesses that rely on the service, while providing appropriate incentives for Royal Mail, as the universal service provider, to continue to make the necessary investment to modernise the business” (2026 SSP, Strategic Priority 5). |
Each change in the statement of strategic priorities shows up in a live Ofcom decision where the trade-off is concrete. Five examples follow.
Where the new priority order matters in practice
Five live or recent Ofcom decisions show where the consumer-protection-versus-investment trade-off is concrete. Each row carries two sources: the Ofcom decision currently weighing the trade-off, and the passage of the DSIT statement of strategic priorities in which DSIT has framed it. The 2026 statement does not amend any of these decisions; it sets the policy environment for the next cycle of each.
| Decision area and SSP source | Short-term consumer protection pulls towards | Long-term industry investment pulls towards |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale charge controls and PIA pricing (Telecoms Access Review 2026-31, March 2026) SSP Strategic Priority 1: the ‘fair bet’ principle and PIA framework changes that “support competition and investment within the fixed telecoms market” | Closer monitoring of Openreach commercial terms and pricing to prevent detrimental effects on competition and consumer prices | Predictable, evidence-based regulation that supports continued operator investment in the fibre roll-out over the next five years |
| Mid-contract price rises (Ofcom Statement, 19 July 2024; in force 17 January 2025) SSP Strategic Priority 1: Ofcom to “stand ready to take further action” on pricing practices and contract clarity, while “evaluating the impact and costs of regulatory interventions collectively” | Prohibition of inflation-linked or percentage-based mid-contract rises and pounds-and-pence disclosure at point of sale | Operator pricing flexibility to recover invested capital across the contract life |
| PSTN-to-VoIP migration and copper retirement (Ofcom guidance and voluntary charters) SSP Strategic Priority 1: voluntary charters with safeguards and clear consumer information; and “clear, realistic and achievable criteria for when copper regulation can be withdrawn” | Vulnerable-customer protections, telecare safeguards, battery back-up and clear consumer information through migration | Withdrawal criteria that let operators decommission copper and shift capex to fibre on a predictable timetable |
| Spectrum sharing (Ofcom upper 6 GHz consultation, January 2026) SSP Strategic Priority 3: “maximise access to and use of spectrum” and continue “the evolution of spectrum access mechanisms and improvements in spectrum sharing” | Wider unlicensed access for Wi-Fi and innovation use cases | Licensed mobile allocation that supports operator 5G and 6G capex |
| Universal postal service review (Ofcom consultation, 2024-25) SSP Strategic Priority 5: “the reasonable needs of users of postal services, particularly vulnerable customers… while providing appropriate incentives for Royal Mail… to continue to make the necessary investment to modernise the business” | Universal access to delivery products at affordable prices and high quality of service targets | Royal Mail commercial sustainability through reformed delivery patterns and lower targets |
The point is structural rather than predictive. The 2019 statement permitted Ofcom to weight consumer protection roughly equally with roll-out. The 2026 statement of strategic priorities asks Ofcom to put long-term industry investment first.
Relationship with the Telecoms Access Review 2026-31
The Telecoms Access Review 2026-31 sets the access conditions, charge controls and investment incentives that apply to Openreach’s wholesale physical infrastructure for the next five years. The statement does not amend the Review. It does not tell Ofcom to revisit any charge control. It sits upstream of every Ofcom decision in the Review cycle. When Ofcom consults on a market review variation, decides whether to enforce an access condition, or asks whether the investment incentives are working, the statement is part of the picture Ofcom must take into account. Communications providers reading the next Ofcom consultation should expect to see the statement framing the reasoning, particularly where Ofcom is weighing competing duties under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003.
The same applies to enforcement. Ofcom’s investigations and information powers under the Act sit within the section 2B duty. The statement creates no new enforcement powers, but it shapes how Ofcom chooses which obligations and which providers to focus on.
Spectrum and postal implications
For spectrum, the statement frames Ofcom’s spectrum management functions under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 around the widest possible access. The current spectrum work includes the upper 6 GHz consultation, 5G coverage reporting and 6G planning. Operators engaging with Ofcom on any spectrum decision over the next twelve months should read each Ofcom move against the statement’s growth and infrastructure framing. DSIT amended the statement after consultation to confirm Ofcom’s role in advocating for UK business at international spectrum forums.
For post, the statement asks Ofcom to support resilient and sustainable postal services. Royal Mail and the universal service framework are at the heart of that priority. The statement does not pre-empt any Ofcom decision on the universal service obligation. It does set the policy environment for any future review of the obligation.
Implications for operators, licensees and investors
The DSIT statement of strategic priorities now frames every regulatory engagement network operators, MVNOs, altnets, postal operators and spectrum licence holders will have with Ofcom over the next five years. Three points follow.
For regulatory affairs teams, the practical reading is direct. A point that aligns with the statement is a point Ofcom will weigh more heavily; a point that runs counter to it carries more burden of argument to displace. Submissions to Ofcom that engage with the framing of the statement of strategic priorities (consultation responses, market review responses, licence variation requests, complaints to Ofcom, responses to information notices) land more squarely than those that ignore it. The 2019 statement gave less weight to growth, so generic arguments that worked under the previous framing may carry less force.
For infrastructure investors and PE backers conducting regulatory due diligence, the statement is now part of the regulatory risk picture. Where a target’s revenue model depends on a particular regulatory outcome, how the statement frames that outcome is part of the diligence read. The framework of telecoms regulation has not changed, but DSIT has shifted the policy weight Ofcom must give to specific outcomes.
Viewpoint
The 2026 statement of strategic priorities is Ofcom’s compass for the next five years. The section 2B duty is one of regard, not direction. In practice, the statement shapes how Ofcom weighs competing duties under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003. DSIT frames every priority around growth. That is the clearest signal in the document, and a real change from 2019, when consumer protection and roll-out carried more equal weight. Ofcom’s 6 June 2026 response will give the first concrete read of how Ofcom intends to operate the duty. Ofcom published its Plan of Work 2026/27 before DSIT designated the statement, so the 6 June response will fill in how the Plan reads under the new framing. The next Ofcom Plan of Work consultation will fully embed the statement framing for the first time.
If you are in scope for an obligation under the Communications Act 2003 and weighing market entry, an Ofcom investigation, a market review response or regulatory due diligence on a target, see our regulatory perimeter and market entry page for how we engage on these issues. For background on the regulator itself, see what does Ofcom regulate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the DSIT statement of strategic priorities?
The Secretary of State issues the statement under section 2A of the Communications Act 2003. It sets out the government’s priorities for telecoms, the management of the radio spectrum and postal services. DSIT designated the 2026 statement on 27 April 2026, replacing the 2019 statement. The statement runs alongside, and does not displace, the Secretary of State’s other powers in the Act.
Does Ofcom have to follow the statement?
No. Under section 2B of the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom must have regard to the statement when exercising its functions, but it is not bound to follow it. The duty is a policy steer, not a direction. Ofcom keeps discretion in how it pursues the priorities through its regulatory programme.
When must Ofcom respond to the 2026 statement?
Within 40 days of designation. The 27 April 2026 designation puts the deadline at 6 June 2026. Ofcom must publish a written explanation of what it proposes to do (section 2B(3) of the Communications Act 2003), and then a review every twelve months of what it has done (section 2B(4)).
Does the statement cover spectrum and postal services?
Yes. The statement covers all three of telecoms, the management of the radio spectrum and postal services. The section 2B duty applies to Ofcom’s functions in each area, including its functions under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 for spectrum and its functions under the postal services regulatory framework.
Will the statement affect the Telecoms Access Review 2026-31?
Indirectly. The DSIT statement of strategic priorities does not amend the Review. It sits upstream of every Ofcom decision in the Review cycle. Operators engaging with Ofcom on Review matters should expect the statement to shape Ofcom’s reasoning, particularly where Ofcom is weighing competing duties under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003.
For advice on engaging with Ofcom under the Communications Act 2003, regulatory due diligence, a market-entry assessment, or a transaction in the UK telecoms, spectrum or postal sectors, contact Rob Bratby at Bratby Law.
